children’s fiction

Crater Lake: Evolution by Jennifer Killick

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I love a good sci-fi book for kids and Jennifer Killick’s Crater Lake is one of the best. I read it during lockdown here in NZ last year and it was the perfect book to get lost in during that time. It was a book that gripped me right from the start and I didn’t notice time passing around me while I read it. If you haven’t read it already you absolutely should and you can read about it here in my review. It is such a great book that I was super excited to hear there was going to be a sequel. Crater Lake: Evolution is coming in May and I was lucky enough to read it early through NetGalley, thanks to Firefly Books. You need to add this book to your TBR pile (along with the first book) because you’re not going to want to miss it!

Crater Lake: Evolution follows on several months after the events of the first book. Lance and his friends have started at different high schools and they have drifted apart. Lance has become friends with Karim and Chets is jealous of their friendship. Karim’s mum works at the university for XGen, which is giving their town renewable energy and super-fast Wi-Fi. Their town is the first SMARTtown in the country. Just when Lance thinks that life is back to normal, an explosion at the university sees the forces from Crater Lake taking hold in his town. These aren’t the same forces as before though. They have evolved into something more dangerous. Lance has to try and get the gang back together again, to work through their differences and save their families themselves. If they don’t stop the evil force’s plans in their town, the rest of the world will be next.

Crater Lake: Evolution is a thrilling, nail-biting sequel that I devoured. I thought Crater Lake was an amazing story but Evolution is even better! The action is fast-paced and there were times I found myself holding my breath as I wasn’t sure how the characters were going to get through. Chapter 13 is one of the most terrifying scenes I’ve read in a children’s book! I can’t spoil what happens but it sent chills down my spine. It is incredibly creepy but such fantastic writing, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s the sort of book that I guarantee would capture a whole class of Year 7/8 students because it’s so gripping.

Many of the characters from the first book are back in this book but there is a completely different dynamic. The characters have made new friends but some have also felt the pressure to be a different person at high school. I really liked the way that Jennifer developed the characters but also how she threw them together so that they had to deal with their issues and talk about their emotions. The interactions between the characters adds some comic relief into the story, with some good jokes at the expense of some of the least likeable characters.

The ending is particularly satisfying and it feels like things are wrapped up nicely. But are they? If I know anything from reading Crater Lake it’s that there is always the possibility that there are loose ends that haven’t been completely dealt with. I would certainly like more adventures with the Crater Lake Crew.

If you’re looking for a perfect read aloud to start the school year for Years 6-8, I highly recommend the first book in the series, Crater Lake. It’s a nice alternative to Holes but with a similar sense of mystery and great character development.

Kidnap on the California Comet by M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman

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M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman are back with another rip-roaring Adventures on Trains book. In the second book in the series we jump onboard a train journey across America in Kidnap on the California Comet.

Hal once again joins his Uncle Nat on a train journey to remember. Uncle Nat is covering a press conference on board the California Comet, travelling from Chicago to Emeryville, and he asks Hal to accompany him. After his last holiday with Uncle Nat, foiling the plans of a jewel thief, Hal is eager to go to America. What starts off as a fun holiday, with new friends and magic tricks, soon turns into another mystery, with a billionaire’s daughter being kidnapped. There is no shortage of suspects, as Hal has met some unusual characters on board the California Comet. Using his sharp observation skills and working with his new friends, Mason and Hadley, Hal will need to solve the case before the train reaches the end of the line.

This series is so much fun! Packed full of action, adventure, mystery and new friends, this is the perfect book for any reader. You can’t help getting caught up in the story and whisked away on the adventure with Hal, Uncle Nat and their friends. Reading this book made me once again want to go on this train journey.

Mason and Hadley are great new characters who bring a different dynamic to the story and special skills that become important to the story. All of the characters are nicely fleshed out so there are plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. Like the first book, one of my favourite aspects of this story is the relationship between Hal and Uncle Nat. I love the trust that Nat has in Hal, even if Hal is a little reluctant to share all of his findings with Nat.

Elisa Paganelli’s illustrations are once again superb. I love the way that Elissa captures the characteristics and features of each character and makes them look like they are suspects. My favourite illustration in this book is the one of Hal sitting in their roomette with Uncle Nat, telling him everything. You can tell that Hal has his uncle’s complete attention.

I can’t wait for more Adventures on trains! Luckily we only have to wait until February for Murder on the Safari Star.

Squishy McFluff The Invisible Cat: On With The Show! By Pip Jones and Ella Okstad

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I love it when you find the perfect book just when you need it. Pip Jones and Ella Okstad’s wonderful Squishy McFluff The Invisible Cat is one of those books for me. I discovered them last year when looking for some chapter books to share with my 5 year old daughter. The first book in the series was released in 2014 and five more chapter books followed, and one picture book. Told in rhyming verse, each book is a new adventure for Ava and her invisible cat, Squishy McFluff. Ava and Squishy get in to all sorts of mischief and the stories are so perfect for sharing with young readers who are ready for a longer story or are starting to read chapter books. I’ve loved every Squishy McFluff book and there is a new book in the series which has just been released. In Squishy McFluff: On with the Show! the circus is in town and Ava and Squishy get to enjoy the show.

The weekend looks like it is going to be super boring when Ava’s Mum announces that they’ll be tidying the shed. An advertisement for a travelling circus catches Ava’s eye and she convinces her parents to go. Ava has to help her parents tidy the shed first but Ava and Squishy spend the time finding things for their circus act. When the star clown doesn’t show up though, Ava and Squishy step in to take his place. It’s not long before Ava’s invisible cat becomes not-so-invisible and steals the show.

On with the Show is another great addition to this wonderful series. Like the other books in the series this is an absolute joy to read! The rhyming text flows so nicely and just rolls off your tongue. I’ve always thought authors who can write a picture book that rhymes while also flowing nicely have quite a skill, but to be able to do this for a 72 page chapter book makes Pip Jones a true wordsmith. Ella Okstad’s illustrations adorable illustrations adorn every page and she perfectly captures this magical friendship between Ava and Squishy.

The thing that I love the most about this series is the rich language that Pip uses. The language is perfectly aimed at her audience but the text is full of fantastic words like ‘apprehensive,’ ‘clout,’ and ‘stupendous.’ It’s the language and the rhythm of the text that makes these books so much fun to read aloud.

The Squishy McFluff books are great for newly independent readers to read themselves, for an adult to read aloud to a 4-6 year old, or for a New Entrant or Year 1 or 2 teacher to share with their class. The chapters are short (and so is each book), making them ideal for sharing at bedtime or in class. They are a great addition to a primary school library as I recommend them to the Year 1 and 2 children all the time. If you have a young reader in your life get them the Squishy McFluff books from your library or bookshop now.

Visit the Squishy McFluff website for more information about the series, the author and illustrator, and to find fun activities. Check out the book trailer for Squishy McFluff: Supermarket Sweep:

The Greatest Inventor by Ben Brooks

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Ben Brooks, the author of Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different, proved that he was an author to watch last year when he released his debut children’s fiction title, The Impossible Boy. I loved the idea of an invented classmate becoming real and the sinister secret organisation that came to try and restore order. It was just the right mixture of whimsical and darkness, with a good dash of humour. Ben Brooks is back again with his latest book, The Greatest Inventor. In this story, Ben transports us to a land that is caught in the grip of a mysterious organisation and whose people become addicted to new technologies.

This is a story within a story. The prologue introduces us to the author, who is having trouble finding his next story. While walking in the snow he stumbles on a cottage and is greeted by the young boy who lives there. The boy offers to tell him and story, and so the main story begins. The boy tells the story of Victor, a boy who lives on a farm with his parents and his pet giant tortoise, Saint Oswold, in the village of Rainwater. One day, an inventor trundles in to Rainwater, offering the people his marvelous inventions. The people of Rainwater refuse to buy his inventions and the inventor puts a curse on them, poisoning their drinking water. Everyone but Victor and Saint Oswold are doubled over, with horrible pain, so Victor knows that it is up to him to follow the inventor and demand that he cures them. The further that Victor gets from Rainwater the more villages he passes through. Each of the villages has a different purpose – hunting, mining and inventing. Each of these villages is affected by one of the inventions that the inventor has sold them. One village can do nothing but stare at themselves in their Mirrors of Emit Tsol, another one spends all their time inside, looking after their own tiny model farm. Victor meets other children along the way who are also unaffected by the inventions like him. They all band together to try and find the inventor and make him put things right. The more children that Victor meets the more he learns of the organisation known as the collectors. Each village is deep in debt to the collectors, who give them the things that they need to live, in return for the things that their village gathers (rubies from the miners, skins and meat from the hunters). It is not long before Victor and his friends find themselves in the middle of the army of the collectors and the army of the inventor. Can they save themselves and their villages?

The Greatest Inventor is a fable about technology, wrapped up in a story that is brimming with imagination. Ben touches on the addictive nature of technology and the way that it can take over our lives. The adults in the villages become completely useless and forget about everything else that they should be doing. The children can see the effect that the inventions are having on them, so they are the ones who try to save their families. The story-within-a-story format completely hooked me in and Ben’s storytelling made the world around me disappear. I really liked how Ben gave you little pieces of the whole picture as you go on the journey with Victor, until you finally figure everything out. I have to admit to not fully realising the significance of the three different inventions until right near the end, but when it clicked I could see the parallels between our world and the world of the story. I also loved how the ‘Greatest Inventor’ of the title kept changing. Just when you think the title belongs to one particular person you’re proven wrong.

The characters are all interesting and complex, and many of them are different from what they first appear. Each of the children are quite different and bring their own skills and knowledge to the group. Most of them have not left their villages before, but are determined to find the inventor and free their families from the grip of the collectors. I loved the character of the inventor as he is quite eccentric, but he’s also not who he first appears to be. I loved that he just took over an abandoned castle and put in his golden bathroom, with its golden bathtub and toilet.

Not only is it a great story but it also has a fantastic cover. The golden bathroom of the inventor bursts off the cover, making it a book that is hard to miss on the shelf. Victor and his friends are all there on the cover, along with the inventor in his bath-cap. George Ermos has brought Ben’s characters to life and his illustrations show us some of the funniest parts of the story. I’m a huge fan of his illustrations and I would have liked to see more of them in the book.

I can’t recommend The Greatest Inventor and The Impossible Boy highly enough. They are especially great for those readers who like an adventure story that’s a little bit different. I think they would be a great next-step for those kids who have enjoyed David Walliams, Roald Dahl, or David Baddiel but want something with a bit more bite. They would both be great for read alouds or novel sets for Years 5-8.

The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt-Phillips

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‘Ebenezer Tweezer was a terrible man with a wonderful life’

From this first line Jack Meggitt-Phillips had me hook, line and sinker. I knew straight away that I was going to love this book! I was pretty convinced I would love it just from the amazing cover. Those sharp, dripping teeth and the surly looking girl on the cover really draw you in and make you curious about what the book is about. This is one of my top middle grade books of 2020.

Ebenezer Tweezer is 511 years old but he doesn’t look a day over 20. His youthful good looks come courtesy of the beast that he keeps in the attic of his fifteen-storey home. As long as he feeds this grotesque beast he will continue to get a special formula that keeps him from ageing. Ebenezer feeds the beast all manner of things and the beast vomits out items in return. Birds and even Ebenezer’s favourite cat have been devoured by the beast. So when the beast requests to eat a child Ebenezer must find one for it. Ebenezer decides that the beast needs to eat a horrible child, one that really deserves to be eaten. Along comes Bethany. However Bethany is not quite what he expected, and soon Ebenezer starts to have second thoughts. The beast demands to be fed and he wants to eat Bethany, whether she likes it or not.

The Beast and the Bethany is a deliciously dark tale that made me chuckle with glee. It is a story that is a bucketload of fun but also has a whole lot of heart. I loved the gory details but I also loved seeing how Ebenezer and Bethany’s relationship developed throughout the story. I found myself smiling every time I read more and I couldn’t wait to get back to it. Everything about the story is brilliant, from the storytelling and dialogue to the characters.

I love both Bethany and Ebenezer. Bethany has a surly, confronting exterior but she’s an orphan who’s had a pretty rubbish life. She treats others as the world has treated her. Ebenezer has led a long, privileged life, with all of the money and things he could want, but he’s also trapped serving a horrible beast. Bethany is the horrible child that Ebenezer needs to keep the beast satisfied and Ebenezer is a way out of the orphanage for Bethany (but she’s still not happy about it). This is certainly not rich-man-adopts-adorable-orphan like Annie, but their relationship is kind of cute. The beast himself is quite entertaining and some of its lines made me laugh, especially when its describing the type of child it wants to eat.

Isabelle Follath’s illustrations are the perfect match for Jack’s story. She perfectly captures Ebenezer and Bethany’s personalities and the tone of the story. I love the way that she has captured Ebenezer ageing throughout the story. The cover, designed by Matt Jones, is my favourite cover of 2020. I love the way that the beast’s teeth shine, as well as the globs of drool that drip out of its mouth. You can tell from looking at Bethany on the front cover that she is not just going to sit back and get eaten.

The Beast and the Bethany would be an amazing read aloud for Years 5-8 and a great class set for the same level. I would love to have the chance to read it aloud as the language is so rich and the characters have such clear voices in my head. It would be a fantastic audiobook. I was very excited to see that there is a sequel coming next year and I can’t wait to read it.

Dragon Mountain by Katie and Kevin Tsang

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Dragons are so hot right now. Tui T. Sutherland’s Wings of Fire series is one of the most popular series in my school library and they get spread by word of mouth. Dragons are fascinating so it’s no wonder that authors write stories about them and kids want to read stories about them. One of the things that I love about dragon stories is the weaving of the mythology with fiction. Katie and Kevin Tsang do this so well in their new book, Dragon Mountain. They take the mythology of dragons and weave it in to a fresh story that is exciting and magical.

Billy Chan isn’t excited about going to summer camp in the mountains of China. He’s been given the chance to attend Camp Dragon to help improve his Mandarin and learn more about his Chinese heritage but he’d rather be back in California enjoying the waves. At Camp Dragon he meets Dylan, Charlotte, and Ling-Fei. They’re four very different kids who will become part of something bigger than any of them could have imagined. On a camp activity they discover an entrance in to the imposing mountain that stands over the camp. It’s in the mountain that they discover that dragons aren’t just mythical creatures. They are real and they need Billy and his new friends to help save both the human and dragon world. The kids agree to help the dragons and become bonded with them. They must travel to the dragon world and stop the Dragon of Death from being freed and bringing destruction to the world.

Dragon Mountain is an action-packed adventure, filled with magic, superpowers and dragons. It’s a fantastical start to a series that had me hooked and needing to know what would happen next. It ends on a real cliff-hanger that made me so thankful that we only have to wait until March next year for the next instalment. Like the bond between the kids and their dragons you feel connected to the characters and are right there beside them.

The cover (illustrated by Petur Antonsson and design by Tom Sanderson) is an absolute stunner! It screams ‘PICK ME UP!’ I love the contrasting colours of the dragons against the orangey-red background. I also love that it shows how different each of the four dragons are. I keep switching between which one I would like to be bonded with but I think it would be Buttons.

Dragon Mountain would be a great read aloud for Year 5/6 because it will keep everyone engaged and begging their teacher to keep reading. I know that this is going to be such a great series and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Catch Me If I Fall by Barry Jonsberg

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I love being surprised by a book. The blurb hints at what the story is about but it’s actually surprisingly different. Barry Jonsberg’s latest book, Catch Me If I Fall is one of these books. What at first seems like just a story about twins and an event that changes their relationship is actually much more complex.

Ashleigh and Aiden are identical twins who have always been there for each other. Aiden is protective of his sister and always looking out for her. They live a privileged life in a huge house in Sydney and attend a prestigious school. They are some of the lucky ones, with plenty of money to keep them fed, comfortable and safe. Australia has been ravaged by storms and rapidly rising seas, a result of catastrophic climate change. The majority of the population has been left homeless and clinging on to survival, while the wealthy live in mansions or compounds, protected by security services. When Ashleigh gets in to trouble while kayaking on a school camp Aiden comes to her rescue but suffers head injuries in the process. After the accident Ashleigh notices changes in Aiden. He starts acting and speaking differently, which worries Ashleigh. Little does Ashleigh know that these changes will lead to a shocking discovery that will turn her world upside down.

I was completely gripped by Catch Me If I Fall. It starts off as one kind of story and morphs into something completely different. There’s a lot packed into the story, from family dynamics to white privilege, climate change to ethics. It’s certainly not your average story about twins. Sure, there are family issues and the story does focus on Ashleigh and Aiden’s relationship, but the story is set against a background of climate change. Barry Jonsberg’s vision of a near-future Australia ravaged by climate change feels scarily possible. It’s certainly not far fetched to imagine the constant storms and rising sea levels that have caused the wide-spread destruction in the story.

My thoughts about the twist turned out to be correct but this didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story. This just added another layer to the story and made me desperate to know how it would end. Wow, it’s really hard to explain what I like about this story without giving out spoilers!

Ashleigh certainly has a lot to deal with in the story. By the end, her idyllic life has been altered forever. Her family will never be the same and neither will she. She has lived most of her life sheltered from the reality of the world, and the truth of how most people live is shocking to her. I was quite tense following Ashleigh throughout the story and I found myself losing track of time as I had to keep reading to know how it would end. Barry certainly didn’t disappoint.

Catch Me If I Fall would make an amazing read aloud for Years 7-9 or as a novel set for this age group. The story is really engaging and lots of interesting discussion could be had about the issues involved. This book reminded me of how much I loved Barry Jonsberg’s earlier books and I now want to read all of his latest books.

The Pōrangi Boy by Shilo Kino

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Kids need books that are both mirrors and windows. They need to be able to read books that mirror their own life and experiences but also books that give them a view in to someone else’s life, someone different from them. It is so great to see more stories being published from the perspective of Māori kids, giving Māori kids the chance to see themselves in a story and for Pākēha kids to read a story from a Māori perspective. Shilo Kino’s new book, The Pōrangi Boy, tells the story of Niko, a Māori boy trying to prove he’s not pōrangi by carrying on the legacy of his Koro and standing up for what he believes in.

Like his Koro, many in his small town think Niko is pōrangi (crazy). Tū, Kaore and Hone call him pōrangi boy and bully him relentlessly. Niko loves his Koro and he seems to be the only one who doesn’t think his Koro is pōrangi. Niko’s Koro teaches him how to wield a taiaha to defend rather than attack, and he teaches him about Taukere, the taniwha that protects their town. There are plans for a new prison to be built in Pohe Bay and while many in the town are against the idea it is only Niko’s Koro who is prepared to do what he can to stop it happening. The prison would be built over sacred land, destroying Taukere’s home. When Koro dies the family gathers for the tangi and when Koro’s will is read out many of the family are unhappy. Niko decides that he must carry on his Koro’s legacy and fight for what he believes is right.

The Pōrangi Boy is an incredible story that I devoured in one sitting! The story reminded me of Taika Waititi’s best films (Boy and Hunt for the Wilderpeople) because Shilo gives you a snapshot of life in Aotearoa, with the gritty reality but also some humour and great characters that you route for. From the first lines Niko’s voice is so clear and you get so completely caught up in his life that you have to keep reading until the end. As a Pākēha I found Niko’s story eye-opening and confronting at times, from Niko’s home life to the horrible bullying that he’s subjected to. The racism that Niko and his Koro experience is pretty shocking too. Niko’s teacher, Mrs Wobberly, is blatantly racist, calling the kids she teaches Mowrees and calling Niko the Mowree Shakespeare. Nico and Koro experience racism when they go to buy Niko a bike and the shop owner calls Niko a ‘dirty little Mowree.’

There is much speculation about the taniwha of the story, Taukere. The reason that Niko’s Koro is against the prison is because he has met Taukere and knows that he protects the town. Niko isn’t so certain that Taukere exists but when he and his cousin Moki end up in the river they encounter something with red eyes that saves them from drowning.

This is a story about community and relationships. Niko’s mother has a drug addiction, so she is often passed out on the sofa, and Niko’s dad isn’t around, so Niko often has to fend for himself. He has a good relationship with his aunties, who look after him, and his Koro. I really loved Niko and Koro’s relationship as they both took care of each other. Niko sometimes doesn’t understand what his Koro is telling him but he always makes him his cup of tea just how he likes it. They may both be called pōrangi but they make it clear that they’re anything but. Niko’s community is divided about having the prison in their town but the wider community come together to support the protest, including family that Niko never knew he had.

Language is such an important part of this story, from the te reo Māori that is woven in to the story to the way that the characters talk. Most of the characters are Māori so te reo Māori is spoken throughout the story, and this was an aspect of the story that I really loved. Some words and their meanings were unfamiliar to me at the start of the story but the more they were used the more familiar they became. The character’s voices sound authentic, with slang like hungus (hungry) and angus (angry) being part of the conversation. There are also some swear words used in a couple of instances but these fit with the situation (although don’t make the story ideal as a read aloud).

The Pōrangi Boy is one of the best Aotearoa children’s books of the year. This should absolutely be on the shortlist for the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it win. Niko is 12 in the story but I think it is probably more suited to young adults (or mature Year 7/8 readers). I can’t recommend The Pōrangi Boy highly enough.

The House of Clouds by Lisa Thompson

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Lisa Thompson is one of my favourite authors. She is a marvellous storyteller and her characters always stick with me. I often recommend her books, especially The Goldfish Boy, to teachers, either as read alouds or as class sets. Lisa is one of the amazing line-up of authors who write for Barrington Stoke, the specialists in fiction for dyslexic readers. Lisa’s latest book with Barrington Stoke, The House of Clouds, has just been released. The House of Clouds packs the same emotional punch as her longer novels, but is the perfect length for struggling or dyslexic readers.

Tabby is in a bad mood. She is annoyed that her best friend is now hanging out with someone else and that her grandad has come to stay. Grandad is struggling to cope by himself so he has been moved in, taking over the dining room space. Grandad is always telling the same silly and annoying stories and he has brought his smelly dog Buster with him, who Tabby now has to walk every day. Her walks leave her even more annoyed when she sees her ex-best friend having fun with another girl. Then there is Alex, a boy from school, who she seems to keep bumping in to. On one walk around the bay Tabby discovers an unusual hilltop house, called the House of Clouds. The place looks abandoned but something strange catches her eye. When Tabby asks her grandfather about the house she discovers that her grandfather has a connection to the place and the woman who used to live there. Could it be that her grandfather’s magical tale is true? Before Tabby is able to find out more, tragedy strikes and she must return to the House of Clouds to discover the truth.

The House of Clouds is a heart-wrenching, beautiful story about grief and believing in the impossible. It’s a story of family, friendship and magic. At just under 100 pages this is a perfectly-formed story with depth of character and emotion. Not only does this make the book perfect for struggling readers or dyslexic readers, it is also perfect as a read aloud for Years 5-8. Teachers are often looking for short but engaging read alouds and The House of Clouds fits the bill perfectly. Tabby is a really interesting character who is trying to process everything that is happening with her friends and family, but the tragedy in her family and the search for answers changes her perspective. She has changed quite a bit by the end of the story.

The mixture of issues facing her characters and a hint of something magical or mysterious is what I love the most about Lisa’s stories. I really enjoyed the mystery of the House of Clouds and the connection that it provided Tabby with her grandfather. Who hasn’t looked at cloud shapes in the sky and wondered how they became that shape?

The House of Clouds is another brilliant book from Barrington Stoke (and Lisa’s second book with them). All school libraries should have a selection of these books in their collection, to recommend for struggling readers and dyslexic readers, but also to anyone who wants a really great short book.

Orion Lost by Alastair Chisholm

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I read Orion Lost by Alastair Chisholm way back in Level 4 Lockdown but I’ve been reminded of it a couple of times lately. It was just what I needed to help me get away from pandemics. Alastair rocketed me into deep space with this mystery that had me on the edge of my seat.

Orion Lost is a twisty, nail-biting space adventure that will hook kids on sci-fi. I loved every minute of it!

The ship Orion is travelling from Earth to a new home on Eos Five. The ship has to make a series of Jumps through space time to shorten their travel time and when these jumps happen everyone is put to Sleep and woken after the Jump. The human crew aren’t the only ones in the depths of space – there are the mysterious alien race, the Videshi, and the vicious Scrapers, space pirates who will rip a ship apart to scrap it. When danger lurks the ship’s crew and passengers are all sent to Sleep, but when Beth and her classmates are the only ones woken it is up to the kids to run the ship and try to figure out what went wrong. As they look for answers they discover that someone has been lying to them.

I hope Alastair Chisholm has more adventures planned for the Orion crew because I’m eager for more.