I believe this is a must have book for all Australians to read, not just because the royalties go to charity, but because it shows that our young people are thinking of the future, are overcoming the odds to advocate for positive social change.
It’s 1914 and Evie was experiencing a life of goodness and happiness until her sweetheart, Tom, leaves for the war. In a different time, 2017, we have story of strong-willed Lizzie who is changing, rejecting friends and what she believes to be right.
Going outside seems simple right? Just as telling you about this book should also be simple, but it’s not, I barely know where to start. It had me on edge the whole time, I was confused and even frustrated, the solutions seemed so simple but they weren’t. My heart ached, I wanted Ele to be safe, to be free, to understand what the Outside is.
When one takes a week off to watch tennis they also take the time to read a novel about tennis of course. Well The Harper Effect isn’t just about tennis, it explores family dynamics, friendship, dreams, ambition, determination and love.
The Book of Dust, I am not sure what I was thinking when I picked this book up for the first time. I know it was not typical of what I read but in an instant I was captivated. It wasn’t for a couple of hours later that I put it down, but given its size I had barely made a dent in it. This did not matter to me as I wanted to know so much more and the mystery surrounding Lyra Belacqua intrigued me.
I recently took some time out to go and enjoy looking through the Readings Kids Store in Carlton. If you live in Melbourne or are visiting and love kids and Teen books then head in and have a look. It is the Disneyland of books.
I was led on a journey getting to know Jordan/Julian and her/his desire to be accepted, to have her time in the spotlight only having to disguise herself to do it and bonding with a group of guys all unique and valued in their own way.
The book was positive and encouraging to the reader to assess their unique qualities. What stood out to me the most was that the author does not point out differences in people but highlights that everyone in life is good at different things.
Little Big Reads 