Book Review: The Magic Gems: Lily Halfmoon by Xavier Bonet

The Magic Gems: Lily Halfmoon #1

by

Xavier Bonet

translated by  Marie Trinchant

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Imprint: A&U Children

Publication date: 29th August 2023

Series: Lily Halfmoon #1

Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel

Pages: 80

RRP: $16.99 (paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Review: The Magic Gems: Lily Halfmoon #1

Lily Halfmoon is a new graphic novel series by illustrator Xavier Bonet flawlessly translated by Marie Trinchant.

 

The Magic Gems is a fun story about witches, potions, gems and finding your true vocation. 

Lily is nervous about starting a new school, she is always clumsy and having accidents. When she makes friends with Gigi and Mai she learns that her accidents are her magic revealing itself. She's a witch, just like them!

Lily must learn about special magical gems, guardian spirits, potions and plants, and uncover her special power all whilst keeping her new identity secret.

The Magic Gems is an easy to read graphic novel for younger middle grade readers. It includes lots of information on gems, the phases of the moon, magic potions and a slime recipe. The cliff hanger ending will have readers eager for the next book.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommended age: 7+ years

About the author

Xavier Bonet is a self-taught illustrator and comic book artist. He lives in Barcelona with his two children. He started in a little animation studio as a background artist, and eventually embarked on a career as a professional illustrator. He has illustrated many children's books including Omnia by Laura Gallego, the volumes of Michael Dahl's Really Scary Stories, The Keepers Trilogy by Lian Tanner and Jabberwocky and Other Poems by Lewis Carroll.

 

 
 

Book Review: The Long and Muddy Road by Paul Dekmetzian

The Adventures of Cargo the Army Truck

The Long and Muddy Road

by

Paul Dekmetzian

Publisher: Self Published

Publication date: 26th April 2022

Series: The Adventures of Cargo #2

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Pages: 26

Format: Softcover

Source: Courtesy of the author

 

Review: The Long and Muddy Road

Cargo is an old army truck with a new life delivering supplies around outback Australia.

In The Long and Muddy Road Cargo is preparing to deliver supplies to remote, outback Australian areas other trucks and cars find hard to access.

 

Cargo has all the equipment he needs to drive on muddy roads. Before Cargo came along all the supplies had to be delivered by plane when the roads were inaccessible.

Along the way Cargo meets a sheep farmer in need of help and a lost and hungry dog. Cargo is always happy to help whenever he can.

After a long and muddy trip Cargo makes it to town with a delivery of food, mail and essential supplies.

The Long and Muddy Road is beautifully illustrated with double page colour spreads. The story-line is engaging and is sure to appeal to all little car and truck enthusiasts.

My rating 5 / 5 🚚🚚🚚🚚🚚

About the author

Paul Dekmetzian lives in Melbourne, Australia. Between 1973 and 1981, he was engaged with the Australian Army, first as a School Cadet and then as a young Private at Monash University Regiment. This involvement sparked the interest of a lifetime.

 

 As the grandfather of eleven and an active member of the Victorian Military Vehicle Corps (VMVC), Paul has witnessed firsthand how excited people of all ages get when they see these historic vehicles, both on the road and on display.

He believes that the positive effect of engaging with this history should not be underestimated and hopes that The Adventures of Cargo the Army Truck will ignite the curiosity of a new generation of Australians.

 

 

Book Review: Who Lives Here? by Julia Donaldson

 Who Lives Here?

by

Julia Donaldson

Illustrated by Rebecca Cobb

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Imprint: Macmillan Children's Books 

Publication date: 25th July 2023

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Pages: 24

RRP: $26.99AU (Hardcover)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

Review Who Lives Here?

A little boy is excited when he is invited to a friend's house to play. However he doesn't know which house on South Street is Dan's.

The story invites the reader to look at each house and guess who might live there then lift the flap to see if you are right. A cook, a knight, a ghost, which house is Dan's?

We love everything Julia Donaldson here at Little Squirrel's Bookshelf! Her rhyming prose slide off the tongue and the children were eager to see who lived in each house.

This story is all about fun and when the boy finds Dan's house they have a great playdate playing with Dan's toys.

Rebecca Cobb's double paged illustrations are full of detail; a visual delight and wonderful prompts that enhance the prose.

Who Lives Here? with its hands-on lift the flap pages is sure to delight any child.

My rating 5 / 5 🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠

About the author

Julia Donaldson is the author of some of the world's best-loved children's books, including modern classics The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, and the hugely successful What the Ladybird Heard adventures. Julia also writes fiction, including the Princess Mirror-Belle books illustrated by Lydia Monks, as well as poems, plays and songs - and her brilliant live shows are always in demand.

About the illustrator

Rebecca Cobb has created a number of well-received picture books, including the heart-breakingly beautiful Missing Mummy and the critically acclaimed Aunt Amelia. She has also collaborated with some of the best-known names in children's publishing. Rebecca lives in Falmouth with her husband and young daughters.

 

Book Review: Pink Santa by Tanya Hennesssy

 Pink Santa

by

Tanya Hennessy

Illustrated by Ben Whitehouse

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Imprint: Albert Street Books

Publication date: 29th August 2023

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Pages: 30

RRP: $19.99AU (Hardback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Dot's review of Pink Santa

This book really did "sleigh". The book was absolutely amazing!!

 

My favourite part was when the boy looked out the window and saw Pink Santa and said, "Santa you SLAYYYYYYY" and honestly I would do the same if I saw any coloured Santa, even Santa himself. 

My fav characters were the little boy who called out to Santa and the burly old elf who said, "for the first time in ages I'm feeling myself. I'm loving this vibe."

This is definitely a 5 star book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from Dot aged 9

My thoughts

Pink Santa is a delightful rhyming story about embracing change, overcoming mishaps and turning mistakes into a positive.
 

It's the night before Christmas and Santa is ready to go but first he needs to wash his suit. Rudolph throws it in the washing machine and it comes out PINK! Rudolph doesn't know what to do, Santa's red suit is iconic. Then Santa declares this year Christmas will be pink.
 

We loved the cute elves with their cheeky suggestions for Santa. There are lots of fun visuals and changes to spot, as Christmas turns from the iconic red & green to PINK.
 

Brightly coloured double page illustrated spreads catch the eye and there are lots of things happening in the background to keep little ones engaged.
 

Sometimes the best things come from a simple mistake and just maybe a new tradition will be born.
 

My rating 5 / 5 🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅

About the author

Tanya Hennessy -comedian, radio announcer and social media sensation. Originally from Newcastle, Tanya started in radio in 2012. Since then she has become an international social media sensation; written her first book, bestseller Am I Doing This Right?; become an ambassador for Priceline Pharmacy; sold out 27 venues for her first comedy show Low Expectations; and appeared on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! in 2017.

About the illustrator

Ben Whitehouse is a character designer and children's book illustrator born and raised in Birmingham UK. At the moment, he lives in Germany with his wonderful partner, Yvonne and their son, Timmy and their border collie, Sparrow.

Book Review: Marjorie Magic by Joy Norstrom

 Marjorie Magic

by

Joy Norstrom

Illustrated by Anushka Shenoy

Publisher: Dixi Books

Publication date: 24th November 2022

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Pages: 32

Price: $16.49AU (on AmazonAU)

Source: Courtesy of the author

 

Review: Marjorie Magic

Marjorie Magic wondered why her name was Magic. She couldn't do any of the magic things her mum, dad and baby brother did. Could she really belong in this magical family?

 

One day she found a book on magic spells. It filled her with hope that maybe she could learn magic.

 

Marjorie Magic is a delightfully illustrated picture book filled with enchanting, cartoon style, full page illustrations that will ignite a child's imagination and have them in giggles as Marjorie's magic spells go slightly wrong each time.

 

Marjorie Magic is a cute story about feeling like you don't fit in and trying to find your place. It's a story about perseverance and not giving up when things go wrong.

 

The book came with gorgeous cards to write your own magic spells on.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommended age 3+ years 

 

About the author (from publisher website)

 

Joy Norstrom is a Canadian writer and social worker. She enjoys sharing stories about the human experience, exploring the outdoors with her family, and reading late into the night when she should be asleep. Whether she is advocating for inclusion, attempting to parent teenagers, or popping into the local coffee shop, she can generally be found engaged in conversation. Why? She believes human connection and laughter keep her grounded in a muddled world. 

Book Review: Orson the Great by Colm McElwain

 Orson the Great

by

Colm McElwain

Publisher: Self Published

Publication date: 5th October 2023

Genre: Middle Grade

Pages: 214

Format read: eBook

Source: Courtesy of the author

 

Review: Orson the Great

Orson Whitlock is Orson the Great a 12 year old who is also one of the world's top magicians.

The story opens with 12 year old Orson and his assistant Agatha finishing up a performance. An ominous feeling hangs over the story as Orson is being followed and then threatened by another magician, Daxton the Destroyer.

 

Daxton vows to beat Orson in a magic competition and become the new leader of the Magicians Guild.

The story then jumps back ten years to when Orson was 10 and how he became the greatest magician in the world.

The magic scenes in the story were so well portrayed, I could picture it all. Orson is a likeable and relatable protagonist. He always wants to please. Agatha, Orson's assistant and manager, is another wonderful character, a very worldly wise 12 year old.

The story is rich in tension, danger, suspense and (of course) magic. Orson the Great has all the right ingredients to keep middle grade readers enthralled. It may even get them interested in trying a few magic tricks of their own!

Do you believe in magic!?

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

The book is currently available for pre order on Amazon. 

About the author

 

 Colm was raised and educated in Monaghan, Ireland. He has always loved storytelling, whether through literature or film. Orson the Great is his third novel. He is the author of the James Clyde book series. 

 

My review of Colm's previous book:

 

https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/2018/12/book-review-james-clyde-and-tomb-of.html 

Book Review: Hockey Wars 12: Euro Tournament by Sam Lawrence & Ben Jackson

 Hockey Wars 12: Euro Tournament

by

Sam Lawrence & Ben Jackson

Publisher: Indie Publishing Group

Publication date: 2nd April 2023

Genre: Middle Grade

Series: Hockey Wars #12

Pages: 115

Format read: eBook

Source: Courtesy of the author

 

Review: Hockey Wars 12: Euro Tournament

Hockey Wars  #12: Euro Tournament see the girls ice hockey team preparing for a tour to Sweden. The boys team will be playing in Canada next year.

Both teams have fun with fundraising events to help pay for their trip.

This was another fun story in the hockey wars series. The boys and girls all get along well and encourage and support each other. There is some light fun ribbing included but it's all about the kids having fun together.

The full page black & white illustrations are a wonderful visual inclusion. Illustrated middle grade books are a good buffer between first chapter books and full on novels.

This is a fun story with movie and pizza nights, a fundraising car wash and going on an overseas trip as a team.

There are themes of having fun, doing your best, forgiving mistakes, good sportsmanship and losing gracefully.

With ice hockey books becoming very popular in the young adult genre it is nice for middle graders 8 -12 years to have age appropriate novels too.

Recommended age 8+

My rating 5 / 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the authors

Ben Jackson was born in Tasmania, Australia, and is a successful indie author that has been writing for over four years. Ben is married to Sam Lawrence, and together they specialize in self-publishing children's books.

They have been married for several years and have traveled together between Australia and Canada. Ben is also a freelance writer that specializes in writing website content for businesses and a wide variety of different articles.

They have published a series of children's books called My Little Fart and Hockey Wars, as well as If I Was A Caterpillar and several other non-fiction books. 

 

Book Review: A Very Silly Reading Book: Meow by Alan Smith

 A Very Silly Reading Book : Meow

by

Alan Smith

Publisher: Self Published

Publication date: 6th February 2023

Genre: Children's / first reader

Pages: 27

Price: $7.71AU Kindle / $19.13AU Paperback 

Source: Courtesy of the author 

 

Review: A Very Silly Reading Book Meow

A Very Silly Reading Book is a fun way to get reluctant readers to pick up a book. Jay isn't interested in learning to read and I was eager to see how he would respond to this book.

 

It starts with an oath that the adult reads to say they will do everything the child reads in the book. We started with Dot reading the book and Jay's ears pricked up when she read 'kids are now the reading boss'. He does like to be the boss. There are lots of funny actions, like meowing like a cat, shaking your tail, rubbing your nose, that the adult has to do when the child reads from the book. Suddenly Jay wanted to read the book and be the boss. 

 

The pages are set out with extra-large text and and simple diagrams so as not to distract the reader from the text. It is well structured for first readers with repeated words at the start of each page to build confidence. The colour words have the corresponding background such as GREEN   YELLOW which also adds to the reader's confidence.

I think we read this book about twenty times with everyone having a turn at reading and doing the actions. I tired well before Jay.

I thought the colour background was a brilliant idea however, I would have liked to not have the colour background on the words at the end of the book so it wasn't as easy to guess the words. Other than that this was a fun book that included family time with learning.

Jay gave it 1,000 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dot's rating 4.5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

 

 

Book Review: Leaf-Light by Trace Balla

Leaf-Light

by

Trace Balla

Publisher:  Allen & Unwin Children's

Publication date: 1st August 2023

Genre: Picture Book / Graphic Novel

Pages: 80

RRP: $27.99AU (hardcover)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Review: Leaf-Light

 

Leaf-Light is told from the point of view of Miri, a young girl, who lives with her mother on Djaara Country in country Victoria. As Miri plays and explores with her neighbour and friend Wingo they learn about caring for native animals, the environment around them and being part of a community.

Leaf-Light is a stunningly illustrated and gentle graphic novel that empowers children, and adults, to embrace nature and community. The story shows the people, animals and birds living in harmony. Trace Balla encourages the reader to embrace joy from the little things in life, helping one another and spending time to be one with nature as we follow Miri and her friends go about their day playing, watching and learning.

 

There is so much love and detail in this book you could take days and days just going over the detailed illustrations and then come back and still find little things you missed. 

Leaf-Light is a truly special addition to any home library.

Age recommended 8 - 12 years (however suitable for all ages)

5 /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Trace Balla is a well-loved Australian children's book author, illustrator and writer of song lyrics who lives on Dja Dja Wurrung Country. She has won the CBCA Book of the Year Award, the Readings Children's Book Prize, the Wilderness Society's Environment Award for Children's Literature, a Comic Arts Awards of Australia Bronze Ledger, and an Honour Award for the inaugural SCBWI Australian Picture Book Illustrator Awards. She has also been shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards (twice), Adelaide Festival Awards for Children's Literature, and ALIA Graphic's Notable Australian Graphic Novel Award.