Do you love audiobooks that make you laugh out loud? Do you need an audiobook for a roadtrip that the whole family will love? Look no further than Ladybird Funny Stories for 5 Year Olds, featuring 10 hilarious mash-ups written by one of the funniest children’s authors in NZ, Peter Millett.
In Ladybird Funny Stories for 5 Year Olds Peter Millett takes stories and characters that are familiar and mashes them up to create a new story that is far funnier than the originals. The Big Naughty Wolf is trying to get in to Hansel and Gretel’s tasty hideaways to get their gold coins, Humpty Dumpty visits the Three Bears’ House, the Bad Fairy curses the princess, turning her in to Sleepwalking Beauty, The Gingerbread Man has a race with a turtle, and Alice has a very peculiar dream. These are stories that you’ll be happy to listen to again and again.
Each of the stories in this collection are funny, silly, and incredibly entertaining. On our commute to and from school, me and my 5 year old giggled along with the stories and shared shocked expressions with each other when something unexpected happened. We were gobsmacked when Humpty served omelets and scrambled eggs to the Three Bears! Peter Millett is a skilled storyteller, whose stories feel like they could be original fairytales, with a dash of silliness. I love the way that he has managed to weave different stories and characters together, while making it feel like they belong together. Most of the stories are just under ten minutes long so they are perfect to share at bedtime, at a break during the school day, or on a long car trip.
The stories are narrated by actors Rhashan Stone and Gemma Whelan and they do an amazing job of bringing Peter’s stories alive. They use different voices for the characters, do their own sound affects, and their British accents make them a joy to listen to (I always prefer British narrators over American narrators). They each take turns reading a story so you get a bit of variety.
My daughter and I had different stories that we loved the most. She loved Humpty Dumpty and the Three Bears and Cinderella and her Gruff Stepsisters, while my favourites were The Magical Elves of Hamelin and Sleepwalking Beauty. The magical elves (similar to those in The Elves and the Shoemaker) have poor eyesight and aren’t very good at reading, which leads to some hilarious mix-ups for the old man and lady in the story. The Bad Fairy in the Sleepwalking Beauty story is not ‘Bad’ because she’s evil, but rather bad at magic, so her curse on the princess doesn’t turn out quite how she was hoping.
Although it says ‘5 Year Olds’ in the title, this collection will be one that the whole family will enjoy. Grab a copy of Ladybird Funny Stories for 5 Year Olds from the eAudiobook retailers below:
These are the rules that the Smidgens live by. Smidgens are exactly like humans…just tiny. The Sprout family live in the House, a maze of rooms carved into a stone wall, accessed from a network of tunnels, called the Tangle. They were once part of a community of Smidgens who lived here, but now they are the only ones who remain. They take food and items that they need to survive from the Big Folk. Gafferty Sprout and her little brother, Gobkin, are on their way back home from a mission to get a deep-fried chip for their dinner when Gafferty his chased by a mysterious creature. Gafferty falls through the tunnel, to a forgotten section of the Tangle and discovers a book that will lead her on an adventure to parts of the world she could only dream about. However, the sneaky and sinister Claudia Slymark and her Seekers are hunting for Smidgens. Claudia believes the Smidgens know the whereabouts of a magical object that she needs to find, and she will do anything to get her hands on it. With the help of some unexpected friends, Gafferty and Gobkin must foil her plans.
The Smidgens is a rollicking adventure about the tiny humans with big hearts. There is something in this story for everyone, from nail-biting chases and clever disguises, to vile villains and teeny heroes. David hooks you from the first page, with our heroes’ quest to get a deep-fried chip for their dinner, and you can’t help but be whisked away with the Smidgens and their adventures underneath the feet of the Big Folk. I was fascinated with The Borrowers as a kid, and I would often wonder if there really were tiny people living in the walls. The Smidgens will fascinate a new generation of readers in the same way, and make them wonder if they might be real.
There are a couple of things that I really love about The Smidgens. The costumes that the Sprouts wear are really clever. Gafferty and Gobkin have special costumes that they wear when they go out in to the world of the Big Folk, to help camouflage them. Gafferty is a spider and Gobkin is a fly, so that if Big Folk see them, they’ll just think that they are pests, rather than tiny humans. I also really love the Seekers in the story, and the parts that they played. The inclusion of them in the story was unexpected and added an interesting aspect. You’ll have to read the book to find out who they are and what part they play.
Seb Burnett’s illustrations are marvellous, especially his cover for the book. It certainly grabbed me, with Gobkin’s guilty face as he takes some cake, and Gafferty swinging across the cover with a big smile on her face. Seb gives us glimpses of the world of the Smidgens, from the house that they live in, to the costumes that they wear. I especially love Seb’s depiction of Claudia Slymark and her Seekers, as he has really highlighted their nastiness.
The Smidgens is the first book in this new series, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens next. This would make a great read aloud for Years 4-6, as it will grab everyone’s attention. Be prepared to read ‘just one more chapter’ though, as David is very good at leaving you hanging.
One of the things I love most about reading is being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Sometimes we can relate to the character because we’ve had similar experiences or felt the same way. Sometimes the character can be completely different from us, which allows us to see the world from a different point of view. It is those characters, who are different from us, whose stories teach us empathy. This is the reason that I love Elle McNicoll’s books so much. In her debut middle grade book, A Kind of Spark, Elle introduced us to Addie, a neurodivergent girl who sees injustice and stands up to it. In her new book, Show Us Who You Are, Elle introduces us to Cora, a neurodivergent girl who must fight to make herself heard and stop those who would erase the thing that makes her unique.
When Cora goes to a party hosted by her brother’s boss she doesn’t expect to enjoy it. As someone with Autism, being around a whole lot of people that she doesn’t know is something that she hates. While exploring the garden behind the house Cora meets Adrien. She isn’t looking for a new best friend, but this is quickly what Adrien becomes. Adrien is different, like her. He’s unpredictable, fun and funny. The more time her and Adrien spend together, the more Cora learns about the mysterious Pomegranate Institute, run by Adrien’s father, Magnus. Cora becomes captivated by the Pomegranate Institute and their holographic technology that can bring people back to life. Magnus and the head scientist, Dr Gold, offer Cora the chance to help with their research on neurodivergent people. They want to interview her so that they are able to make it easier to create a neurodivergent hologram. When tragedy strikes, Cora is left with little choice but to participate in the interviews, as Pomegranate offers her something that no-one else can. However, Cora soon uncovers secrets lurking behind the shiny façade of Pomegranate, secrets that those in charge will do anything to keep hidden. Cora will need to fight to make her voice heard and show the world that who she is, matters.
Show Us Who You Are is a powerful, incredibly moving sci-fi story about individuality, grief and standing up for what is right. You feel a connection with Cora straight away and this grows stronger throughout the story, as you experience the joy and pain right beside her. This story makes you laugh one moment and bawl your eyes out the next. It makes your heart race and your heart break. I was a complete mess after finishing the book and I had to take some time to just take in everything that had happened and enjoy the perfect ending. The last part of the book is really nail-biting too, as you can’t guess what is going to happen next. Elle takes us inside the head of her autistic character and helps to give us a better understanding of what it is like to be neurodivergent. The experiences of Elle’s characters encouraged me to find out more about Autism Spectrum Disorder in order to better understand it.
Elle’s writing is so stunning that she makes you feel completely connected to her characters and captures emotion so perfectly. I stopped lots of times throughout the book to write down passages that I loved. I love the way that Cora explains grief:
‘Grief is like rain. When you’re standing in the street, drenched and freezing cold, it’s hard to remember what it’s like to feel warm and dry. It’s hard to imagine feeling warm and dry ever again. But some people are umbrellas. And they keep away the worst of the storm.’
The relationship between Cora and Adrien is one of my favourite in middle grade fiction. I love the way that they have fun together and can truly be themselves around each other. They are there for each other when it matters most. The thing I like the most about their relationship is that they are just really good friends, without romantic feelings getting in the way.
The other character that I really loved was Cora’s dad, because of his perspective and acceptance. Cora’s dad is the opposite of Adrien’s dad. While Adrien’s dad is too wrapped up in his work and never has time for him, Cora’s dad says ‘I’ve got all the time in the world for you, kid. Don’t ever forget it.’ Adrien’s dad never really accepts him for who he is, while Cora’s dad tells her:
‘I would never, ever change you. Not for anything. You see the world so differently. While everyone else sees sepia Kansas, you’re in technicolour Oz.’
Show Us Who You Are is one of my top books of 2021 and is a must-buy for intermediate and high school libraries. It would be a great read aloud or a class set for Years 7-9 as there is so much to unpack in the story. The idea of creating holograms to help us live forever is an interesting moral and ethical issue to discuss with students.
Check out this video of Elle McNicoll talking about Show Us Who You Are:
I’m always on the hunt for more great books to hook the youngest readers at my school. Having a 5-year-old daughter myself has helped me tune in to chapter books for 5-8 year olds, as I look for engaging books to read to her. This has also highlighted the imbalance of books aimed at boys and those aimed at girls for this age group. There are lots of great books and series aimed at girls, but not so much for boys. After searching through other blogs and publisher websites I found some new series that looked exciting and purchased these for my school library. After reading the first one or two books in the series below I can confidently say that these will be winners for the 5-8 year olds in your life.
Jasper and Scruff: Take a Bow by Nicola Colton
Take a Bow is the third book in the marvelous Jasper and Scruff series by Nicola Colton. In Take a Bow, Jasper and Scruff enter the Reach Fur the Stars talent show, hoping to wow the judges with their magic act. The horrid Sophisticats are back and are determined to win at all costs. They’ve messed with Jasper and Scruff before and they always come out with their tails out of joint, but they still haven’t learnt their lesson. Jasper and Scruff are delightful characters who I can’t get enough of. The book is illustrated in colour throughout, with illustrations on every page. This series is great to read aloud to Years 1 and 2 as the books are short and engaging.
Itty Bitty Princess Kitty series by Melody Mews, illustrated by Ellen Stubbings
This series is completely adorable and will make young girls squeal with delight when they see it (that was my daughter’s reaction). The first book (The Newest Princess) was released in February 2020 and there are currently 7 books in the series, with more to come soon. I bought the Itty Bitty Princess Kitty Collection, which includes the first 4 books in the series, and they have been gobbled up by my readers. I read the first one to my daughter in one night and we then read the three others over the rest of the week. Yes, they are super cute, but they are also funny and deal with things like coping with change and friendship. I especially love how, instead of knocking on doors, the cats scratch at the door, and there is a treat station in every room. Each book is illustrated throughout in black and white, with bright covers that jump off the shelf.
Jeanie and Genie series by Trish Granted, illustrated by Manuela Lopez
This is another series with a bright, colourful, girl-appeal cover. If the cover doesn’t scream ‘Pick Me!’ loud enough, the blurb will certainly grab readers. Jeanie is a girl who likes the ordinary and predictable, but her world is turned upside down when she meets the new girl, Willow. Willow is confident, friendly and fun, and after a bumpy start, Jeanie and Willow become good friends. Strange things start happening in class and it’s not long before Jeanie discovers that they have something to do with Willow. Willow is a genie! An actual, real-life genie, who grants wishes! She needs lots of practice to be able to earn her skill badges and pass her training. Together, Jeanie and Willow are going to have a lot of fun. I shared the first book, The First Wish, with my daughter and it was a winner for both of us. It is fun to read and very entertaining. We will be reading the rest of the series and I know that the girls in Year 1-4 are going to love them too.
Mack Rhino: Private Eye: The Big Race Lace Case by Paul Dubois Jacobs and Jennifer Swender, illustrated by Karl West
The Mack Rhino: Private Eye series is just one of many in Simon and Schuster’s Aladdin Quix range of Fast Fun Reads. These Quix books are specially designed to be fast, fun-to-read stories, full of humour and colourful characters. The Mack Rhino: Private Eye series certainly lives up to this. Mack Rhino is a detective in Coral Cove and he’s never short of cases. He has just put away the Ant Hill Gang, but someone else is up to no good. It’s the day of The Big Race around Coral Cove, but the laces from everyone’s running shoes are going missing. It’s up to Mack to solve the case before the end of the race. This is another great series that will appeal especially to boys. The chapters are short, there are illustrations on most pages and there is a helpful glossary at the back, with words that may be unfamiliar and how to pronounce them.
Fort Builders Inc.: The Birthday Castle by Dee Romito, illustrated by Marta Kissi
Fort Builders Inc. is another series in the Quix range of books. This is such a cool idea for a series and it’s going to be a hit with kids. Caleb loves books, especially his favourite series, Castle Quest. When he sees a special edition of the first book in the series in a bookshop his parents aren’t able to buy it for him. Along with his best friend, Jax, Caleb comes up with a plan to earn some money, so that he can buy the book. Together, they set up their own fort building company, called Fort Builders Inc. They will build box forts for anyone who is interested and charge for their services. Caleb and Jax find that they need other skills to help them make their forts really great, so they recruit Eddie and Kiara to help. With the deadline looming for their first creation the friends need to work together to build the best one possible. I loved the first book in the series and can’t wait to see how their business develops in the next books in the series. I especially like how they have to ask other kids to join them, as they know different kids have skills that can help them. I also like that Dee didn’t have a whole team of boys, but included Kiara too. Once again the chapters are short, there are illustrations on most pages and there is a helpful glossary at the back, with words that may be unfamiliar and how to pronounce them.
Have you ever wanted something so desperately that your heart would break without it? We all have, especially as kids. Sometimes the things that we most want are the things that we can’t have. Allergic, by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter, is about a girl called Maggie who desperately wants a pet of her own, but she is allergic to anything with fur or feathers. It is such a great story, with different threads to it – allergies, friendship and family.
Maggie has always wanted a dog but when she finally gets her wish she discovers she is allergic to dogs. In fact, anything with fur or feathers will start her sneezing and itching really badly. Maggie still wants a pet and is determined to find one that will suit her. However, after trying fish, lizards and other critters, she still can’t find the right one. In to Maggie’s life comes her new neighbour, Claire, who Maggie clicks with straight away. Everything is looking great, until Claire gets a dog of her own, and Maggie knows her allergies means they can’t be friends anymore. After Claire apologises she helps Maggie choose a small pet, which they hope won’t set her allergies off. Maggie keeps her pet secret from her family, hiding it in her bedroom. As Maggie tries to ignore her reactions to her pet, her family worry about her. With her mum’s new baby due any time soon, Maggie also worries how she might fight into her family. If she can be allergic to animals is it also possible to be allergic to a baby?
Allergic is an adorable story about desperately wanting something you can’t have. It’s a story about friendship and figuring out where you fit in your family. Megan’s story is super relatable and Michelle’s artwork is cute and has great kid appeal. Megan has created a character who has a lot to deal with, from having something exciting taken away from her, to a new school and a new friend, and a changing family dynamic. Michelle shows us the range of emotions that Maggie goes through and how her allergies physically affect her.
There were so many aspects of Michelle’s illustrations that I loved. There are wordless spreads throughout the book, which show little snapshots of other kids around the neighbourhood (kids walking to school together, getting on the bus and playing in their yards). The montage of Maggie trying different pets is really funny, but also makes you feel sorry for Maggie. One of my favourite illustrations is the one showing the cross-section of Maggie’s and Claire’s houses, which highlights the differences in their lives. I especially love the way Michelle shows how Maggie’s allergies affect her, with the redness of her skin and her puffy, itchy eyes.
Allergic is going to be incredibly popular with kids, especially those who love Raina Telgemeier, Shannon Hale, Victoria Jamieson and Jennifer Holm. It is a must-have for all primary and intermediate school libraries.
A lot of kids can’t wait to grow up and a lot of adults wish that they could be kids again. In Reimena Yee’s new kid’s graphic novel, her character Lora doesn’t want to grow up and have to stop playing. With the help of a ghost and some new friends, Lora learns that she doesn’t have to leave the magic of childhood behind.
Lora is 12 but still enjoys playing and dressing up. Her friends are all growing up and leaving childhood games behind but Lora isn’t ready for that. One day she holds a seance tea party and her old imaginary friend turns up. Alexa is no ordinary imaginary friend, but the ghost of a girl who died in the ‘70s. Alexa helps Lora to gain the confidence she needs to make new friends. As Lora starts to need her less, Alexa discovers a connection to an old childhood friend who is now much older. Alexa realises though that she can’t stay around forever, just to make her friends happy. She must move on, just as Lora and Diana have moved on.
Seance Tea Party is a cute story of friendship, magic, ghosts and holding onto your imagination. It’s a story of a girl whose friends are growing up and changing around her, but she wants to stay the same. I loved this story because of its message about growing up – that you don’t have to leave all the fun things behind just because you’re getting older. I really like how Lora comes to accept this, with the help of her friends. Alexa helps her to gain the confidence to make new friends and her new friends accept her for who she is, rather than making her change.
Reimena’s illustrations are vibrant and I really like the darker colour palette. Her illustration style is unique and each of her characters look different. I like the way that Reimena uses longer sections of wordless panels to tell some of the story, especially at the beginning. The illustrations flow really nicely and Reimena uses different illustration techniques to tell the story.
Reimena has included a break-down of her process of creating Seance Tea Party in the back of the book, which is really insightful for anyone wanting to create their own comics and graphic novels.
Seance Tea Party is a fresh and unique graphic novel that kids will love. I would highly recommend it for those readers who love graphic novels by Molly Knox Ostertag, Brenna Thummler and Vera Brosgol.
I have to admit that I’ve never really enjoyed spy stories. I have plenty of kids at my school who love Alex Rider and a few who are really keen on the Cherub series, but I’ve never really been able to get in to them. Maz Evans’ Vi Spy: Licence to Chill is a completely different kind of spy story though, and one that is a whole lot of fun.
Valentine Day (or Vi for short) lives with her mum and her Nan, both of whom are famous secret agents who are now retired. When Vi was born, her mum (Easter) gave up her life of espionage in order to keep her daughter out of harm’s way. Easter, who now calls herself Susan, is about to marry Vi’s teacher, Mr Sprout. However, Vi’s dad has other plans. Her dad, Robert, also known as the supervillain Sir Charge, hasn’t been around for most of her life, but now he suddenly wants to be a part of it. Her dad tells her that he is turning over a new leaf and becoming a good guy and Vi wants to get to know him. Her mother is furious and wants Vi to have nothing to do with him. Vi knows what she wants – to go to the prestigious spy school, Rimmington Hall. Villains and heroes alike are after a dangerous piece of technology called Neurotrol and Vi knows that if she finds it, that will be her ticket to Rimmington Hall. With her parents distracted with their own problems, Vi must get her hands on the Neurotrol to prove she is worthy of becoming a spy.
Vi Spy: Licence to Chill is an entertaining thrill-ride of a book, with plenty of laughs along the way. This is a spy story unlike any I’ve read before, as it pokes fun at spies and villains. There is something in this book for all readers, from flatulent supervillains with stinky feet and super-spy grannies with gadgets galore, to dance-fighting parents and secret agent waiters. Maz Evans has clearly had a lot of fun writing this book!
I was laughing almost the whole way through this book. There are just so many funny moments, such hilarious characters and great dialogue. My favourite part of the book is Chapter 5, where Vi’s dad takes her to the cafe. While they enjoy their gelato and catch up, assassins are trying to take out Robert. The waiter is in the background, knocking out ninjas and diffusing dynamite, while Vi and Robert are clueless to what is happening. My favourite characters are the Ex-Villains Improvement League, a bunch of supervillains who are trying to go straight. There’s Doctor Doppleganger (a two-headed villain who argues with himself), Dimitri (the vampire), Auguste (the clown), and my favourite, Siren (the femme-fatale with a flatulence and body odour problem). The dialogue between these characters makes up some of the funniest parts of the story.
Vi is a great character who is super-relatable. She’s been sheltered her whole life, thanks to her over-protective mum, but now she has a chance to prove that she can look after herself. She is desperate to become a spy, and her mum’s reluctance just makes her even more determined. I love the relationship that Vi has with her Nan and the relationship that grows between her and the Sprouts.
Vi Spy: Licence to Chill is the first book in this new series and I’m excited to see how Vi grows as a spy. I’m also looking forward to seeing how Maz will make me laugh next.
Just when you think John Patrick Green’s InvestiGators series can’t get any better, it does. Mango and Brash are back for another adventure in InvestiGators: Off the Hook and it might just be their funniest one yet.
Crackerdile is just a bucket of dough but he is determined to become a bigger and better villain and get his revenge on S.U.I.T.s. This time he has help. Bill Plungerman used to be a plumber, but thanks to an experiment gone wrong he now has a snake for an arm. Now he’s known as Hookline and Slinker and is working for Crackerdile. The bucket of dough has a plan that involves a waffle iron, a chicken scientist and an underground lab. Mango and Brash don’t know where Crackerdile is, or what his plans are, but they know that he is up to no good. Armed with new V.E.S.T.s the InvestiGators must track down and stop Crackerdile before it’s too late. When the time comes though, can Mango choose between catching the villain or saving his partner?
Off the Hook is another laugh-your-head-off graphic novel that is chock-full of puns and waffle-related food that will make your mouth water. I laughed so hard reading this book! John’s humour works on so many levels. Just like the best movies for kids there are jokes that kids will love but also jokes just for the adults. I loved the running gags about dough, because the characters were getting confused about whether they were referring to cracker dough or money. There are some great waffle-related jokes too, and I cracked up at the end of the book when I saw the menu items for MAW or Mother of All Waffles. If these foods aren’t a real thing they totally should be (like buttermilk fried chicken in an edible waffle bucket). John’s illustrations are hilarious as always and Aaron Polk’s colouring makes the characters pop. I especially like what Aaron has done with Slinker’s eyes when he hypnotizes someone.
The new characters in this book are really entertaining. We got introduced to Bill Plungerman in Take the Plunge but the character of Hookline and Slinker is awesome. Even his name makes me laugh! I really enjoyed the development of his character throughout the story. Cilantro the chameleon is another great new character in Off the Hook. Even though the S.U.I.T.s agents don’t notice him, he really stood out for me, and I’m glad my hunch about him was right. I was waiting for Doctor Copter to show up, as I love his character, and I wasn’t disappointed.
One of the things I really liked about Off the Hook, that was a bit different from the previous books, was the breaking the fourth wall. Mango and Brash go to visit the Science Factory and they comment that it is nice to visit when they’re not in the middle of a science accident, and the scientist says ‘Give it time. This is only page 54.’ There are a couple of other times too, where the characters refer back to something that happened on another page. Another aspect of the whole series that I love is the added extras at the end. You can learn to draw the characters and there are other fun activities you can try, like designing your own V.E.S.T.
Fans of the InvestiGators series will be begging for Off the Hook. I can’t get enough of this series and I hope there are still plenty more books to come. If you haven’t read any of the books in the series you NEED to. All school libraries should have the whole series, especially as they’re such a great read-alike for Dav Pilkey’s Dogman series.
Head to www.investigatorsbooks.com for book trailers, games and activities. There is even a cool colouring book you can download for free.
That’s what the best books do./ They make you think/ And rethink/ how you see/ yourself,/ others,/ and the world./ Most of all/ they make you feel./ Feelings toward people/ who aren’t like you./ Feelings you didn’t know/ you had.
This is just one of the quotes that I loved from Lisa Fipps debut middle grade verse novel, Starfish, and it perfectly describes this book. Starfish is a book that I guarantee will make any reader feel some strong emotions. I don’t think anybody can be unmoved reading Lisa’s story. I have read many verse novels for middle grade and YA but Starfish is my absolute favourite.
Ever since she wore a whale swimsuit to her fifth birthday pool party, Ellie has been bullied about her weight. At school the bullies call her Splash and are constantly making fat jokes, and at home her mum is always on at her about her weight. Her mum has made her try different diets and puts articles on the fridge about weight-loss. The only one in her family who seems to accept her and show her any love is her dad. Her best friend, Viv, has always been there for her, but now she’s moving away. At first, Ellie doesn’t trust the new girl who has moved in next door. As she gets to know Catalina, Ellie discovers she may have a new best friend. Ellie’s parents make her see a therapist, which Ellie is not keen on. However, Ellie warms to Doc and the more they talk, the more Ellie is able to process how she feels. With the support of Doc, her dad and her friends, Ellie learns to love herself and the body she’s in.
I love Starfish so much! It is such a powerful, emotional story that is perfectly suited to the free verse format. Ellie is a character who you feel an immediate connection to and empathise with. Ellie’s story takes you on a roller-coaster of emotion, laughing one minute and then in tears the next. The bullying that Ellie faces at school is pretty horrible, but it’s the words and actions of her own mother that really make you angry and so sad for Ellie. Even a couple of days after reading the book I still can’t believe some of the things that Ellie’s mum did and said to her. I didn’t want to be a bystander and say nothing, but instead confront Ellie’s mum and tell her what she was doing was not OK.
Lisa Fipps’ writing is just so beautiful and lyrical. She captures emotions perfectly in just a few words. I found myself stopping and writing down quotes from the book so many times. I wanted to take my time with the book and savour Lisa’s words but I also needed to get to the end to find out how Ellie confronted her bullies.
There were so many passages that struck a chord with me, but this one was quite poignant, as it is Ellie talking about her school librarian, Mrs. Pochon:
She’s the first person to smile at me today/ The first to make me feel wanted./ Understood./ I blink back tears./ It’s unknown how many students’ lives librarians have saved by welcoming loners at lunch.
Starfish is now one of my favourite books and I’ll be telling everyone about it. It would be an amazing read aloud or class novel for Year 7/8. Thank you Lisa for giving us your wonderful story!
Cats and comics is a winning combination. Cat & Cat, The Kitten Construction Company, the Cat Kid Comic Club, and even that craziest of cats, Looshkin, are some of my favourite graphic novels and they’re adored by the kids at my school. Now there is Katie the Catsitter by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue to bring some kitty joy to your life.
Katie’s friends are excited about summer camp but Katie can’t afford to go so she’ll be stuck at home all summer while her friends have fun. Katie decides to try and save up for camp by doing jobs for people in her building. After a couple of unsuccessful jobs she gets offered the job of looking after Ms. Lang’s cats for a few hours every night. It’s not just one or two cats though, but 217, and these are no ordinary cats. They use the toilet like humans, order stuff online and steal couches from the lady downstairs. Katie becomes suspicious of Ms. Lang and believes that she might be the supervillain, The Mousetress. The more Katie learns about her crimes though, the more she wonders whether The Mousetress might just be a superhero instead. When The Mousetress is captured by the superhero, The Eastern Screech, Ms. Lang’s cats put a plan into action to save her. But they’re going to need Katie’s help.
Katie the Catsitter is a super fun, adorable and hilarious graphic novel that I totally love. When you meet all of Ms. Lang’s cats you’ll wish your cats were this cool. You’ll also wish you had a team of cats, with skills like this, to help you every day and give you snuggles. Life certainly wouldn’t be dull with them around.
Katie is a super relatable character that kids will love. She’s the kid who can’t afford to do everything her friends are doing but works hard to try and achieve her goal. She feels her friend slipping away and becoming a different person, but she makes lots of new feline friends. I love the relationships that Katie has with the adults around her, whether it’s with her mum, Ms. Lang or Mr B. Katie has a positive relationship with each of them. Each of the cats has its own name and personality, as well as a particular set of skills. There’s Miles (laser expert), Jollie (computer hacking), Seamus (Math Genius), DJ Bootie Butler (Mad Beats), and so many more. I love the last few pages of the book where Colleen and Stephanie show us all of the cats, with their name, skill and a little picture of each one. They all look distinctly different which is so cool.
The story flows really naturally and the artwork is fun and full of character. I love the panels of the cats clearing up the apartment after they’ve gone crazy. They are just calmly mending furniture and walls, bringing in groceries to put in the fridge and then freaking out when they turn the vacuum on. I particularly enjoyed the matching panels, near the start of the book, about the last day of school. The kids are jumping for joy and high-fiving in the corridor, while the teachers are doing the same in the teachers’ lounge.
Katie the Catsitter is going to be a huge hit with the kids at my school, especially with fans of Raina Telgemeier, Victoria Jamieson and Shannon Hale. A fun fact I learnt at the end of the book is that the illustrator, Stephanie Yue, was the colourist of Raina Telgemeier’s Smile. Thankfully this is just the first book in the series, with book 2 due in 2022.
I purchased Katie the Catsitter for my school library from Wheelers. It was released in the US earlier this year but is due for release here in NZ with Penguin Books on 30 March 2021.
My Best Friends Are Books 