If you’re interested, you can read earlier posts in this series for picture books and junior reads.
The Fowl Twins: Book 1 by Eoin Colfer
The opening paragraph of the promotional blurb for The Fowl Twins by Eoin Colfer begins thus: “Myles and Beckett Fowl are twins but the two boys are wildly different. Beckett is blonde, messy and sulks whenever he has to wear clothes. Myles is impeccably neat, has an IQ of 170, and 3D prints a fresh suit every day – just like his older brother, Artemis Fowl.”
And there you have the famous name for the very famous ‘Artemis Fowl’ series, so fans will know that The Fowl Twins is the first in a new spinoff series. Fans will also have the benefit of being familiar with Colfer’s world-building and characters, however, when I read online that new readers can dive into this series and not be disadvantaged for a lack of prior knowledge I decided to put that idea to the test. I haven’t read Colfer before (I know, I know, I should’ve) and felt at ease entering this universe as I began The Fowl Twins so that gets a thumbs up from me.
The publisher’s website – where I got the above quote from – has a sample of the book available if you want to take a look.
Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo
Beverly, Right Here is the third in the series that began with the acclaimed books Raymie Nightingale and Louisiana’s Way Home. This book looks at what befalls the main character Beverly Tapinski when she runs away from home and how she gets on alone. Like The Fowl Twins, I admit I haven’t read the first two books set in this world and again don’t feel that I suffered as past events are expediently explained, but I daresay Kirkus Review has a point when they write that it’s “A satisfying read that stands alone but is richer for its company.” I’m sure this will be a welcome addition for all DiCamillo fans, who trust in her sensitive, moving prose.
Explore Your World: Weird, Wild, Amazing! by Tim Flannery, illustrations by Sam Caldwell
There has been an explosion in the children’s non-fiction market in the areas of social justice/activism, historical figures and environmentalism. Explore Your World is an example of the last type and will appeal to children who love to discover animal facts with the emphasis on the weird, wild and amazing as the title suggests. The animals are categorised by habitat (water, sky etc.) and I particularly like the regular addition of a ‘Flannery File’ where he shares related anecdotal stories of his career’s adventures. It adds depth and inspiration for kids who are interested in perhaps joining the scientific field when they get older and they can see what another expert has already accomplished. It has a lot of information and the illustrations are fun and vibrant.
Welcome to Country youth edition: An Introduction to our First Peoples for Young Australians by Marcia Langton
As this Hardie Grant page states, “The Australian curriculum in many schools is sorely lacking in Indigenous content and available materials on First Nations people’s cultures and histories, written by Indigenous authors, are limited. Welcome to Country: Youth Edition by Professor Marcia Langton will ensure that new generations of young Australians don’t have the same experience as their parents.” That gets a big cheer from me because I couldn’t agree more. If you follow the above link you will see an extract from the introduction and book chapters include Native Title, The Stolen Generations, storytelling, history, language and more. It contains a detailed glossary and colour images in the appendix.
The teachers’ notes are available at the bottom of this page on the Hardie Grant website and I encourage all parents/carers/educators to take a look. At 127 pages in length, they are comprehensive and provide many other readily available recourses.
Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve
I don’t feel that Christmas books need to be new on the market to be a great gift. I know most of my Christmas book selections are new, so I feel like I need to make that point! After all, quality is quality. Take the Carnegie Medal-winning Here Lies Arthur as an example – this edition was released in July, but it first came out in 2007. Since then, thanks in part to the movie of the same name, Reeve has arguably become more synonymous with his ‘Mortal Engines’ series (at least going by my own micro-polling when I ask what titles of his are stocked in certain bookstores!) Here Lies Arthur is a book I see people recommending to readers who enjoy historical fiction with a blend of fantasy/folklore. So I got curious and bought a copy. From the terrific opening line “Even the woods are burning”, the story clips along, thanks to short chapters and exact prose; not a word is out of place. As readers, we’re in excellent hands.
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Booktopia, which means I earn a small commission if you click through from this site and make a purchase. Be aware that Booktopia has Christmas cut-off dates for both non-stocked and stocked items so it’s a good idea to check when ordering what these dates are. (At the time of writing they are still being determined.) Did you also know that you can earn Qantas Points on eligible Booktopia orders? If you’re a Qantas Frequent Flyer you can link your membership to your Booktopia account. More details here.
