Book Review: The Lolly Shop #3 - Calm Before the Snow

 

Title: Calm Before the Snow

Author: L,B & E Hackney

Series: The Lolly Shop #3

Publisher: Self Published

Publication date: 25th July 2022

Genre: First Chapter Book

Pages: 170

Format: Paperback

Source: Courtesy of the author

 

My review of Calm Before the Snow 

Calm Before the Snow is the third book in The Lolly Shop series and what a fun read it is!

The series is set in Queensland, Australia and Bax and Ethan are hoping it give the town snow for Christmas. Dex the bilby is trying to think of ways to stop Vulpes destroying the bilby habitat in the alternate world of Nochternelle. He uses a portal to visit the boys for help.

Calm before the Snow would have to be my favourite book in the series, although Dot loves them all.

Bax and Ethan are back to making more magical treats after the big break in from book 2.

There are are treats to give your pets so they can talk. Who wouldn't like to know what their pet is thinking! This made for some humorous moments that caused us all to chuckle.

Along with all the fun there are ecological themes such as sustainability, regeneration, protection and growth of native species, plus the danger of introduced species killing native animals and destroying the eco-system of the area.

Calm Before the Snow is a fun story with an engaging plot sure to be enjoyed by the 6 to 10 years age group.

my rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 

Book Review: Lego City Building Site

 Lego City Building Site

 

A Push, Pull and Slide Book

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Publication date: 10th August 2021

Genre: Children's Educational

Pages: 8

RRP: $9.99AU

Format: Boardbook

Source: Own purchase 

Our review of Lego City Building Site

 

Everybody get to work - let's knock down that wall.

 

Join the construction crew as they demolish the old building, clear the rubble and start on a new buiding.

 

What can it be? 

 

Work the cement mixer, clear the rubble and lift the heavy doors.

 

Turn the page to reveal what the workers are building!

 

Lego City Building Site is another hands on book for toddlers, rich in imaginative play and themes of working together. We loved matching the Lego pieces and making our own building site.

 

⬇️⬆️➡️⬅️ With tabs to push, pull and slide on every page it’s a fun way to enhance motor skills, develop hand-eye coordination and grow the imagination.  

 

Made in hardy board format with thick pages and tabs that won't easily be torn or ripped out ensuring hours and hours of play.

The Lego City is a fabulous collection of books and we are eager  to collect the whole series.

 

Recommended age - 18months to 5 years

Our rating 5 / 5 👷👷👷👷👷

 

 

Book Review: Runt by Craig Silvey

Runt

by

Craig Silvey 

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 5th October 2022

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

Pages: 352

RRP: $19.99AU Hardback

Source: Won - uncorrected proof

My review of Runt

Annie Shearer is 11 years old. She likes to fix things just like her grandpa Wally Shearer. The people of Upson Downs think it's weird that Annie wears a leather tool belt wherever she goes but Annie finds it very useful. Annie connects with a stray dog everyone calls Runt and the two become inseparable.

Runt is small but fast, and an expert at rounding up sheep. When Annie sees a dog agility competition with prize money she pictures it as a way to fix all her family's problems. But first she will have to fix Runt as he refuses to perform in front of a crowd.

Runt is a heartwarming story filled with humour and love. Craig Silvey gives his readers messages of being yourself, living with kindness, staying optimistic, accepting people (and dogs) how they are and not having to fix everything around you.

Annie and her family are characters you will want to cheer for. They try their best at all they do and sometimes fail but never give up. Brother Max is a Youtubing dare devil, mum loves to cook, quite often with disastrous results and dad Bryan has a secret project in his shed.

I can see Runt on the big screen with its larger than life characters to cheer for and dastardly villains to boo. Silvey has produced two almost comical villains. Earl Robert Barren is buying up the town and he has his eye on the Shearer farm. Fergus Fink is out to win the dog agility competition and he's not adverse to cheating.

Runt is an outstanding story, perfect for fans of Babe and Matilda. With its simple prose and uncomplicated plot it is suitable for the younger middle grade reader aged 6 - 10.

Adult readers will enjoy the themes of family, community and kindness. Runt is a pleasurable escape for all readers.

 

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

 

Craig Silvey is an author and screenwriter from Fremantle, Western Australia.

His critically acclaimed debut novel, Rhubarb, was published in 2004. His bestselling second novel, Jasper Jones,  was the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year for 2010.

His third novel, Honeybee, published in 2020, is an award-winning bestseller. Honeybee was the 2020 Dymocks Book Of The Year, won the Indie Book Award for Best Fiction, and was shortlisted for both the Literary Fiction Book of the Year at the 2021 ABIA Awards and the Adult Fiction Book of the Year at the ABA Booksellers’ Choice Awards. In 2022, Honeybee was voted Number 1 in the Better Reading Top 100.

Runt is his first novel for Younger Readers. 

 

 
 

Book Review: Make Tracks - Cars by Johnny Dyrander

 Make Tracks: Cars

by

Johnny Dyrander

 

Publisher: Nosy Crow

Publication date: 2nd August 2022

Series: Make Tracks #4 

Pages: 10

RRP: $19.99

Format read: Boardbook 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

My review of Make Tracks: Cars

Jay loves this fun board book that helps build hand eye coordination

This sturdy board book features five different styles of cars and each car has their own track and tiny car counter that you can manoeuvre around the track. Stop at the crossings, drive around the winding road, race around the track, drive a four wheel drive around the muddy lake and catch a taxi into the airport.

Each car has a large glossy picture with all their features labeled. 

 

This will be a much loved book by any little car enthusiast. 

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Recommended age: 2+ 

About the author

Johnny Dyrander is an illustrator based in Stockholm, Sweden. He was born and raised above the Arctic circle in northern Sweden and grew up surrounded by reindeer and northern light. He moved to Stockholm in his early twenties and began studying at various art schools. He's been working as an illustrator since he finished his studies at the University College of Arts, Crafts & Design in Stockholm.

When he's not spending time in his office illustrating, Johnny likes to travel, spend time with his family or drive down to his house in southern Sweden, pick up a hammer and saw and pretend to be a carpenter. He builds things in wood with quite mixed results.

 

 

Book Review: Hockey Wars by Sam Lawrence & Ben Jackson

 Hockey Wars

by

Sam Lawrence & Ben Jackson

Publisher: Indie Publishing Group 

 

Publication date: 12th September 2018

 

Genre: Middle Grade

 

Series: Hockey Wars #1 

 

Pages: 128

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of Author Services Australia 

 

My review of Hockey Wars

 

Hockey Wars is an enjoyable Middle-Grade read focusing on friendship and sportsmanship that is sure to leave the reader smiling.

 

Millie and Cameron have been life-long friends, attending the same school and playing on the same hockey team, but when Millie decides to start an all-girls team a rift begins to form in the friendship starting a rivalry between the boys and the girls.

 

I liked this fun story about a feud between the girls team, the Hurricanes, and the boys team, the Lightning, over who gets to use the practice pond after school.

In this first book we are introduced to the main characters, eight boys and eight girls in 4th Grade at Dakota Elementary School. It was good getting to know each characters' quirks and how they felt about the feud.

 

The story was fast paced and I was eager to find out how, or if, Cameron and Millie would become friends again.

 

Ice hockey is not a huge sport in Australia with many of our rinks closing over the years however the themes of co-ed sports and girls versus boys are relatable to any sport.

Being in the stands at ice hockey games for many years I understood and had a laugh at the hockey puns on the girls t-shirts.

 

Hockey Wars has relatable themes of competitiveness, friendship, first crushes, teamwork and having the courage to say you're sorry.

 

Recommended age 8+

 

My rating 5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Purchase the book on Amazon

 

 

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: Camp by Kayla Miller

 Camp

by

Kayla Miller 

 

Publisher: Walker Books Australia

 

Publication date: 5th January 2022 

 Series: Click #2

 

Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel

 

Pages: 224

 

RRP: $17.99

 

Source: own purchase

 

Dot's review of Camp

 

Tell us a little about the book?

 

Olive tries to help Willow because Willow is not brave.

 

Who is your favourite character?

 

Olive is my favourite because she always tries to help.

 

What is your favourite part of the story?

 

My favourite is when they were at dance because there was lots of drama.

 

Do you think your friends will like this book?

 

They will love it!

 

Dot's rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 

I haven't read this book but here's the blurb:

 

Olive is sure she’ll have the best time at summer camp with her friend Willow – but while Olive makes quick friends with the other campers, Willow struggles to form connections and latches on to the only person she knows – Olive. It’s s’more than Olive can handle! The stress of being Willow's living security blanket begins to wear on Olive and before long…the girls aren’t just fighting, they may not even be friends by the time camp is over. Will the two be able to patch things up before the final lights out?

 

Recommended age 8+ 

About the author

Kayla Miller is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator living and working in New York. They have a BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. When not busy working on graphic novels, Kayla enjoys watching bad movies, trying to cook new recipes, playing games (both board and video) and reading other people’s graphic novels.

 

 

Book Review: Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A. F. Steadman

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

by

A. F. Steadman

 

A NEW HERO TAKES FLIGHT 

 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

 

Publication date: 3rd May 2022

 

Series: Skandar #1

 

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

 

Pages: 400

 

Format read: Hardcover

 

RRP: $19.99AU

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

My review of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

 

I absolutely love the cover of this book! After reading a few chapters of the story I realised that it wouldn't be for my unicorn loving mini reviewer. To her, unicorns are loving, fun and mostly soft and cuddly. The unicorns in this tale are carnivorous and there are a few rabbits devoured throughout.

 

Unicorns don’t belong in fairy tales; they belong in nightmares.

 

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief has themes of resilience, courage and friendship. Skandar seems to attract the school bully and he doesn't see himself as being very brave. I really liked that when the school bully was harassing a younger boy Skandar didn't hesitate to jump in and defend him.

 

Steadman follows the tried-and-true trope of the 'chosen one'. Her writing is uncomplicated and the plot straightforward. As this is the first in a series there is a big focus on world-building. However there wasn't enough action to keep me fully engaged and I found Skandar moody and a bit annoying. Although, with a few twists and scrapes for our heroes to navigate, I feel there is plenty that will appeal to the target audience of 9 - 12 year olds.

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Photo credit Annabel Church

A.F. Steadman grew up in the Kent countryside, getting lost in fantasy worlds and scribbling stories in notebooks. Before focusing on writing, she worked in law, until she realized that there wasn’t nearly enough magic involved. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling Skandar series.