Australian Outback Birds

Australian Outback Birds written and illustrated by Myke Mollard (Woodslane Press) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN: 9781922800718

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

If, like me, you thought there was only one Australian ‘outback’ and your knowledge of birds extends only as far as parrots, kookaburras and magpies, then you may want to take a closer look at Myke Mollard’s Australian Outback Birds.

This is not just another ‘fact book about birds’. The first thing readers will discover is that Australia is made up of ten environmental regions, within which there are twelve ‘outbacks’ – each with its own distinctive features and birdlife.

Mollard takes readers up close to 150 different birds from these outback areas, although you may be surprised to realise he is only just scratching the surface of the 800+ bird species found in Australia. But it’s a pretty solid start!

Each spread features stunning illustrations of the featured birds within their environment with some pictures a montage of birds with a labelled pictorial key for easy identification.

Reading through each section is like being taken on a personal tour by Mollard who talks about the features of the area, alerts you about what to look out for and wraps you up in his enthusiastic passion for ‘twitching’.

Australian Outback Birds is divided into sections by outback region, then further divided into some of the birds you can find in those regions. While I personally would have appreciated a table of contents, or an index, the lack of these may encourage the reader to either peruse slowly from start to finish, or dive in randomly. Either way, it’s a fascinating adventure where we not only learn about the quirky bird characteristics and behaviours, but also realise just how diverse Australia’s landscape is.

In addition to bird and landscape facts, there are also pages on the art of birdwatching, including detailed information about how to prepare, how to get the best photos and what to look out for. And, for the detail-oriented readers, Mollard has put in diagrams showing the different parts of a bird, different types of bird feet and how to identify birds by their flight silhouettes.

Essentially, there is something for everyone in Australian Outback Birds, although because the book is very text dense, it is probably better suited to older readers, 10 and above, or for adults to share with younger children.

And, if you’re not so taken by birds – but like the concept of this book – there are others in Myke Mollard’s series, including Australian Dinosaurs and Mega Beasts, Wildlife of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and several books on ‘bush creatures’.

How to Free a Jinn

How to Free a Jinn by Raidah Shah Idil (Allen & Unwin) PB RRP $17.99 ISBN: 9781761181092

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

Sometimes it only takes the title and cover artwork to hook you – and How to Free a Jinn (by debut author Raidah Shah Idil) with its glorious multi-layered cover (illustrated by Kalp Sanghvi) did just that.

First question … what is a jinn? Second one … can I guess from the artwork?

To answer the second question first: No, I couldn’t. (Turns out there were many there, clear as day.)

And the first question? The answer would require more space than we have here, but to put it simply, jinn are supernatural beings that inhabit a world parallel to humans; they can be good or evil and are able to be seen by some people – including our protagonist Insyirah and her grandmother, Nenek.

The story starts in Sydney, where Insyirah and her mother have been living since Insyirah was a baby. However, the setting quickly moves to Malaysia, where mother and daughter have returned to live with and care for Nenek following the fiercely independent grandmother’s health scares.

As a teenager, Insyirah is reluctant to move away from the only home she’s known and back to a country that is all but foreign to her. To her surprise, she almost immediately feels at home and even makes friends on her first day at school. Plus, she is intrigued by the school’s reputation for being haunted and is immediately drawn back into the stories of jinn and other supernatural occurrences told by her grandmother.

Yet, the happenings soon reveal themselves as much more than mere bedtime stories aimed to make children behave – because Insyirah can not only see jinn but can communicate with them and fall into their unseen world.

Author Raidah Shah Idil has taken centuries-old mythology and Islamic beliefs and crafted them into a contemporary story that not only explores these beliefs – making them accessible to the rest of us – but is also fiercely character-driven as we see both Insyirah and her ancestral jinn, Bumi, become stronger and more self-assured.

In her storytelling, Raidah Shah Idil has managed to educate readers on Malay culture, inviting us in to see, hear and even taste a little of day-to-day life that is often driven by ancient beliefs. At the same time, she’s given us some compelling characters – strong women – and a rising and falling emotional ride of joy, sorrow, love, and abject fear.

Readers aged 10–13 years and beyond will be in for a suspense-filled yet heartwarming treat when they pick up How to Free a Jinn.

The Sweetness Between Us

The Sweetness Between Us by Sarah Winifred Searle (Allen & Unwin) PB RRP $22.99 ISBN 9781761181245

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Year 11 students Perley and Amandine recently had extended time off school due to health reasons. Now, they are in combined tutoring sessions to make up for lost lessons and start getting to know each other.

Perley has recently been diagnosed with diabetes and Amandine has been ‘turned’ and is adjusting to life as a vampire. Life for both has changed dramatically and they both wish they were normal boring teenagers again and back to living a simpler life. As they spend more time together, they vent their struggles and start to make a connection.

Amandine learns that she can taste blood glucose levels so she starts helping Perley with readings. This secret exchange helps Perley save money on testing strips and provides Amandine with an ethical source of human blood. Perley and Amandine soon form a romantic connection and start dating.

The Sweetness Between Us is a young adult romance with a paranormal twist, presented in graphic novel format. The narrative includes a diverse cast of characters and themes of friendship, health, identity, change, and inclusion. It would appeal to readers who enjoy the Heartstopper series.

 

  

Redeeming Blackwood

Redeeming Blackwood by Khaiah Thomson (Hawkeye) PB RRP $26.95 ISBN 9781923105195

“Thanks to Freya’s long-lost great-grandmother, a bloody war is knocking on Blackwood’s door – a war that could destroy everything Freya has grown to love. But Blackwood and its residents are more than Freya first thought them to be. And when your crackpot ancestor is on the warpath, there is no better time to call in favours. Will Blackwood prove itself a force to be reckoned with or will it crumble?”

Redeeming Blackwood is the third book in the paranormal fiction Blackwood trilogy, written by Queensland author Khaiah Thomson. The first and second books in the YA trilogy are Welcome to Blackwood and Leaving Blackwood respectively.

 

Cans for Change

Cans for Change by Lawrey Goodrick (Hawkeye) PB RRP $16.99 ISBN 9780645084474

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Daniel Jefferies is currently on his L-plates, learning to drive in his dad’s beloved XW Ford Falcon. All he wants are ordinary driving lessons with his dad faithfully by his side. However, Daniel’s dad is a compulsive recycler which means Daniel’s driving stints are a time when his dad constantly calls for him to stop the car when he spots “thoughtlessly misplaced fortunes.” His dad likes nothing more than collecting bottles and cans left on the side of the road and is not shy about a bin diving opportunity. To Daniel’s dismay, the back seat of the XW has become a temporary dumping ground for his dad’s collection, accompanied by the dreaded flies and stench! Daniel is frustrated and embarrassed by his dad’s erratic and obsessive behaviour, but his feelings are compounded when he is recognised by the school bullies when parked by an industrial bin… with his dad inside the bin! Pandemonium ensues when Daniel publicly disowns his dad.

Set in Queensland, Cans for Change is a fun and humorous middle-grade novel written in the first person by the teenage protagonist. The narrative includes a complex father-son relationship and a pro-recycling theme, written with a plethora of car related similes and references. The pages include plenty of white space and monochrome cartoon illustrations to break up the text. Cans for Change is suitable for an audience aged 8 years and older.

Goodnight, Joeys

Goodnight, Joeys by Renee Treml (Penguin) HB RRP $14.99 ISBN 9781761349096

The young of wombats, bandicoots, pygmy possums, and quokkas are all called joeys. In this board book for younger children, Australia author/artist Treml has introduced each of these joeys and has used rhyming couplets which all begin with the words, “Whisper goodnight…”

There are joeys which “romp and roll around,” “snuffle, dig and push,” and “leap and glide and soar.”

Every page is washed with a single colour and shows the marsupials engaged in their typical behaviour, for example quokkas ‘twitter, growl and bark” at night with a purplish background. The story finishes with the words, “Whisper goodnight to the mum, where joeys dream beside her tum.”

ALBA – Hidden Secrets

ALBA – Hidden Secrets, a young adult novel by Verity Croker, published by GenZ Publishing, US

Sixteen-year-old Rebecca is consumed by grief after the sudden, tragic death of her boyfriend, Alastair. Her pain is exacerbated by the fact that their relationship was a secret, a love story hidden from the world. Now, as she mourns in silence, she feels trapped, torn between the anguish of losing him and the guilt of revealing their bond.

Calum, Alastair's brother, remains unaware of their relationship. As Rebecca grows closer to Calum, their friendship takes an unexpected turn when they stumble upon a mysterious suitcase in an abandoned icehouse in the remote northern Scottish village of Cromarty. They also find a 19th-century diary written in code by a girl named Martha, also sixteen, whose secrets echo Rebecca’s hidden grief.

As Rebecca and Calum work together to decode the diary and uncover the truth behind Martha’s life, their bond strengthens. But with each revelation, Rebecca is forced to confront her own secrets and the emotional burden she has been carrying since Alastair’s death. The discovery tests their growing relationship, as Rebecca struggles with the question: Is it better to keep our deepest secrets hidden, or should we reveal them and let others help carry the weight of our grief?

ALBA explores the delicate balance between love and loss, secrecy and truth, and the healing power of sharing one’s heart with those willing to listen.