I was handed this book by a work colleague who heard I enjoyed reviewing children’s books. Although it was on the short side, I thought I’d glance through it. I was hooked from the very start.

Boys – An Illustrated Field Guide is a wonderful book aimed at girls aged between 11-14 years. With gentle humour and delightful prose, each sort of boy a girl may encounter is explained. Laid out like a naturalist’s field notes, with diagrams and likely habitats, Ross takes the reader through categories such as Wild Boys or Smart Boys or Quiet Boys.

Each one is described briefly but with all the important details, ending with a suggestion of what you, the subject of this boy’s attention, should remember. For instance, with Dangerous Boys you should be a “Girl Who Watches Out for Herself.” 

I admired the way each boy was portrayed without prejudice or judgement of any kind. It is never said you shouldn’t go out with one of these boys, just that you need to look out for yourself.

Near the end there is a section on what to do when you meet “That Boy”. The one who makes your heart beat faster; the one who takes your breath away. She even covers what to do when your heart is broken.

This pocket-sized guide to love for beginners is a wonderful instruction manual. It could also be useful to those who may be older, but not necessarily wiser, when it comes to the art of love.

 For Ages: 11-14 years old

Number of Pages: 80 in hardback format.

Published: September 2017

Themes: Navigating relationships and knowing yourself.

Rating: 4/5                                       

How to Bee is a multi-award winning middle grade novel set in a future when bees are extinct. It is up to fearless, agile kids to replace the bees and pollinate the flowers that produce essential foods.

Peony, who is nearly 10, lives with her Gramps and sister Mags on a fruit farm way out of the city. Although life is tough and only the bare essentials available, she lives a full life along with her best friend AJ and her dream to one day become a bee.

Her mother prefers life in the city and believes Peony will too. She comes to the farm and drags her literally kicking and screaming into a new life that Peony wants no part of.

The city frightens her with “raggy people” begging for food and the dust and crowds. She arrives at what seems like a palace to start her new life as a servant along with her mother.

Peony is introduced to what she believes are ridiculous rules and incredibly lazy bosses. After a fiery first meeting with the daughter of her employers, Esmeralda, a shaky friendship grows. Together they work to overcome their problems. Esmeralda needs to stop being afraid of going outdoors and Peony needs to get back to the farm and become a bee.

Bren MacDibble introduces us to a possible future while telling a touching story of a friendship that conquers adversity. Peony is a wonderful character who possesses wisdom and bravery way beyond her years. The language and descriptions of what Peony sees conjure an alarming picture that is softened by the love of family. This is a fabulous book.

For Ages: 8+ years

Number of Pages: 224 in paperback form.

Published: April 2017

Themes: Overcoming challenges and the importance of family.

Rating: 4/5

I wish:: I could be Peony’s friend.      

Drawing on a magical mixture of fairy tales and folklore, Garth Nix delivers a wonderful story of determination, bravery and accepting destiny. We follow Princess Anya who wants to be left in peace so she can study sorcery. Unfortunately, she has made solemn promise to her sister Morven, to find the prince who has won her heart but has unfortunately been turned into a frog by their evil step-father, Duke Rikard.

This is not as easy as it sounds. First, Princess Anya must find all the ingredients for the magical lip balm that, when applied, allows her to kiss a frog and transform him back into his princely form. As if this wasn’t enough to keep Anya busy, her dastardly step-father is planning to take over the kingdom and banish her to a boarding school from which she is unlikely to return.

Anya’s sole desire is to get the ingredients for the lip balm, restore her big sister’s boyfriend and get everything to go back to normal. That way her sister can rightfully inherit the kingdom and her evil step-father will be vanquished.

But that’s not what happens.

Aided by a talking dog, Anya flees the castle and starts her journey. Along the way she meets a boy thief who has been turned into a newt, an otter who has been turned into a half-human, a cranky wizard, tricky witches and a whole bunch of heralds called Gerald.

This entertaining story is written with a playfulness that also explores the deeper issue of one’s destiny. Princess Anya’s battle with fate and frogs and a bunch of beautifully crafted characters is a wonderful read.

For Ages: 12-16 years old

Number of Pages: 336 in paperback form.

Published: February 2017

Themes: Loyalty, overcoming adversity.

Rating: 4/5          

Take Home Element: I need a talking dog so they could tell me what mine is saying!                             

Quark’s Academy is a great book for budding scientists and the mystery of what happens to those who enter will keep readers on the edge of their seats til the very end.

Augustine, Celeste and Oscar have been invited to the new prestigious science institution, Quark’s Academy, for a week-long summer camp that ends with the Best Inventor Competition. The winner of the most exciting and wonderful invention will be given an undisclosed sum of money to spend how they please, and the entire contest will be televised.

Augustine lives with her scientist parents and has invented a weather machine. It is able to produce rain or snow or sunlight on command and can be manoeuvred anywhere it is needed. Her parents pay very little attention to her as they are always busy inventing things that somehow never work.

Celeste is interested in quantum physics and is working on time travel. She is nervous about going to the science camp and although she is thoroughly supported by her parents, feels a little lost since her pet mouse was poisoned by a horrible boy at the Science Fair the year before.

Oscar battles daily with the fact that his wealthy parents believe their first-born son, Toby, is absolutely the most clever, perfect human being ever put on the planet. They totally ignore their second son and as a consequence Oscar acts up a little. His attention seeking antics unfortunately only attract distrust and contempt from his peers. His stink bombs in particular have led to many problems.

 Along with 12 other child scientists, they arrive at the academy which is a beautifully designed building that resembles the inner working of the brain. Long corridors and pods branching off in different directions, house sleeping quarters, common rooms and of course, laboratories stuffed full of the latest equipment.

The children are kept busy and must follow a strict schedule but as the week progresses, they feel something is not quite right. A prank involving Oscar leads Celeste and Augustine to be stranded outside the academy with their stink bomb competitor. With the help of Copernicus, the academy’s house cat, they get back inside only to discover the dark secret behind the academy. Nothing is as it seems – nothing.

The three must work together to escape the sinister top floor and warn everyone of Inventor Quark’s evil plan. Will their fellow contestants believe them or are they too, taken in by the silvery lies of the famous inventor?

Quark’s Academy is a roller coaster ride of adventure, suspense and of course, science. Catherine Pelosi’s novel explores what friendship means and how if we believe in ourselves others will too.

This time, and from now on, I am adding a little something extra. My family play a game when we go to the movies or an art gallery or read a book. We have to choose some element or person or picture that we’d like to take home with us. You’ll find mine at the very end of the review.

For Ages: 8-12 years old

Number of Pages: 233 in paperback form.

Published: January 2018

Themes: Friendship and family

Rating: 3/5      

I wish: : We could see Augustine’s weather machine working in some of the outback areas in Australia.                              

It’s books like The Goat that make me smile. Anne Fleming’s first full-length book for children, set in a New York apartment building brings together a set of characters, each battling their own demons.

Lisa, Bob and their daughter, Kid, have moved into the apartment of a cousin to look after his dog. Lisa is a sea of nerves before her off Broadway show sets to debut. Bob is meant to be writing a play and Kid is frozen by a shyness that makes eye contact and conversation impossible.

Kid meets Will and his grandmother, and discovers that shyness is not the only thing that can hold a person back. Will lost his parents in the Twin Towers attack and cannot look out windows. His grandmother, who wants to protect him from all potential catastrophes, refuses to leave his side. Rumour has it that there is a goat in the building and Kid and Will set off to find it.

Meanwhile, other residents face their own challenges – A blind writer with writer’s block and a troubled love life. A stroke victim and his wife who must adjust to new circumstances and Kenneth, who bought the goat into the building in the first place under the mistaken belief it was the reincarnation of his father. He has been trying to both hide it from residents, and catch it ever since.

These characters, who, at first sight have nothing in common, come together during a wonderful chase scene with one objective in their sights. Catch the goat!

Anne Fleming’s style is both humourous and upbeat while dealing with some very real issues. The characters’ internal dialogue, including that of the goat, is insightful and engaging and thoroughly enjoyable.

The Goat is a great present for anyone who needs a boost of confidence or just a gentle laugh.

For Ages: 9+ years old

Number of Pages: 160 in paperback form.

Published: April 2018

Themes: Overcoming challenges

Rating: 4.5/5                                       

If you’re looking for a book about celebrating differences, The Boy in the Dress may well be the one you need to read. David Walliam’s debut novel, released in 2008, is the gentle tale of Denis and his family. Dennis is 12 years old, is a first-rate striker in football who lives with his Dad and big brother, John. Their suburban existence moves sluggishly through a drabness bought on, in part by the disappearance of their mum and wife. Dennis’ father pines for her and is depressed. John carries on hoping things will get better. Dennis finds solace in a Vogue magazine. His love of fashion and colour help him cope with the hole his mum has left in their lives.

 His father is horrified when he discovers the Vogue beneath Dennis’ bed but a chance meeting (in detention) with Lisa, the best dressed, most gorgeous girl in the school, gives Dennis new hope. Together they explore fashion, design and experiment with clothing. Dennis looks surprisingly good in dresses and when made up and sporting a pair of heels, feels the best he has in ages. He is persuaded by Lisa to come to school dressed as a girl on a foreign exchange programme and that’s when things go wrong. The surrounding characters are beautifully constructed and their eccentricities help Dennis overcome what could have proved a disaster.

 The Boy in the Dress talks about family relationships and acceptance, solidarity and colour – both in the sense of fashion and bringing light into dull lives.

The illustrations by Quentin Blake show his genius, as always, of capturing emotion in simple line drawings.

I thoroughly enjoyed this middle grade novel and love the sense of gentle humour David Walliams has bought to the page.

 For Ages: 9+ years old

Number of Pages: 288 in paperback form.

Published: December 2009

Themes: Accepting differences

Rating: 3/5