Nine Wonderful New Books for 5-13 Year Olds

I hope you enjoy my reviews of four new picture books for children aged 3-6 and five Junior novels for readers aged 8-12. A great collection!

1. Little Axel's Axolotl' by Juliette MacIver and illustrated by Christopher Nielsen

This is a very funny and endearing picture book, about a very special pet axolotl; named "Harris Aristotle" by his owner Axel. This is a very spoilt pet!

Axel attends to his every wish and want and need and feeds him with the finest cheese, and warms him with the warmest of hats. Axel's fishy feet never touch the ground ... But despite his life of ease, Harris has a secret dream ... and hatches a secret, and daring scheme. Harris is about to surprise everyone!

Axel takes Harris everywhere with him, but Harris Aristotle craves the chance to bask in the sun and learn how to swim. He sets out one night on a brave (or is it foolish) adventure?

This wonderful little picture book will be released in July and will be a great hit with children aged 3-6. It has a surprising ending for this adventurous Axolotl.

2. 'The Wobbly Bike' by Darren McCallum & illustrated by Craig Smith

This is another special book from Walker Books to be released in July. Librarians should advance order! 

It is a quintessential story about the joys and challenges of learning to ride your first bike. There is something wonderful about this experience, that author and illustrator capture so well.

Master illustrator Craig Smith captures the fear and exhilaration of conquering one's first 'uncontrollable' bicycle. 

But this wobble in the bike isn't due just to the rider, it has a wobbly wheel that her Pop fixes. The story offers insights into life in the top end of Australia and the special role of grandparents.

The wonderful wobbles of learning to ride a bike, set amidst the vibrant colour and culture of Australia's "top end" is a winner! The book is beautifully created by author and illustrator who have worked in 'tandem'! A wonderful first book from Darren McCallum. I hope it isn't the last collaboration between author and illustrator.

3. 'Florence & Fox - The Pet Mouse' Zanni Louise & illustrated by Anna Pignataro

This is a beautifully illustrated picture book which will work well as a read aloud for children 2-5 or a self-read for 5-6 year olds. The central characters are Florence the crocodile and her friend Fox. Illustrator Anna Pignataro has created wonderful images for these sweet characters who are best friends. But they are VERY competitive. Each tries to trick the other by issuing challenges that they think they can win.

My only quibble with the book is that the text is a little confusing in places. There a few gaps in the dialogue that create disjunctions for the reader particularly on the first 5 pages.

This delightful story with beautiful crayon and water colour illustrations will amuse and encourage your children's understanding of what true friendship looks like. 

4. 'Mitchell Itches: An Eczema Story', by Kristen Kelly & Illustrated by Amelina Jones 

"An uplifting story about a boy who doesn’t let his eczema hold him back from having fun and facing his fears. Mitchell is part of the one in five children who live with eczema."  

Mitchell lives a life of constant itches. This story helps us to learn about the challenges of this condition, including the common triggers and stresses of managing it and the need for resilience.

 

As part of his journey, Mitchell discovers a unique talent. His Uncle Sean introduces him to the guitar to keep his itchy hands occupied (rather than scratching himself). Mitchell's condition, surprisingly, leads him to a new passion that could make him a sensation. Will his newfound talent take centre stage at the school band auditions?

The story opens with his Mum's words that "Mitchell was born scratching". The book has such relatable characters that it reads like a story, but it also offers a deep understanding of this common condition that many people experience.

The wonderful illustrations of Amelina Jones offer realistic characters and how the combination of the love of family, and the support of doctors, is needed for anyone with this condition. As well, the story helps children to understand that life challenges also help us to discover that we can be strong.

5. 'Ducky The Spy - Expect the Unexpected' Written and Illustrated by Sean E. Avery

Just released! This funny little story about a duck who is also a spy, will amuse readers aged 7-10. 

 Laugh-out-loud who-dunnit ridiculousness in this new graphic novel from Sean E Avery

 
A thief on the farm. A goat kidnapped by a gang of cats. A giant chicken. Ducky the Spy and Donny “The Distraction” Donkey are on the case.

From the internationally renowned creator of Frank’s Red Hat comes a brand new terrific tale, fresh from the funny, and funky, farm. At first glance this might look like a simple comic book for 6 year olds, but don't be deceived. This is a graphic novel that 6-10 year olds will read. The 6 year old will need to be a good reader and might miss some of the jokes, but it will have wide appeal.

6. 'How to Avoid Being Eaten by Sharks and Other Advice' by John Larkin & illustrated by Chrissie Krebs

This is a delightful and very funny Graphic Novel for readers aged 8-12 years. Surely anyone would like to know how Liechtenstein has had ZERO people eaten by sharks! And it's about time all children have read about the 'Big Book of Interesting Facts' that explains how the earliest humans lived on a flat earth, and they NEVER had a shark attack! 

This funny book will amuse young readers, who will want to read bits out loud in the playground to their friends. The black and white illustrations by Chrissie Krebs also offer some additional insights that will keep children reading and laughing their way through the book many times.

7. 'Stitch' by Padraig Kenny and illustrated by Steve McCarthy

Pádraig Kenny is an Irish writer who hails from Newbridge in County Kildare. His debut novel 'Tin' was published in 2018 and was Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month. It has been nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and several other awards. Since then he has had success with his second novel 'Pog' (2019). And his third novel 'The Monsters of Rookhaven' (2020), received the 'Honour Award for Fiction in the 2021 KPMG Irish Children's Books Ireland awards. It was also nominated for the Carnegie Medal. This fifth novel "Stitch" was published by Walker Books in 2024. It was 'Times Children's Book of the Month' in January 2024.

 

 

Readers aged 10-13 should enjoy 'Stitch'. The central character 'Stitch' and his friend 'Henry Olaf' were brought to life by the genius Professor Hardacre. But the professor's wicked nephew takes over his laboratory. Stitch and Henry are forced to escape, but will they ever be seen as anything but 'monsters'? 

 

 A rare gothic novel for readers aged 9-13.

8. 'Knights and Bikes - Wheels of Legend' by Gabrielle Kent and illustrated by Rex Crowle & Luke Newell

Welcome to the sleepy island of Penfurzy, where nothing exciting ever really happens. OR DOES IT? Adventure awaits Demelza and her new best friend in the whole world, Nessa, as they explore the island and uncover the mysteries of the Penfurzy Knights. With a honking pet goose sidekick, quirky islanders and a legendary treasure to find, it's up to Nessa and Demelza to ride their bikes, solve the puzzles before them, and face down danger with frisbees, water-balloons, feathers .... and a toilet plunger. THEIR FRIENDSHIP WILL WARM YOUR HEART. THEIR BRAVERY WILL MAKE THEM LEGENDS.

This is is a mystery with a sprinkling of wonderful black and white images by Rex Crowle & Luke Newell. Readers aged 10-13 will enjoy the engaging story

9. 'Queen of Dogs' by Joe Weatherstone & illustrated by Nicolette Treanor 

Maddy’s family is talented and ambitious — sporting trophies, top grades, they collect them all. But Maddy would rather spend time with her best friend, her pug Gusto. When Gusto disappears … her world changes.

Her search for Gusto reveals a surprising talent and Maddy can't believe her ears. She can understand everything the neighbourhood dogs are saying and suddenly Maddy becomes the go-to canine problem solver. But when more and more dogs go missing, Maddy finds herself with a much bigger problem … and she is going to need a lot of friends – two-legged and four-legged – to help her solve it ...

This is a debut novel from Joe Weatherstone that speaks of loneliness and how friends and animals can help to overcome these challenges. It is Joe's debut middle grade novel, that 12-13 year-olds will enjoy and find relatable. Joe is actually Creative Producer and her work includes the 'Emmy' winning children's series 'Hardball', 'Oscar' nominated 'Inja' and the Logie winning 'Housos'. She lives in Sydney with her two children and two dogs!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transforming School Education 'Inside Out' and 'Outside In'

You have no doubt heard the saying, "it takes a village to raise a child". This saying is typically used to remind us that a person's family is but one aspect of such a "village". Children are also supported in their endeavour by schools, sporting coaches, neighbours and so on. Our hope is always that the "village" will help to shape them for the good. This post tells how one region in Australia is transforming school education in a novel way to achieve these goals.

Foundations for Change in Secular Education

Above: Cessnock High School

I started my teaching career as a Primary school teacher in Public education (for overseas readers, this means government run schools). This was in the city and region where I grew up. I worked there as a teacher and education adviser for 10 years. In recent times we have witnessed how one school is being transformed in an interesting way. I want to focus the new approach being used in difficult schools in Newcastle.

A Case Study of School Transformation

Cessnock is a rural town in Australia about 112km from Sydney. As a child, I spent all of my school holidays with my maternal Grandparents in Cessnock. My Mother grew up there, and her family owned and ran mixed businesses which were called 'General Stores'. This was where most people bought food and other necessities in the days before major supermarkets, shopping centres and online shopping. Cessnock was a relatively poor working class area, where coal mining was the main industry and employer. From the late 1890s until 1964 my Mother's family ran a number of General Stores in the district. They were some of the business and community leaders for a period of 70-80 years.

 

Above: One of my Grandparents' Stores (Closed in 1964)

My Mother and her brothers attended a government primary school at Kearsley, just two doors from their store in the town. Later they attended Cessnock High School. One of my uncles (my Mother's brother) eventually taught at Cessnock High for many years and was Science Master. In those days, it was a 'tough' school and achievements were mixed. I was posted to the town in the 1990s as a curriculum consultant for the Hunter Education region for English and Literacy learning, and could see that there were many problems. It was a tough place to be a teacher.

In recent times there have been some exciting educational developments taking place in this once difficult school for teachers? Cessnock High has been dramatically transformed! The change has been so significant, that the Department of Education in our State (New South Wales) has decided to adopt and 'role out' the Cessnock model to seek reform in all of the schools in the Hunter Region of NSW, and perhaps the whole state, if not the nation.

The school where teachers once feared having to teach due to student violence and indifference, has undergone an amazing transformation. A dedicated principal, some excellent teachers and new education methods, have led to some of the most improved NAPLAN scores in the country. NAPLAN is an international assessment program that assesses student performance on a common test covering reading, writing, language and numeracy. I sat on the national committee that oversaw these tests for 15 years and understand how difficult it is to affect significant change and improvement.

Surprisingly, Cessnock High now has some of the most improved NAPLAN scores in the country. Its year 12 results have improved by 50 per cent. Education authorities are now considering how the 'Cessnock model' they've adopted, might be rolled out across the region and the State. I find this extraordinary. In a school where violence amongst students was rife and school performance was so poor, there has been an amazing transformation.

While the principal has a key role and is clearly a great leader, he is reluctant to take the credit for it. He explains the change in these words:

"We've been able to build a culture … where there are very few negative behaviours," he said. "The violence doesn't exist at all in our school anymore and school is a calm place." Of course, there is more to it than that!

 A Whole School Approach

The transformation in this school is remarkable. One of the keys reasons appears to be a whole of school approach using a model developed by teachers with Newcastle University staff that they label "Quality Teaching Rounds".

Just what is this model? In essence, it's a structured learning model to improve classroom teaching and student results. It does this by creating small groups of teachers who take turns to observe and critique colleague's lesson against three statements or criteria:

• Quality teaching: demonstrates a deep understanding of important knowledge and the best ways to communicate this to students.
• Quality learning environment: ensures the classroom environment is optimized so students can absorb knowledge and learn.
  
• Significance: effort is made to ensure lessons are relevant to students' lives and hold significance in order to boost engagement.

Of course, there is much more to the success than these short dot points suggest. Teachers changed the way they work together, and now support each other as they try to transform the school. What has been the outcome? Education standards have risen dramatically, and student behaviour has been transformed.

In the words of the Principal, the "lessons are more engaging, the environment to learn is safer and the learning is more significant." As a result of the changes, the behaviour of students has changed dramatically allowing learning to blossom. And academic achievement has risen markedly

So What's Different?

My definition of education in 'Pedagogy and Education for Life' is in short:

"Education is the whole of life of a community, and the experience of its members learning to live this life, from the standpoint of a specific goal."

There is no doubt that Cessnock High School has created a desire amongst parents, teachers and students to change community life, and in particular classroom behaviour, and application to school and learning. A key feature of the 'Cessnock' approach is that teachers collaborate, and even sit in on each other's lessons to offer feedback and advice. This has proven to be transformative. Teacher willingness to do this has not only been helpful, it has demonstrated they are concerned not only for their own teaching, but even more importantly, the learning and welfare of their students. 

The education authorities in the region are considering how more schools could adopt this approach, allow other teachers to occasionally sit in each others classrooms. The aim in using this approach is the desire to help teachers develop effective teaching practice. The reality is that in the cut and thrust of each day, they are not only teaching their students, they are shaping them for life. 

I'm reminded of my early years as a teacher and recall a colleague who taught next to me in a primary school in Sydney. His class was always out of control and his response was to scream constantly at the students while they just laughed and messed about. I coped by closing my door to shut out the chaos. But this new approach has made me reflect on how I might have been able to help him?

Above: My first school as a teacher

What other refinements might be made to this model?

Central to the 'Cessnock Model' is the visitation of teachers to one another's classrooms. They do this to watch, learn from and help colleagues for example to:

• Use effective and sound methods,
• Maintain student attention,
• Offer feedback on how to support students, and
  
• Sharing ideas on more engaging approaches to teaching subject content etc.
  

But hopefully, in all our schools we might identify other things we could consider. Might we also help one another to apply some additional lenses when trying to maintain classroom control while using good pedagogy. For example, we could also discuss together:

• How the content and learning relate to and are relevant to student lives?
• How we might present ideas and curriculum content in more engaging ways?
  
• How student non-engagement can be observed? How could we unpack the cause of student disinterest or boredom?
• How might some behaviour relate to life outside the classroom not just within it; and
  
• How could student negative responses and bad behaviour, offer windows into where students stand in terms of personal happiness, life purpose and goals.
  

A good way for schools to begin exploring a new approach of this type is to reflect on how their school might benefit. Some broad questions might help:

First, what is the balance in classroom and school life, between promoting success in school learning, helping them to grow as people, and also as good citizens?

Second, how might the approach be implemented in a way not only to make them better students, but also to help shape their character, values and ambitions in life.

Third, how might the partnership between teachers and colleagues, be broadened to include student families as we attempt to help them grow and mature as citizens, and shape them to lead lives that will make a difference.

What do you think?