1 Nov 2017

What an eclectic November it’s going to be! We’ve got knights, pirates, polka dots, witches, gods and goddesses and more.

Find our best recommendations for teen books this month here.

CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Girl Who Drank the Moon, 2017 winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal, is now available in a paperback edition (but still with the same gorgeous cover). Xan is a good-hearted witch who rescues the town’s annual infant offering, delivering the baby to a worthy home. But when she accidentally feeds the baby moonlight, Xan decides to keep the magical Luna as her own. As Luna grows and her magic develops, dangerous truths about herself, the town and the past emerge.

Our reviewer Kim recommends this magical middle fiction for readers aged 10 and up, saying that there’s ‘much to love in this vivid, heartening and utterly absorbing book that champions the power of hope, love and rebellion in the face of fear and cruelty’.

You can read our full review here.

RECOMMENDED NEW PICTURE BOOKS

In The Poesy Ring a discarded gold ring goes on a journey from nineteenth century rural Ireland to 1960s New York City, via various animals and people on land and in water. Bob Graham spins a sweet and romantic tale that traverses continents and time. For ages 3 and up.

I love John Burningham’s scribbly, quirky picture books, and Mouse House is no exception. When a little boy notices the mouse family living nocturnally in his home, his parents want to eliminate them – forcing the children of the house to write a heartfelt letter of warning. Thus begins a great story of inter-species friendship and sharing. For ages 3 and up.

A new picture book from Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen is always a treat, and The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse is a wonderfully odd story of a duck and a mouse who cause quite the stomach ache for a rapacious wolf. The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse has the feel and look of an earthy European fable, with a touch of silliness and absurdity. For ages 3 and up.

A birthday cake goes missing and every guest becomes a suspect in The Mystery of the Missing Cake. Anyone who has ever felt the nerves and joy of attending a fancy dress birthday party will love this gorgeous tale of animal sleuthing. For ages 4 and up.

RECOMMENDED NEW JUNIOR FICTION

Our very favourite short-tempered little person with an overactive imagination is back in Dory Fantasmagory and the Real True Friend. Dory makes an amazing new friend on her first day of school, but her family thinks that this new friend sounds to good and too wacky to be true…For ages 6 and up.

Any young superhero fans in your house? Team Hero: Lair of the Fire Lizard is an easily-read supernatural action story set at the Hero Academy, a school for everyday kids who happen to have extraordinary powers. For ages 6 and up.

Author, illustrator and performance poet Laura Dockrill has written a fantastic collection of narrative poems dedicated to a very unconventional mum – My Mum’s Growing Down. A nine-year-old boy writes loving and exasperating rhymes about how naughty, rude and silly his mum is. Lots of fun to read out loud together for ages 5 and up.

RECOMMENDED NEW MIDDLE FICTION

Beloved Australian author Jaclyn Moriarty brings her usual verve, whimsy and rich other worlds in The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone. After the death of her parents (at the hands of pirates, no less) 10-year-old Bronte Mettlestone must obey the terms of their will and embark on a lengthy kingdom-jumping tour of her 10 aunts. Our reviewer, the appropriately-named Bronte, praised Moriarty’s ‘wonderfully imaginative’ world building.

You can read our full review here.

Meet some budding knights and a mouthy sword in Garth Nix and Sean Williams' fantasy adventure, Have Sword, Will Travel. Plucky, enthusiastic Eleanor and cautious, thoughtful Odo make for odd friends, but when they accidentally uncover the magical sword Hildebrand Shining Foebiter (or ‘Biter’ for short) they must work together on the perilous task of saving a river. Our reviewer Athina praised this ‘hilarious and exciting adventure set in a fantastical ‘medieval like’ time where gender equality is the norm.’ For ages 9 and up.

You can read our full review here.

Head into the northern seas for adventure in The Ice Sea Pirates from acclaimed Swedish author Frida Nilsson. 10-year-old girl Siri bravely attempts to rescue her little sister, who has been stolen by pirates at the behest of evil mine-owner Captain Whitehead. Along the way she makes new friends and meets new villains. For readers aged 8 and up.

You can read our full review here.

NON-FICTION PICKS FOR KIDS

Mythology enthusiast rejoice, because Kevin Crossley-Holland’s Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki is amazing! Ably illustrated with looming silhouettes by artist Jeffrey Alan Love, this is an entertaining collection of retellings of all the greatest hits of the ancient Prose Edda.

You can read our full review here.

Learn all about iconic artist Yayoi Kusama in the beautifully presented, Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity, which appropriately presents a growing plethora of dots on its pages. Colourfully illustrated by Ellen Weinstein, this picture book shows Yayoi from her childhood in Japan to her art career in America, our reviewer Angela found this to be ‘a fascinating introduction to a very accessible contemporary artist.’ For ages 5 and up.

You can read our full review here.

CHILDREN’S CLASSIC OF THE MONTH

The Wave was written in the 80s but hearkens back to a high school experiment in the 60s – a teacher enacted a social experiment to demonstrate to his students why people join and can be brainwashed by fascist movements.

Teenager Laurie, editor of the school paper, is one of the few students left unimpressed by the motivational group The Wave, and finds herself increasingly isolated from and vilified by her former friends and peers. Told in plain language at a clipping pace, there’s much food-for-thought for contemporary tweens and teens. For ages 10 and up.

You can read our review here.

FROM AROUND THE BLOG

In preparation for Christmas, we’ve put together a detailed guide of the best picture books for posting to friends and family who live abroad. We cover indigenous picture books, Aussie animals, modern Australian life, favourite classics and more.

During Mental Health Week we interviewed author/illustrator Josh Langley about his picture book, It’s OK To Feel the Way You Do. For more recommendations, you may like to browse our collections of books that tackle mental health for kids and teens.

JOIN US FOR THE LAUNCH OF THREE BRILLIANT NEW KIDS' BOOKS

Join us at Readings Kids for the launch of Pilgrim Lee’s distinctive, festive and deeply cool new picture book, The 12 Days of Christmas. This event is free to attend and will kick off at 6.30pm on Thursday 2 November.

This month, Readings St Kilda is launching two new middle fiction books.

Come along at 10.30am on Sunday 19 November for the launch of Tania Lacy’s quirky new graphic novel, Tracy Lacy for Classy Captain. And at 4pm on Saturday 25 November, we’ll be hosting the launch of Kate Downey’s Lucy Star 7 and Lucy Star 13 – two compelling books that follow the journey of a trans and gender-diverse girl at two especially important ages.

Both launches are free to attend.

Leanne Hall is a children’s and YA specialist at Readings Kid and the grants officer for the Readings Foundation. She also writes books for children and young adults.