Gangsta Granny by David Walliams, HarperCollins, ISBN 9780007371440
Aashi reviewed her own copy of this book.
Ben’s granny is your typical granny. She knits, loves Murray Mints, has fake teeth, loves Scrabble, has white hair, and is obsessed with cabbage. Ben reckons she’s the most boring person in the whole, wide world. Ben goes to Granny’s every Friday after school while his parents go and watch Strictly Stars Dancing live. Ben’s parents love ballroom dancing and say they discovered their love of ballroom dancing too late, so they got boring jobs at a nail salon and a security guard at a shopping mall. They want Ben to be a professional ballroom dancer, but Ben has other interests like becoming a plumber.
When Ben goes to Granny’s one day, he goes to get a chocolate biscuit but finds something thrilling instead. He is mind-blown by this discovery and is determined to find out more about this mystery. Ben is on the case!
This fabulous tale by David Walliams is a stupendous book and I rate it 5 out of 5. Walliams has made a thrilling tale that has so many twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat! It’s a great book and I recommend it for 6–9-year-olds, it will surely be loved by them. Once again it was a stupendous book, and you should surely read it. I hope you read Gangsta Granny as your next novel.
The Midnight Manor by Fionna Cosgrove, Lightning Source Inc., ISBN 9780645723304
Ayaan received a review copy of this book.
The Midnight Manor is the first book in the twisted trails series and was published in 2023. It was written in a ‘choose your own adventure’ style, sharing the story of the Manor and the Game.
But this is not like other stories of the same genre. Cosgrove has written the scenes out in impeccable detail and interesting side comments. Can you escape the manor before you are trapped for all eternity? Or will the mist take you all?
You must weave your way through the manor facing wolves, zombies and a creepy old innkeeper. And if you don’t like the way your story turned out, you can always go back to the start and have a do-over.
I would rate this book 5 out of 5 as its description makes me feel as if I am really in the manor. You should definitely read this book.
Indigo in the Storm by Kate Gordon, Yellow Brick Books, ISBN 9780645218039
Bella received a review copy of this book.
Indigo in the Storm is a wonderful book from the award winning Kate Gordon. Kate Gordon has won many awards for this series. One of her unbelievable, award-winning books is Indigo In The Storm and I can see why. This is a book you can’t stop reading because of how interesting, surprising, and hysterical it is.
Indigo In The Storm is an unpredictable book about a sad girl, called Indigo, struggling to find her happiness once her mum had left her. Not much happens until an annoying boy, Liam, comes along. My favourite part about the book is when Indigo and Liam are having fun together, drawing things and writing quotes.
A funny part about Indigo In The Storm is when Indigo doesn’t like what her only/not really friends are doing so the unpredictable happens …
The saddest thing about this book is when her Mum is a bad influence and they become very close together and then her mum leaves! This made me think of how it would make me feel if that happened to me, I would be very sad and angry.
I like this book because when I was getting a bit bored early in the book, I read on and I’m glad I did because yet again the unpredictable brought it back to a 4 star rating in my opinion.
Overall, I liked this book because of the use of creativity within the story and I love the story because I find sad books the most interesting, but most of the time, the story has a happy ending! 4/5 stars.
Mermedusa by Thomas Taylor, Walker Books Australia, ISBN 9781529502138
Rory received a review copy of this book.
Prepare for a wild, mysterious and funny adventure in Mermedusa, the final book in the Eerie-on-Sea book series. Join Herbie and Violet as ghostly things begin happening in the seaside town of Eerie-on-Sea. First podcasters coming to investigate the creepy myths of the town and next giant sea-monsters from the deep depths of the ocean trooping through the town!
When an eerie, hypnotic hum begins to resonate around the town and when Sebastian Eels – the friends’ worst enemy – starts driving his boat out into the stormy ocean at midwinter time, the most dangerous time of the year, Herbie and Violet instantly know something is up.
Suddenly everything starts coming into place: could the deepest secret of Eerie-on-Sea be close to getting revealed?
I rate this book a 10/10! It’s just so good with descriptive language, cliff-hangers, mysteries and more. There’s literally nothing bad about it! I think this book would be great for 9-year-olds and above. I read this book all night long and I know that you will too!
Chenée Marrapodi is an author and journalist who has danced ballet and jazz her whole life, loving the stories that can be created through movement. Today we’re pleased to be talking to Chenée about her debut novel One Wrong Turn.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a review copy of One Wrong Turn.
From the publisher:
Amelia is a ballerina on the rise — she’s talented, dedicated and set to star in the lead role of the annual production. But when Valentina arrives from Italy and joins the ballet academy, the competition gets fierce. Can Amelia outshine Valentina and keep her place in the spotlight?
At your book launch, you mentioned going to ballet classes in Australia and in Italy. Do you have a memorable ballet performance you were in when you were young?
My first ballet performance was definitely a standout. I was a sheep and two farmers had to shear our wool on stage!
It’s funny to look back at now, but at the time I was so disappointed because in the previous year’s concert the girls got to be fairies.
What is your all-time favourite ballet production? ( … Would it be Cinderella?)
Cinderella is definitely one of my favourite ballet productions, which is one of the reasons it features in One Wrong Turn. There’s something special about seeing a familiar story brought to life on stage. I find it easier to get lost in the beauty of the dance because I already know the narrative so well.
I particularly love WA Ballet’s production of Cinderella, which is described by Amelia in my novel. Amelia talks about getting to ride on Cinderella’s coach as a young child, which is something that kids actually get to do in WA Ballet’s performance. It’s really special to watch!
In particular, I love watching the Step Sisters. They are hilarious and always steal the show. I once saw one of the sisters do tap dancing on her toes in pointe shoes. I still don’t know how she managed to do it!
Did you need to do any research while you were writing One Wrong Turn? Or did your experiences growing up cover everything you needed to get your story down?
Most of the story was inspired by my own experiences in dance classes. Some of Miss Lily’s funny corrections were things I’d heard my own teachers say over the years. Given I was never training for a career in ballet, I did chat to a couple of professional dancers to make sure the amount of training my characters were doing was realistic.
Valentina’s Italian family and traditions were also inspired by my own experiences. I’m Italo-Australian and grew up with big family meals and traditions like sauce and sausage making days. Valentina’s house is actually based on my Nonna’s and features some of the quirky pictures that used to hang on her walls.
I also lived in Italy for a while and danced at a small school while I was over there. Like Valentina, I couldn’t translate my teacher’s corrections while I was dancing. I found it too hard to remember choreography, listen to music and translate corrections in a foreign language at the same time. It took my teacher a whole year to figure out my secret!
Despite being fluent in Italian, I got one of my good friends in Italy to double check the Italian phrases in the novel. I don’t speak the language as much as I used to and I’m a little bit rusty. The last thing I wanted was an error forever printed in my book!
What’s the worst writing tip you’ve ever been given?
“Edit the story as you go.”
It might work for some people, but it doesn’t work for me. If I edit as I go, I get too fixated on trying to make every sentence perfect. It makes the whole task feel too overwhelming and I never make it to the end. Instead, I find it better to write a messy and fast first draft. I don’t reread my work until I make it all the way to the end of the story. It’s much easier to edit a messy page than a blank one.
Can you tell us a little about what you’re working on next?
I’m really excited to be working on a sequel to One Wrong Turn. It’s great fun being back at the ballet academy. You can expect the same characters, with a couple of new additions. There’ll also be lots of dancing (including a different style), fun, friendship, a tiny bit of romance and some very big challenges for everyone to overcome.
One Wrong Turn is out now! Ask for it at your favourite local bookshop or local library.
It’s the Sound of the Thing by Maxine Beneba Clarke, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, ISBN 9781761212123
REVIEWED BY NINA, 10, NSW. Nina received a review copy of this book.
Maxine Beneba Clarke’s book It’s the Sound of the Thing is a stunning collection of 100 poems that features limericks, haikus, sonnets, tongue twisters, funny poems, serious poems any type of poem you could think of. The ideas for the poems are creative and fantastic! They are about all sorts of things (a messy room, your grannies dancing, phones, teenagers and more).
Good for readers of all ages but best suited for ages 8-12 years old. It makes you wonder what type of poem will come next.
I personally rate this book 10/10. I would highly recommend reading it.
Shivaun Plozza is an award-winning writer for children and young adults. She lives in Geelong with her cat, Fenchurch. Today we’re thrilled to chat to Shivaun about her latest book Meet Me at the Moon Tree.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of Meet Me at the Moon Tree.
From the publisher:
For Carina Sugden, nothing is more special than a moon tree – a tree grown from the seeds taken on the Apollo 14 mission into space. Her father taught her everything she knows about them. But he passed away before they found one together. When Mum relocates the family to the Otway Ranges, Carina becomes determined to find a moon tree on her own. After a mysterious encounter with a black cockatoo, Carina realises there’s magic in this forest. And if magic exists, anything is possible, like seeing her dad one last time…
How did you first hear about moon trees?
I was researching the world’s strangest trees for a story when I came across a reference to ‘moon trees’. Just the name ‘moon trees’ sounded so fascinating to me so I knew I had to discover everything about them. When I learnt their history I threw away my original idea and began working on Meet Me at the Moon Tree. It just goes to show how helpful research is (as well as allowing yourself to follow whatever sparks your curiosity!) to creative writing.
Trees (many kinds!) feature strongly in the story. Were you already knowledgeable in this area or did you need to do some research?
I’ve always been interested in trees but I wasn’t at all knowledgeable about the different species or the many interesting facts I learnt about them along the way (such as the fact that they talk to each other!). I definitely had to do a lot of research. If anyone is interested in learning more about trees I’d highly recommend Can You Hear the Trees Talking by Peter Wohlleben.
Grief is at the centre of this story. Was this part of your plan for the book when you sat down to write the first draft or did it arise during the writing?
From the beginning I knew that I wanted to write a story about a girl looking for a moon tree so I asked myself why she was looking: why did finding a moon tree matter so much to Carina? I wanted the reader to desperately want her to find one, as much as she wanted to find one herself, so it made sense for it to matter because of a promise she’d made to her much beloved father.
Do you have a tip for young writers who’d like to write stories with real-life settings?
One thing that helps is to treat your setting like it’s a character. Often we think about how we can bring our characters to life but we don’t always think about bringing the setting to life—we just assume our readers will know what we’re talking about when we write that our characters walked down a street or entered the kitchen. But does every street look the same? How about every kitchen? All settings, like people, are distinct so find out what makes that setting distinct and bring it to life on the page.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the shift from childhood into the tween years and how it can create tension in friendships if each friend is moving at a very different pace. So I’m writing about that.
Meet Me at the Moon Treeis out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
Mars Underground by HM Waugh, A&U Children’s, ISBN 9781761067105
Gabriel received a review copy of this book.
Mars Underground is a sequel to Mars Awakens written by HM Waugh. The main characters Dee, Holt and Chayse live in the Davinci colony on Mars. The colony will soon die out due to radiation-tainted genetics. However, there is hope. Holt has a set of special genetics untainted by radiation. Half a separate colony carries these genetics – the Newtonians, where Holt and Chayse originally came from in the first book. The only problem is the Newtonians are halfway around the world. Distance is the least of their concerns though. Others block the way. The Others are mutated bacteria that cause human bodies to malfunction. On top of that, no one has tried to contact the Newtonians for a long time. Unfortunately, Holt and Chayse are kept by the Davicians for their genes in “capture”. This is because Holt is an X and Chayse’s genes have no trace of radiation. It’s almost like Mars is trying to stop them, still Holt, Dee and Chase embark on this quest. In a world full of enemies can they survive the complex web of tunnels in order to travel and escape?
Will Dee, Holt and Chayse reach the Newtonians in time to save the Davinci colony? Can they escape the tight grasp of the Davinci? Why is there an age-old vendetta between the two settlements? Why have they been trained to hate each other? Will the Newtonians help the Davincians who are seen to be taller, have better senses, and breathe the air of Mars without a “Dome”?
Challenge after challenge is loaded into this action-packed novel. I recommend this book for children ages 8–14 who love suspense, Sci-Fi and dystopian books. I would rate this book highly as there is a complex story and subject that is engaging. I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it up late in the night. You can buy a hard copy book or download an ebook.
HM Waugh is the author of books for children and young adults. She’s also an environmental scientist and an educator with a love of wild places and high mountains. This has led to icy feet and sunburnt cheeks in magical countries like New Zealand, Nepal, Bolivia and Switzerland! Her latest book is book 2 of a duology: Mars Underground, the page-turning sequel to Mars Awakens.
From the publisher:
Dee, Holt and Chayse set out to cross the planet via a network of subterranean tunnels. Can they reach it without encountering the Others – the sinister biocloud they’ve been running from? And if they make it, can they convince the Newtonians to work with Davinci – those they’ve been trained to hate?
Did you set out to write these books as a duology or did the idea for a second book come after you’d finished writing Mars Awakens?
I am not what you’d call an awesome planner – I start a project by thinking up a character or two, and the details of their world, and I have a basic idea of what the plot might be, but I work the rest out as I write. If you’ve heard of plotters (who plot everything out before) and pantsers (who plan nothing and write ‘by the seat of their pants’), I’m a hybrid of the two, a plantser. So I was happily plantsing along, still writing Mars Awakens, when one day it hit me: there needed to be two books to finish this properly. So the duology was born.
This is your first published series. How did you find writing a sequel as compared to writing Book 1?
Completely different! In some ways it was easier, and in other ways: much harder!
The easier bits were things like the characters and the world – they were already there in my head, fully formed. I knew the main characters like they were my mates. I knew what they’d say, how they’d act. Sometimes, when I’m starting on a new idea, I might get a big way through a first draft and have to rewrite it because the characters finally come alive for me (this happened about 20,000 words into the first draft of Mars Awakens!). But I didn’t have that sort of issue with Mars Underground. Also, all the nitty gritty work of world building had already been done (thanks, Past Me!) so I just got to have super fun expanding it to places I hadn’t been yet. That was all awesome.
Some things were definitely harder, though. I felt this expectation that I’d never really felt before. There were all these readers who had connected with Dee and Holt’s story and were keen to see how it ended. Aaah! I didn’t want to let them down! Plus, I had a deadline! For all my other books I’d already written a full manuscript before signing a contract. But suddenly I had to write an entire sequel by a certain date? Double aaah!
I actually wrote 50,000 words of the sequel before Mars Awakens had been released, but when I picked it up again months later I knew it wasn’t right. And I’m not saying that like, ‘This isn’t quite right, I need to work on it a lot.’ I mean I archived the whole thing. Gone. Fresh document page. Start again from scratch. I re-read Mars Awakens to remind myself of the voice, and then launched into writing an entirely new sequel. And that became Mars Underground. I loved the draft so much, but I was still terrified there would be something missing. So I did multiple happy dances when my publisher came back with several big thumbs up! Yay!
Mars Underground involves your characters travelling via tunnels and caves on Mars, were their adventures inspired by caving adventures of your own?
I love pulling inspiration from real life, so their adventures were like a mix of my own, and the sort of caving and rafting adventures I’d love to have!
I remember going caving on a school holiday camp when I was in my early teens, shuffling on my stomach, so tight to the ground, to get to this special crystal cave. My helmet kept getting jammed, the ceiling was so low. And the crystals were protected behind this mouldering underground gate, so rusty the key could barely work. It was amazing! But once we’d crawled back out, we realised our camp leaders had already decided to leave. Without us. Everyone had climbed up and out, we could see them up by the pinprick of daylight that was the entrance, about to lock the main gates! I’m sure they would’ve realised we were missing before starting the bus, but what an adrenaline hit to be almost left behind in that deep wintry place, our torches running low!
Another experience I drew on was rafting what they call the God River, in Peru. Once we’d got onto the river, the gorge walls rose so high the only way out was through days of rafting. Changed your mind about going? Too bad! It was tough and it was amazing and I loved it! We got to one huge rapid, and the guide told me a girl had been lost there the previous year. I was like, ‘Did they find her again?’ and he looked at me and said, ‘Lost, like dead.’ That definitely made me realise exactly what I’d signed up to do.
So I tried to inject some of that danger and beauty and excitement into my characters’ adventures.
You ran a writing competition for young writers in 2022 and the winner had a character named after them in Mars Underground (Alice!). Did you already have a character ready and waiting to be named, or did you write the character into the plot while you were finishing writing the novel?
I had a few characters I knew I could change the names for, but I waited to see who’d won and what they’d written before I chose which character I’d use. And during editing I changed that character around to be even more awesome!
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
As I write this, it’s halfway through July which means I’m deep in writing a project during Camp NaNoWriMo. I love writing with NaNoWriMo (the National Novel Writing Month) because it really gets me into the flow of my writing. Plus, I LOVE a good graph, and NaNo track my progress and give me badges and pep talks too! Normally I’d try to write 50,000 words in the month, but this month I’m aiming for 30,000 because I was on holiday for the first week.
Anyway, I’m loving this project so much. Dangerous new planet. Kids in a competition. Everyone watching their every move. A new friendship based on deception. And then something goes really wrong (of course!) and everything comes to the surface. How are they going to get out of this? It’s so. Much. Fun!
Mars Underground is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
Kate Gordon grew up in a very booky house, in a small town by the sea in Tasmania. Now she writes novels and picture books from a cottage overlooking the river and the mountain, on the Eastern Shore of Hobart. Today we’re chatting about Kate’s latest novel, Indigo in the Storm.
From the publisher:
Indigo Michael isn’t like other kids. And her mum isn’t like other mums. Life for people like them isn’t meant to have meaning – it’s just something to survive in whatever way you can. When her mum abandons her, Aster’s Aunt Noni becomes her foster parent. Suddenly Indigo has a new ‘family’ –one she didn’t ask for and isn’t even sure she wants. This is a companion novel to the CBCA Award-winning Aster’s Good, Right Things.
Indigo in the Storm is a companion book to Aster’s Good, Right Things and Xavier in the Meantime. Did you set out with a plan to write multiple books set in the same community or did the idea for the next book come to you as each book was finished?
I’m not the most organised of writers! I’m whatever it’s called when a pantser doesn’t even have any pants! Characters just tend to pop into my head and I see where they take me. Aster popped into my head fully formed and she introduced me to her friends and I fell in love with them and the town where they lived. Once I met Xavier, Indigo, Esme (and later Erika and Armelle), I just knew I had to keep “chatting” with them until their stories came too. All of which makes me sound deeply odd and like I’m trying to say that I have some preternatural spiritual talent for writing. I don’t. I just have a very active imagination and a complete lack of any planning skills!
The characters in each of these three books face big life issues and mental health challenges. Could you talk a bit about how you came to write Indigo’s story in this latest novel?
I grew up in a little town in Tassie, not unlike the one where these characters live. I went to a school in a low socioeconomic rural area. I didn’t go through the foster system myself but my school was full of kids who did and I was good friends with many of them and always wanted to help to tell their stories. I did grow up in a complicated family and I did grow up struggling to find my place in the world, something to believe in and my voice. I also grew up with undiagnosed neurodivergence, which Indigo also lives with. All of which percolated in my head like one of Esme’s marvellous creations when it came with telling Indigo’s story. I hope I’ve done it – and her, and the kids I grew up with – justice.
Your book titles suit the books so well. How do you come up with the perfect title for a book?
Oh gosh, I wish I had a good answer for that. I’m actually really terrible at titles. My working title for Aster’s Good, Right Things was Petal. Which is, obviously, terrible and would not make anyone want to read the book! I’m so lucky to have such beautiful, clever publishers who help me come up with better titles. Usually, they’re called something like Xavier Book or Indigo Book, until the last minute. Then, when I start to panic, my publishers will say something like, “Kate, have you actually read your own book? Obviously, it should be called …” And it’s spot on, every time. I’m sorry to ruin the magic! I’m basically a publishing doofus.
Alphabet Soup Interview – Indigo KG June 2023
Do you have a book you’ve read recently that you would recommend for our readers?
Anything at all by Kate Foster. She’s honestly, in my opinion, the next Australian publishing superstar. Her books grab me in a way that reminds me of how I was captivated by books when I was a kid – like Robin Klein and John Marsden. She’s got humour and depth and heart and I am in awe of her talent. There is also a new writer on the scene called Helen Edwards who blows me away with her words. Her first book comes out with Riveted Press soon and I implore everyone to get their hands on it. She’s a true talent.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on now that Indigo in the Storm is out in the world?
Well, there is another book in the universe coming out next year, featuring milk bar superstar, Esme, and then a final book in the Aster cycle, featuring Aster herself in a story that brings everyone full circle. I also have a stand-alone called My Brother, Finch, which is a mystery story set in Gothic southern Tasmania. And I am working on a book about thylacines and secret covens of girls and women in the Tasmanian bush. That one is very much a work in progress but fingers crossed it finds its place in the world. I’m just grateful to be doing what I’m doing, with the support of so many beautiful, clever people. Aside from that, I am deep in mother land, with a fiercely smart, bookish eleven-year-old and a chaos maven fourteen-month old keeping me on my toes, alongside a grumpy elderly black cat and a very silly teenage labradoodle. It really is all happening!
Indigo in the Storm is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookstore or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS:
Read previous interviews with Kate Gordon here and here
alphabetsoup.net.au 