In ‘Our Family Dragon’ by Rebecca Lim and Cai Tse, readers are immersed in a world of Chinese culture, family and tradition. Set in the perspective of a young boy and his family, the reader is taken through the celebration of Lunar New Year. I enjoyed the flowy and articulate language that Rebecca has used …
Ivanhoe Grammar
Oscar and Pendlebury: Behind the Blue Door
In this beautifully illustrated book by Georgia Athanasellis and Anastatia Wessex, young readers will be in a world of delight by the playful rhyming and cheerful mood. In a peaceful house an adventurous young boy, Oscar and his encouraging and faithful companion and friend Pendlebury the dog go through the blue door to new delights. …
An Ember in the Ashes
The novel begins with a country/territory suffering because they’ve been invaded and enslaved. Laia is living in poverty with her brother and grandparents, surviving by selling jam and healing people. When tragedy strikes, Laia jumps at the opportunity to try and save them, even if it means putting her life on the line. We also …
Pony
Pony is a kind, light-hearted book, filled with adventure and friendships. It’s about a 12 year old boy who goes on an adventure to find his dad. He travels on a horse called Pony, along with his best friend Mittinwool. As he gets closer to finding his dad some family secrets that have been hidden …
It’s Not You, It’s Me
It’s Not You, It’s Me is set in the 1980s Los Angeles suburbs where Holly Fitzgerald, a 40-year-old teacher from 2020 Melbourne, wakes up one day to find herself trapped in the bodyof 16-year-old Trinity Byrne. Holly finds herself adopting Trinity’s life, challenges, friends,and family all the while seeking a means back to her own …
Rock, Paper, Killers
‘Rock Paper Killers’ is a decent, hypnotic thriller novel. The book is set in Dublin, basedaround 5 teenagers made to attend a summer boarding school to learn Irish. The 5 of themkeep harmful secrets from each other that slowly unveil. All of them end up befriendinganother one’s enemy. These events lead to a cruel death. …
Huda and Me
“Huda and Me” by H.Hayek is a heart-warming action packed novel about narrator Akeal and his little sister Huda, two Muslims from Melbourne, Australia. Huda and Akeal’s parents must travel to Lebanon for a family emergency, leaving Huda, Akeal and their five other siblings at home with the dreaded Aunt Amel. Huda is a cheeky, …
Off The Map
This book of short stories grabs your attention with the very first sentence on the very first page. Each short story tells a new adventure about someone and their perspective through an important event of their life. Every story makes you feel a brand new emotion and you start to get attached to characters in …