The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby, Puffin (Penguin UK), ISBN 9780241460887
REVIEWED BY CLEMENTINE, 9, NSW
The Lottie Brooks series is a funny, day-to-day diary written and illustrated by Katie Kirby.
Lottie is 11 years old going on to high school but doesn’t want to start without her best friend Molly because she moves to Australia. She is all alone. But shortly after she starts school she makes three best friends, Amber, Jess and Poppy.
At the start of the book she creates a plan so she can be popular by changing her look and personality. She gets involved with all the school drama and you won’t be ready for all the twists.
My favourite part of the book is when she first started high school and made her new friends. And when people give her funny nicknames.
I love this book because it is hilarious and entertaining. It made me laugh over and over again. It is great for ages 9–13.
The Lottie Brooks series is all about school drama, day to day life, best friends, sleepovers and most importantly extremely embarrassing moments that everyone has experienced.
Maddy Mara (Hilary Rogers and Meredith Badger). Photo by Les Hallack.
Maddy Mara is the pen name of Melbourne-based creative duo Hilary Rogers and Meredith Badger. You might have read Maddy Mara’s books in these popular series: Dragon Girls, Forever Fairies, Itty Bitty Kitty and Jet Set Pets! Hilary and Meredith have been collaborating on children’s books for nearly two decades. Hilary is an author and former publishing director; Meredith is the author of countless books for kids and young adults, and teaches English as a foreign language. Today we’re chatting about The Lonely Lunch Club, Maddy Mara’s junior fiction book in the Your Next Read Silver series, with fun illustrations by Laura Stitzel.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a review copy of this book.
From the publisher:
Do you like FRIENDS, SCHOOL and FUNNY STORIES? Then this book is YOUR NEXT READ. One lunchtime, Benji goes to the worst bench in the whole school instead of playing footy. There he meets a girl named Alice and a spider named Mabel. And Mabel needs their help! But can Benji and Alice do it alone?
Maddy Mara is your pen name, and you are two writers creating one story! How do you go about working together on a book?
Yes, people are often surprised to learn that Maddy Mara is actually two people. We are Hilary and Meredith, but we write under the pseudonym (a fancy word for pen name) Maddy Mara. We love working together! For us, it’s like getting paid to do a school project with one of your best friends, who also happens to be smart, hardworking and funny!
When we’re working on a new book, we always start by talking about our ideas. We have a lot of ideas –some of them are terrible and some of them are great – so this is a fun part of the process. Once we’ve agreed on the rough shape of the story (it needs to be something we are super excited to work on), then we think about the characters, and what might happen to them. We also workshop what the story or series might be called – we love bold, catchy names (Dragon Girls! Itty Bitty Kitty! Jet Set Pets! The Lonely Lunch Club!). We then plan out what will happen in each chapter before we get writing (mostly this works, but sometimes we need an emergency meeting with strong coffee if it doesn’t).
It changes from project to project, but usually Meredith goes first, and Hilary goes next. Then we send the story back and forth quite a few times until we love it and can’t quite remember who did which bits. It really is a team effort.
Alice and Benji make friends with an alien butt spider called Mabel. Is an alien butt spider a real spider!? How did you find out about this spider?
It is a real spider! Using the alien butt spider was Meredith’s idea, and we basically chose it because it’s such a cool and funny name for a cool and funny spider. We also we didn’t want to pick a dangerous spider (kids, don’t go looking for spider friends!). The Latin name is Bijoaraneus praesignis which isn’t quite so snappy …
The great thing about the books we write is we have to discover interesting things about the world (like, is a great white shark faster than a killer whale? Or, what spiders have cool names and live in Australia?). But because we write a lot of fantasy, we also get to make things up (like, can a sea dragon roar fire underwater? We say YES!).
How do you add humour to a story? Is it part of the storytelling from the beginning? Or do you go back and add it in after you’ve written the story?
We always like to use humour in our stories, as a treat for our readers and to help them keep reading. We find that humour often comes from characters doing unexpected things (like, an adorable little kitten thinking she’s a brave tiger in Itty Bitty Kitty). The Lonely Lunch Club story starts with Benji doing something unexpected (not playing footy, like he normally does) meeting Alice doing something unexpected (hanging out with a spider, on the worst bench in the school). We then have an unexpected connection between these two kids, who don’t have anything in common except that they want to look after Mabel, the alien butt spider.
But we also rework all our stories to make them funnier as we go along – the final draft is always funnier than the first. A good example of this is when Benji and Alice are discussing what the coolest thing to find in your lunchbox might be. We had a lots of different ideas for this before we picked the one that ended up in the book: a bar of chocolate vs a bar of gold.
How did each of you like to spend your lunchtimes when you were in primary school?
Meredith wasn’t sporty, so she definitely wasn’t playing footy at lunchtime. But she did like doing handstands against the wall, and skipping and playing hopscotch. Hilary did gymnastics when she was a kid, so there was a lot of cartwheeling and backbending going on! But we both loved walking and talking with friends at lunchtime – and all these years later, we still do!
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
We are always working on lots of things at the same time. We love to keep busy! We have just finished writing a second book for the Your Next Read series because writing The Lonely Lunch Club was so awesome. The new one is completely different – it’s set deep under water and (top-secret hint) features an excitable octopus. We also have some new Dragon Girls books that we’re working on (this series is now up to book 22!). And we have a brand new series called Max Beast, which is about a kid who finds a magical amulet that transforms him into a great white shark (and then other creatures in future books). It’s jam-packed with action and humour and lots of animal details. Max Beast is coming out in Australia in June, so look out for it!
The Lonely Lunch Club is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
Fiona Wood is an award-winning writer of books for children and teenagers. Her books have been published in Australia and internationally. Today we’re pleased to be talking to Fiona about her latest novel: The Boy and the Dog Tree.
UQP provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of this book.
From the publisher:
Instead of the whole family moving to a new city, Mitch and his sister are staying with their gran, while their parents have been delayed working on other side of the world. Mitch is struggling to fit in at school, with the resident Grade Five bully picking on him. The one thing that would make his life better is a dog, if only he could persuade his parents. Then Mitch discovers an old oak tree that seems to growl. And one night, a huge, strange dog-like creature emerges from the trunk. His name is Argos. He has been bound in the tree by ‘history, mystery, magic and chance’ …
How did you come to write a story about a dog magically entwined with a tree?
A very helpful tree suggested the story to me. I live near a park that has some long avenues of oak trees, and one of these trees has a gnarled and twisted trunk that reminds me of a dog. I started asking myself why a dog might be bound within a tree. By whose magic had the dog been put there? And for what purpose? How did it happen? When did it happen? Chewing over questions is a great way to start building a story.
When you add magic into the everyday world, how do you make it feel believable for readers?
If you introduce a magical creature into a realistic setting, the first task is to make the world seem real. If it does, then by association everything that happens in that world feels real too.
It’s also important that the main character in that world has a believable initial reaction to the magic. So, Mitch finds it hard to believe when a tree seems to be murmuring or growling, and then calling to him in his sleep, and even harder to believe when Argos, a huge magical dog-like creature emerges from the tree. As improbable as it first seems, Mitch does come to believe what he can see with his own eyes. And ideally the reader will believe Mitch.
Other characters’ reactions also support the believability of the magic. For example, Regi, Mitch’s sister, realises that Mitch can hear what Argos is saying, though she cannot. She also notices Argos’s magical smell.
Finally, the magical creature itself must feel real. The writer’s job is to allow readers to imagine what Argos looks like, how he sounds, what sort of personality he has, and how we might react if an Argos came into our life.
Is the park where Mitch visits the dog tree based on a real park?
It is imaginary, but it has elements of a few parks in Melbourne/Naarm including Hedgeley Dene Gardens, Fitzroy Gardens and Fawkner Park.
Did you have a dog when you were growing up? If you did, was it your idea of the perfect dog?
I did not have a dog when I was growing up, and it was a thorn in my side. My brother and I pleaded and complained to my parents for years to no avail. I was allergic to the pet guinea pig offered in substitution. I truly longed for a dog as Mitch does in the story.
So, I made sure my children had a dog growing up. He was a much-loved family member, very far from perfect, quite naughty in fact, but adored by all of us.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I’m working on a story that has Mitch’s friend Dido as the main character. In The Boy and the Dog Tree, Argos tells Mitch that Dido is a witch, though she doesn’t know it yet. What would it mean to be a witch in a perfectly ordinary family? How does Dido find out that she is a witch and what might she do with this powerful identity? What are the upsides and downsides of having a particular power? More questions to chew over.
The Boy and the Dog Tree is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
I think the book is great to start the school year with. Its great for setting goals and being motivated to achieve them. The book even has a resource section on how to support resilient kids. I think the book helps you along the way by building up your confidence for the school year and it teaches you that making mistakes is okay and when you make a mistake you try again and don’t give up.
One part in the book stood out to me, it said ‘all that matters is you try your best, because when you try you grow, and growing is what school is all about.’ It made me feel motivated and I really felt the sentiment.
The illustrations are beautiful and the quality of the book itself feels really nice. I like the use of colour. It had lots of different texture. I also liked the diversity, not everyone has blonde hair or the same colour skin, and some people are in wheelchairs or have different cultures. It shows kids that having that kind of diversity is normal. I love that the teacher has diversity, normally it’s just the kids.
I think the book would be good for kids Year 1 and up, and it would really motivate shy kids and kids that don’t like going out of their comfort zone. It makes you think about what you want to achieve in the year, more like social skills rather than grades.
Jo Dabrowski lives in Melbourne, Australia and started her writing career in advertising. Jo loves reading adult books and kids books in all genres, but the books she gets most excited about are the ones where she can see a tiny bit of herself in one of the characters. Today we’re thrilled to be chatting to Jo about her novel: The Making of Martha Mayfield.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of this book.
From the publisher:
Martha Mayfield has always been the quiet kid. Martha is, after all, her mother’s daughter. The shy child of an even shyer mum. And she likes it this way.That is, until Martha’s mum loses her job. And Martha’s teacher overlooks her at school. And soon, Martha realises something has to give. Can she really go through life being so quiet that nobody takes her seriously? Should she really keep all her good ideas to herself forever?Putting yourself out there is every quiet kid’s worst nightmare, but Martha is determined to make the most of it. And perhaps to make something of herself along the way …
Martha is much quieter than most of her classmates. How did you come to write about Martha – someone who is usually in the background?
Loud, confident characters have had plenty of chances to shine, I thought it was time a shy person was in the limelight! The Making of Martha Mayfield is definitely the most personal book I’ve ever written. I borrowed lots of things from my own life and included them in the book. The biggest one was that I was shy when I was in primary school. Not quite as shy as Martha, but I could be very quiet and anxious. I always had lots of ideas and things that I wanted to say but, quite often, I was too worried about making mistakes or embarrassing myself. Writing about Martha came very naturally to me because I clearly remember all those anxious feelings as well as the frustration of staying quiet when I so badly wanted to speak up.
Group projects! Are you a fan yourself, or do you prefer to fly solo?
When I was at school, I definitely preferred to work on my own. I had very specific ideas about the way I wanted things done and that can be tricky when you’re working in a group. Now that I’m older I appreciate that I can’t do everything and I genuinely like teaming up with people who have different strengths and skills. When I write my books, I love sharing my work with my editor. She always has lots of ideas of how can I push myself and make the story more interesting. That’s the best part about working in a team –discovering different ways of doing things and making the work better.
Martha loves stationery and paper craft. What’s your favourite item of stationery on your desk right now?
Where do I begin?! I love stationery. It’s hard to pick one favourite. I have a Mr Fueki glue pot (just like Martha). I bought it in Japan.
I have a tiny tin with a picture of Miffy on it that has little note cards inside. They’re so cute that I’ve never actually used one because I never want them to run out!
And, I know this isn’t stationery, but I also love googly eyes. I have a giant pair stuck to the wall above my desk:
Do you have any tips for kids who find themselves part of a group project?
Try to be flexible. This can be hard, I know. But no one has the exact same vision as you. Share your ideas and make sure you listen to everyone else’s too, then do your part to the best of your ability. Try not to worry if it doesn’t turn out exactly the way you imagined it. You never know, it might even turn out better!
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
Right now, I’m mostly working on more picture books. I have a new one coming out in September about a boy who makes a lot of bad decisions. I’ve also started a rough outline of a new middle grade novel about a boy who really loves rules!
The Making of Martha Mayfield is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
Wonder by RJ Palacio, Random House UK, ISBN 9780552565974
REVIEWED BY EMILY, 10, New York, USA
Emily reviewed her own copy of this title.
Wonder by RJ Palacio is an incredible book. It is about the main character, Auggie Pullmen and the challenges he has to face at a real school because of a facial disorder that he was born with. This is a book of mixed emotions – some of his feelings were happy, sad, mad and embarrassed.
Auggie had many struggles at school and with his friends because he was different. One example of when Auggie felt embarrassed is when Auggie trusted Jack with secrets of his surgeries, but Jack let him down by making fun of him with other kids behind his back. Even though this made him feel sad he didn’t forget about his other friendships. Another friend, Summer, made Auggie feel stronger about himself. Summer was always there for him and she didn’t care what other kids thought about his face. And Summer was very kind to Auggie. The way Jack treated Auggie made me feel unhappy and sad because you should always treat others the way you want to be treated. But Jack was unkind and didn’t care about how Auggie felt.
The life lesson of this book is to be brave and to not care what other people think of you. And to try and overcome those challenges in life even if it’s hard.
This is Emily’s first book review for Alphabet Soup. To send us YOUR book review, read our submission guidelines. Happy reading!
Kristy Nita Brown is a Western Australian author writing junior fiction books and delivering creative writing, independent publishing and film making workshops at libraries and schools. Today we’re pleased to be chatting to Kristy about the second book in her Mavey and Beth’s Double Act series: The Hole Truth, illustrated by Alison Mutton.
The author provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of The Hole Truth.
Almost everyone in Year Three is rocking earrings. Shiny gold stars, diamond studs, dangly rainbows, buzzy bees. Everyone except Mavey, that is. With her twin sister Beth and her best friend Woody by her side, Mavey’s facing a big decision. Fit in? Stand out? Studs or no studs? Can Mavey figure it out before the whole school finds out the hole truth?
This is Book 2 in your junior fiction series. Have you planned out the series in advance or do you just focus on the book you’re currently working on?
When I first came up with the idea for Mavey and Beth, I only had one book in mind. But once I finished it, I realised it could work as a series, with the girls taking on a new challenge in each school year up to Year 4. I won’t go past Year 4, as this would push the series into middle-grade territory, and these are chapter books for early readers.
A fan recently asked me why the story is always told from Mavey’s point of view and not split with Beth over the books, since they’re twins. Mavey is shy, introverted, and thoughtful. I feel these kinds of characters are underrepresented in junior fiction. Beth is more outgoing and dramatic, the kind of character who’s already well represented. For me, Mavey is the heart of the story. She’s trying to figure out her place in the world and make sense of things other kids seem to grasp more easily, and that’s the perspective I want to explore.
Beth has her ears pierced, but her sister Mavey is nervous about getting her ears pierced. Do you have your ears pierced? How old were you when you made the decision?
The Hole Truth is inspired by my daughter and the pressure she felt from her peers in Year 3 to get her ears pierced. It’s a real issue for primary school kids and isn’t just girls, kids of all genders are getting piercings these days.
I do have my ears pierced, but I don’t remember when or how it happened. I also have my nose pierced. I did it while writing The Hole Truth to learn more about the process. The piercer explained everything to me including the process and the importance of consent. The person getting pierced is always in control, no matter their age, and can say “no” or “stop” at any time. Some of the stories of kids she’d pierced even made their way into the book!
What’s your best tip for someone who feels anxious about the pressure to do something they’re unsure about?
My best tip is to remember that it’s okay to take your time and say “no” if something doesn’t feel right. You don’t have to give in to pressure just to fit in or please others. It’s important to listen to your own feelings and boundaries. Sometimes talking it through with someone you trust, whether that’s a parent, teacher, or friend, can really help you figure out what’s best for you. And remember, you’re always in control of your choices, just like I learned from the piercer. Your choices are important, because they are yours.
Spelling homework gets a mention in the book – is spelling one of your superpowers or superchallenges?
Spelling is definitely not one of my superpowers, and I love telling kids this! So many young writers struggle with spelling, and I want them to know it doesn’t have to hold them back. Being an author doesn’t mean you have to be a perfect speller. We have editors who help fix punctuation, grammar, and spelling. Once kids realise this, they can let go of the fear and just focus on the story they want to tell. I even tell them I use voice-to-text when writing sometimes. You don’t even need a pen – just an idea! I’m living proof that you don’t have to be a perfect speller to be a storyteller. If you’ve got a good idea, there’s always a way to get it down on paper.
What’s next for Mavey and Beth?
Will there be a third Mavey and Beth book? In my mind, yes … I think there will be! It will be set in Year 4, and I’m thinking it might be about skateboarding … but I’m open to suggestions. If anyone has ideas for the next book, I’d love to hear them. Feel free to email me! That said, my writing time is limited because I also run the Book Builders Challenge in schools, which takes up a lot of my year. So, the plan is for a third book, but I’ll see how it all fits together!
The Hole Story is out now! See the list of stockists at the author’s website.
Crunch by Kayla Miller, Walker Books Australia, ISBN 9781760655181
REVIEWED BY AASHI, 10, VIC
Aashi reviewed her own copy of this book.
I recently read Crunch and I LOVED it! It is a must read for any avid readers from the age 8 to 12. This graphic novel is part of the Click series. The whole Click series is about Olive, a smart and kind sixth grader.
Olive loves to try new things with a positive attitude, so she signs up for many things. Between film making, homework, scouts and even a fashion show, Olive feels overwhelmed. Olive begins to wonder if she really can juggle all of her actives or will she fail at everything?
One of the best things about Crunch is the pictures. They are full of colour and pop. It makes you want to keep reading. The pictures look really good and make you feel like you are in the book.
Olive is not perfect, no-one is, and this made me really like her. She is really brave and outgoing. By the end of the book she learns how to say No and how to juggle her life.
I think that anyone who loves friendship and school stories will enjoy Crunch. Be sure to check out the rest of the Click series.
Act by Kayla Miller, Walker Books Australia, ISBN 9781760654931
REVIEWED BY AASHI, 10, VIC
Aashi reviewed her own copy of this title.
You should always stand up for what you believe, right? Olive thinks that it is unfair that kids have to miss out on field trips just because they are expensive. She knows she has to fix this problem but she doesn’t know how.
Olive knows she has to act and change the problem (this is why the book is called Act). She decides to run for the school council. She works really hard and makes really cool posters, speeches and talks to her peers about why the problem matters.
Olive is running against two of her best friends. She did not tell them that she was going to run and they felt betrayed. This makes things awkward between her friends and she gets discouraged but does not stop trying.
I really liked Act because it shows you that you do not have to be an adult to lead. You may be a child but you have a powerful voice that you can use. It also shows perseverance and determination.
I would rate the book 5 out of 5 stars. It is so good and is suitable for all young readers between the ages 9 to 13.
Samara Rubin and the Utility Belt by Sharon Giltrow, illustrated by Thu Vu, Clear Fork Press, ISBN 9781950169887
Aashi received a review copy of this book.
Samara Rubin and The Utility Belt is a heartwarming story about a girl named Samara Rubin who is obsessed with geckos and faces bullying and teasing from her classmate, Toby King. Samara always wishes she could be granted one wish, standing up to Toby King.
On her eleventh birthday, Samara is gifted with a peculiar utility belt. It has strange tools called for example ‘The Restorer’ and ‘Cryptographic Sequencer’. But it comes with a catch, You have seven days to use all tools. You must meet this deadline. Otherwise …
I rate Samara Rubin and the Utility Belt 5 out of 5. It was a great book full of suspense and mystery, keeping you on the edge of your seat. It has a clear protagonist, kind and loving Samara, whose story is beautifully written. It also features an antagonist, Toby King, who adds depth to the story.
Overall, Samara Rubin and The Utility Belt is a charming and inspiring book that is perfect for young readers. It is a must-read for ages 8–11. I highly recommend it.
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