REVIEWED BY AIDEN, 7, WA
The Tree by Graeme Base, Penguin Books Australia, ISBN 9781760897048
The publisher provided a review copy of this book.
REVIEWED BY KOBE, 9, WA
Tricky 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!
CRADLE MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE
by Monica, 10, VIC
Cradle Mountain is home to all your favourite native Australian animals in the wild. With an exquisite hotel surrounded by wildlife, adventurous night walks through the bush and beautiful scenery everywhere, Cradle Mountain has everything you need for a perfect holiday on an adventure.
Up near the Enchanted Walk, there is a gift shop and hotel. The Enchanted Walk is full of echidnas, wombats, and wallabies so you can sometimes see animals wandering around outside your window. Enjoy the pleasure and thrill of hiking and seeing adorable native animals over a few days and even join a night walk.
By 8pm, the mountains are alive with animals. Hundreds of them poke their heads out of their homes and set off to explore. At this time, people will take long walks through the bush, squealing in delight when they spot an animal. There are wombats, wallabies, echidnas, quolls, platypuses, and a shelter for Tasmanian devils.
The water in Dove Lake ripples and glitters like a million diamonds, the forest has beautiful flowers and densely packed trees, and the bush is full of animals. There is so much wonderful scenery in the mountains, you are sure to get a lot of amazing pictures.
Cradle Mountain is such an exciting and fascinating place. Book a trip to Tasmania and visit Cradle Mountain for your next holiday.
This is Monica’s second publication at Alphabet Soup. Read her poem ‘The Four Seasons’ here. To send us YOUR story, poem, artwork or book review, check out our submission guidelines.
Today we’re pleased to have Lorraine Marwood visiting Alphabet Soup. Lorraine is an award-winning poet, novelist and verse novelist. She likes to write about the goldfields, country life, a tiny moment in time, families, animals, mystery, a longing for something, fantasy … and more! Lorraine’s latest
book is Footprints on the Moon.
From the publisher:
It’s 1969 and life is changing fast. Sharnie Burley is starting high school and finding it tough to make new friends. As the world waits to see if humans will land on the moon, the Vietnam War rages overseas. While her little cousin, Lewis, makes pretend moon boots, young men are being called up to fight, sometimes without having any choice in the matter. Sometimes without ever coming home.
Dad thinks serving your country in a war is honourable, but when Sharnie’s older sister, Cas, meets a returned soldier and starts getting involved in anti-war protests, a rift in their family begins to show. Sharnie would usually turn to her grandma for support, but lately Gran’s been forgetting things.
Can she find her own way in this brave new world?
We’re pleased to have Lorraine visiting today to talk all about the book!
Footprints on the Moon is historical fiction, set at the time of the moon landing and the Vietnam War. How did you go about your research?
I read newspapers, articles, personal stories, and delved into my own childhood memories of that time. This was in contrast with the exciting, exuberant conquering of man on the moon – how could there be such polarizing events operating at once?
I visited the Australian War Memorial and one impression that stayed was the fierce unearthly sound of the helicopters (choppers) that were an integral part of the Vietnam War. I came away with much material to read and ponder. I had newspaper articles of Vietnam War experiences, I researched posters of protest movements, found out numbers of conscripts sent to Vietnam etc.
Similarly I researched the moon mission and had many articles and booklets to read from many years collecting. I knew I wanted to write about this era but when it came to writing the book I needed to delve more deeply and think about the questions the teachers in the book might ask students about the Vietnam War. I also knew the prevalent attitudes of political and establishment at that time, as well as communism, had to be shown too. I also spoke with Vietnam veterans and families affected by the conflict.
This is your fourth verse novel. Can you tell us a bit about the editing process for a verse novel?
A very interesting question as I feel this verse novel is different in format from my other verse novels – each format seemed to reflect the subject matter and as this was set in a high school, it was written for a slightly older audience than two of my other verse novels.
Each poem or section has its own title to lead us into the narrative. I think the editing is the same for other novels, to get facts right, to get the main character to shine in her own story, to see growth in the character from start to finish, to find a climax of narrative, a progression, a flow, to take out unnecessary words and especially for the verse novel, to make sure those spontaneous lines of poetry flow and sparkle.
Did you watch the moon landing in 1969? Were you aware of the Vietnam War?
Yes indeed – just as the book says – in the cookery room of my secondary school, amazing, amazing and then looking up at the moon at night and noting that it had been conquered and was not the same mysterious orb that had always been there.
Yes the Vietnam War impacted family around me, male acquaintances anxiously waited for their birthdate to come up in the ballot. Political opinion was being rocked, the establishment was called into question and protests, especially the Melbourne ones called young protestors into action, to change history as it were.
Do you have a tip for young writers who’d like to write historical fiction?
Yes, delve into that era, immerse yourself in the nitty gritty of daily life, food, clothes, world events because this is where your story will flourish. Ask questions of anyone who might have experienced that era (contemporary era) look at old newspapers online, examine as many resources as you can, to see an entry point that resonates with you, then write the story. Once that is down you can check the facts later.
Can you tell us a bit about your next writing project?
Another historical novel – but not a verse novel, a longer one with mystery in it. I have researched the era it focuses on for years and years and written it on and off for years also and now have stripped it back and begun again. I am also tackling plot which is hard for me as I am a pantser but this will be a bigger novel …
Then of course I have enough material for another poetry collection and I’ve always wanted a picture book … lots of material there to work on!
Footprints on the Moon is out now! Look for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS:
Download teachers’ notes from the publisher’s website
Do you live in Victoria? Go to the book launch celebration at the Bendigo library! 11 am, Saturday 27 February 2021. It’s free but you do need to book tickets online.
Read our earlier interviews with Lorraine Marwood –
REVIEWED BY SASKIA, 11, WA
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.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Cristy Burne writes fiction and nonfiction and her books are bursting with adventure, friendship, family, nature, science and technology. Cristy has worked as a science communicator for nearly 20 years across six countries. She has been a science circus performer, garbage analyst, museum writer, and atom-smashing reporter at CERN, but her all-time favourite job is working with kids to embrace the intersection between science, technology and creativity.
Cristy’s latest book is Beneath the Trees, with illustrations by Amanda Burnett. From the publisher:
Cam and Sophie feel like they’ve been travelling forever to get to the rainforest and the river and their cousins. They just want to see a platypus in the wild, but with the rain tipping down and the river turning wild they can’t see a thing. Until suddenly, they can. A platypus is just below them, and it needs help! But when their rescue attempt goes horribly wrong, it’s not just the platypus that needs saving …
Your characters Cam and Sophie want to see a platypus in the wild. Have you ever seen a platypus yourself?
Yes, and I loved it! In 2019 my family travelled across Australia to see platypus in the wild, just like in the book. In fact, that’s the whole reason Beneath The Trees exists. So the descriptions in the book of the forest, the rain, the river and the platypus are all real-life descriptions.
Platypus are so wonderful and so lovely to see in the wild. We need to do all we can to protect their habitat and our environment so animals like this don’t continue to decline.
You write books about kids having adventures in the great outdoors. Do any of your own childhood adventures make it into your books?
I grew up on a kiwifruit orchard and farm in New Zealand, so adventure was a huge part of my childhood. I remember being chased by bulls, rescuing a paddock of heifers from a flood, accidentally electrocuting myself with the electric fence while chasing a wayward cow through the orchard in the dead of night and in bare feet…
None of these adventures have made it into a book yet, but now you have me thinking….
Personal opinion: Leech or mosquito … which is worse?
Mosquito is way worse.
So leeches are way better than mosquitoes. And they’re way grosser too!
Do you have any tips for kids who’d like to write adventure stories?
Adventures stories are awesome to read, and awesome to write. The best bit is that you have to have experienced some adventure to write a good adventure story. You don’t need to have experienced the exact thing your character is experiencing, but you do need to know what it feels like to be frightened or lost, or how it feels to do the right thing, even when you’re afraid.
A good way to remember how you feel is to write about it in a diary each day. You’ll soon get bored of writing ‘I felt scared’ or ‘it was fun’ and you can start to experiment with new and scary and funny and original ways to describe your day. I dare you to start a diary and write in it every day for a week!
Can you tell us a bit about your next writing project?
My next book comes out at the end of April. It’s the first in a science-meets-magic adventure series co-written with debut author Denis Knight. Book 1 is called Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows, and it’s about a schoolkid called Wednesday who mixes magic and science to save the universe from a power-crazy goblin king. It’s loads of laughs!
Beneath the Trees is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS
Download Teachers’ Notes for Beneath the Trees
Read the first chapter on the publisher’s website
Visit Cristy’s website to see some photos of the Queensland environment where the story is set
Watch a YouTube video of Taronga Zoo Australian fauna team releasing a rehabilitated male playtpus back into the wild in NSW
REVIEWED 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!
REVIEWED 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!
REVIEWED BY KOBE, 9, WA
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani, HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 9780007492930
Kobe reviewed her own copy of this book.
Two girls that are friends are kidnapped at a certain time of their lives to find that one learns cruelty and evil while the other learns loyalty and good. In the end, the result is least expected because the two friends turn out to be great enemies.
Agatha was fine living in her town, Gavaldon and her friend Sophie. One night she was staying awake until she saw something black going towards Sophie’s house, she rushes over to find that they are both in a worse situation than she had planned. Then they are both kidnapped and taken to their true home. Agatha is surprised to see the location she is in because she had never known that fairy tales were real. She finds that she starts to like this new life that a black shadow of some sort has driven her in to. After that she finds that trying to be with her best friend Sophie was going to be impossible because a princess can never be friends with a witch. After an attempt to change clothes with each other, they find it not accomplishable to do.
My favourite part about this fantastic book is that this book always keeps you wondering what is going to happen, like when Agatha and Sophie both get kidnapped and Agatha tries to use matches, but it still doesn’t stop the shadow from pulling them on to a tree and a bird made from bones taking them to their rightful schools. You wonder which school are they going to go to and what they’ll learn and do in their school. I also like that it always seems that Sophie and Agatha are going to somehow die or at least be in great danger, but they always seem to avoid it, like when Agatha was hanging on the School of Evil’s roof and there was a gargoyle ready to breathe fire at her or eat her.
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!
MEET THE AUTHOR
Dianne Wolfer lives on the south coast of Western Australia, but she grew up in Melbourne, Bangkok and Albury. Dianne’s love of books is one reason she became a writer. She writes picture books, novels for children and teenagers, and nonfiction for all ages. Her stories are about many things; different cultures, the environment, friendship, being brave, turns in the road and taking chances. Today we’re thrilled to have Dianne visiting to chat to us about her latest book, which is part of the Aussie STEM Stars series.
From the publisher:
Munjed is a humanitarian and world-leading pioneer of surgical osseointegration. The book follows pivotal moments in Munjed’s life: becoming a surgeon under the regime of Saddam Hussein, fleeing from war-torn Iraq and arriving at Christmas Island in a rickety boat, being held in the Curtin Detention Centre, his hard-gained medical success, and his acknowledgement as the 2020 NSW Australian of the Year.
On with the questions!
You’re a writer of fiction and nonfiction. What’s different about writing nonfiction compared to writing a fiction novel?
Writing fiction is just me and my imagination. There is some research, for example in The Shark Caller I wanted to find out more about Papua New Guinea and the practise of calling sharks, but with nonfiction you have to always check and double-check the facts that link to your book. When it’s biography, like Munjed Al Muderis from refugee to surgical inventor, and the person is alive, it’s super important to not only get the details correct but also to capture the ‘voice’ of the person you are writing about. That’s not easy. Historical fiction is different again, it sits between the two and some people call it ‘faction’. With the Light series, set in WWI, I imagined the characters; both real and fictitious. For example, when I began work on Lighthouse Girl in 2005, very little was known about Fay’s life on Breaksea Island in 1914. As time passes research sometimes uncovers interesting details that I wish I’d known way back then. Each genre has its own challenges and its own fun.
Your latest book is part of Aussie STEM Stars – a new series for kids celebrating Australia’s experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Had you met Munjed Al Muderis before you began writing the book?
No, sadly I still haven’t met Munjed. He lives in Sydney and soon after I began work on his amazing story, COVID happened.
How did you go about your research for writing the book?
Munjed has co-authored two books for adults, given TED talks, been painted by Anh Do’s ‘Brush with Fame’ and been on many media shows, so although I could not meet him in person, I was able to watch Munjed on screen and listen to him speak about his life and surgical achievements. Munjed often spoke about pivotal life moments, like when he had to choose between probable death and cutting off the ears of prisoners, and coming to Australia by boat, and being locked in Curtin Detention Centre where they called him by a number instead of his name. These were some of the life-changing moments I pieced together to create the book. As I wrote I often asked myself, ‘How did these experiences shape the man Munjed has become?’
Australia is now the world-leader in osseointegration, a surgical technique that allows amputees to feel the ground as they walk, because of Munjed and his team’s surgical work. He’s the current NSW Australian of the Year and his resilience and positive ‘glass half-full’ (rather than ‘half-empty’) attitude inspired me as I drafted and re-drafted his story. “Life is about making a difference,” Munjed says. “We all have a mission in life, to leave behind a legacy.”
Do you have any tips for kids who would like to try writing a biography?
So many … capturing someone’s ‘voice’ is important. The more research you do, the better chance you will have of doing that. Then start writing and keep going until you get to the end. You can make notes along the way about things you’ll need to research in following drafts. When you’re finished a read-through, reread and let the story settle.
Then ask yourself questions like:
Thinking about smaller things like the kind of clothes they wear, favourite music and the food they like is also a fun way to bring a character to life.
If ever I go to Iraq I will definitely try Gaymer & Kahi for breakfast.
Can you tell us a bit about your next writing project?
I thought I’d finished writing about WWI but one story kept calling me back. It’s a little like the ‘Light’ series but it’s also different (a special animal is the hero). I’ve done a lot of research and I hope I can share more about it soon. I’ve also completed a middle-grade novel which is on a publisher’s desk. Lots of other ideas are swirling about but these are the ones I’m working on.
Munjed Al Muderis is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or library or order it from the publisher.
AWESOME EXTRAS:
Download the Teacher’s Notes for this book. (PDF)
Watch a 30-second video of Dianne Wolfer talking about the book.
Visit Dianne Wolfer’s website to find out more about her and her books.
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