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
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!
Astonishingly Good Stories by RA Spratt, Penguin Australia, ISBN 9780143779261
Hannah reviewed her own copy of this title.
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.
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.
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.
Today Cristy is chatting to us about her latest book in the Aussie STEM Stars series – Suzy Urbaniak: Volcano hunter and STEAM Warrior.
From the publisher:
Geologist Suzy Urbaniak is a limbo-dancer, a crepe-baker, a risk-taker and a question-asker. Winner of the 2016 Prime Minister’s Prize for her out-of-the-box teaching, Suzy is all about passion, innovation, and doing things your own way.
How did you come to write a biography of Suzy Urbaniak – is geology a subject you’ve studied?
I collected rocks as a kid, but never went any further with my geoscience interest. If I’d met someone like Suzy, I could very well be a geologist today! The geologists I’ve met – Suzy obviously included – are incredibly passionate about rocks and our planet. They can look at a landscape and see into our past. That’s a magical ability!
Did you meet Suzy Urbaniak in person or gather your information for her biography another way?
Ms Urbaniak & yr 10 students. Photo courtesy Cristy Burne.
I first met Suzy six years ago, in person, when I interviewed her for a newspaper. She was teaching at Kent Street Senior High School and had just won the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science Teaching – it was an incredible experience and I never forgot the buzzing energy of her students as they busily (and mostly autonomously) worked on their science learning.
Suzy and I stayed in touch (social media is good for something) and when she wanted help writing her life story, I immediately thought of Aussie STEM Stars. And the rest is history!
Just as for my Fiona Wood biography, Suzy and I did our interviews for the book over the phone. I think it’s easier to dive deep into memories when you’re not also thinking about eye contact, body language and social niceties. Over the phone, all you need to do is let your mind drift deep into childhood.
You’re passionate about science (and also adventures!) – have you ever stood on a volcano?
I grew up in New Zealand, so I’ve climbed in to the mouth of an extinct volcano (back when you could do that in Mt Tarawera) and hiked a whole bunch in Tongariro National Park, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire (where you can see steaming vents and boiling mud). I grew up close to Rotorua, where geothermal activity is literally just below the surface (and sometimes even on top!). I have a very healthy respect for volcanoes.
Volcano hunting! (Photo courtesy Cristy Burne)
Do you have any advice for young writers who would like to write biographies?
Biographies are non-fiction, but that doesn’t mean they’re just a long list of facts. To bring a biography to life we need to have stories, because stories bring emotion and connection. A good way to bring these stories out is to ask open questions that encourage longer answers, like: ‘Can you tell me about a time that …’
Can you tell us a bit about your next writing project?
I’m working on a graphic novel with publisher Larrikin House. It’s a wild comedy with aliens, explosions, disgusting adventures and desperate escapes, featuring a science-loving kid named Violet whose best friend is a conspiracy theorist and whose pet hermit crab can talk. It’s ridiculous, non-stop, unapologetic science-meets-comedy FUN!
WA (Fremantle) families: MEET Cristy Burne, Suzy Urbaniak and HM Waugh at 11.30am THIS Sunday 26 February 2023 at the Perth Festival, Fremantle Arts Centre! FREE. Includes a drop-in ‘make your own mini Mars-machine’ session.
Suzy Urbaniak: Volcano hunter and STEAM warrior is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS:
Watch Suzy Urbaniak talking about winning the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools [YouTube]
World War I has ended. Twelve-year-old Natalie is outraged at her mother, Ffion, who was fired from work and is a month overdue on rent. On top of that, they are moving away to Ysgol Ynysfach, to her uncle’s smallhold. Her mother is an advocate for the underdog but she gets herself into trouble. Natty meets her cousins Nerys, who is a know-it-all and Huw, a seventeen year old, who was in the war. In the park, Natty meets two other war veterans, Johnny and Charles. Johnny has lost his memory, known as hysterical fugue, and the doctors tried everything they could think of to help him. Natty wants to help. But how can she?
I enjoyed this novel because I can relate to Natty and how she feels emotionally and personally. It also shows the growth and development of Natty’s mind and beliefs. The author relates to the audience, making it personal, bringing the story to life. As it is a historical fiction novel I really appreciated getting an inside view of the lifestyles back then.
In this captivating book, follow Natty’s adventure in finding her purpose and her confidence. I rate this five out of five, for ages 9 to 15.
alphabetsoup.net.au 