CATEGORIES

The volume of literary genius Australia possesses is staggering. Distill this down further to talented kids’ authors and illustrators and you’d still fill oceans, which is why I love showcasing our home grown children’s books. But it’s impossible to ignore the magnitude of offerings from overseas too. So every now and then I’ll give you [...]

Hannah simply adores gorillas. She begs her father to take her to the zoo to see her favourite animal, but Dad is always too busy. During the week he is too busy. On the weekends, he is too busy. The night before Hannah’s birthday, she asks her father for a gorilla and when she wakes, [...]

Next to Mirror, this is possibly my favourite of Jeannie Baker’s incredibly beautiful picture books. Not only is the imagery stunning, but the power of its wordless form is something Jeannie does with consummate style. Belonging is deceptive in its simplicity. It features repeat double page spreads of a square window, showing an outdoor scene [...]

It may be a relatively low text book but this junior fiction title by June Crebbin ticked all the boxes for me. Sophisticated writing that is totally appropriate for the book’s 7- to 12-year-old target market, this is a fabulous read, least of all for its balanced, beautifully-written and edited prose, but especially for its [...]

From tramp to world explorer extraordinaire, with adventurous tales to boggle the mind and cause the eyes to pop wide like saucers? Is it possible? Who was this man? Swiss-born footman, butler and jack-of-all-trades Henri Louis Grin – or world traveller Louis de Rougemont? Or both? When an impoverished Henri began studying the diaries and [...]

Blood Runner is a thought provoking new novel by James Riordan about courage, hope and the strength of the human spirit. Samuel’s parents and sister die in a bloody massacre. His brothers retaliate by joining the anti-Apartheid movement, with guns and terrorism as their weapons. But Sam decided to fight prejudice in his own way [...]

FIVE HUNDRED YEARS INTO THE FUTURE the world is a different place. The Melt has sunk most of the coastal cities and Newperth is divided into the haves, the ‘Centrals’; the have-nots, the Bankers; and the fringe dwellers, the ‘Ferals’. Rosie Black is a courageous but vulnerable 16 year-old who lives in a futuristic world [...]

Today, Kids’ Book Capers is one of the stops on author Sue Lawson’s blog tour to celebrate the release of her new YA novel, Pan’s Whisper. Pan’s Whisper is a deeply moving book about a damaged girl trying to move on from her past and build a new life with strangers who seem to want [...]

Aleesah Darlison is the author of the new Unicorn Riders series from Walker Books for readers aged 8+. Books 1-4 have just been released and Aleesah is currently working on books 5 & 6 in the series. Today she visits Kids’ Book Capers to talk to us about her magical unicorn journey. What inspired you [...]

VIOLET MACKEREL  thinks she would QUITE LIKE to own the blue china bird at the Saturday markets. This is not just a SILLY WISH. It is instead the start of a VERY IMPORTANT idea. But what she needs is a PLOT. A BRILLIANT plot. I wasn’t surprised to see Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot win an [...]

Today, we welcome Queensland author, Trudie Trewin to Kids’ Book Capers. She’s here to talk about her writing adventures and her hilarious new children’s book for readers aged 9-13, Camp Croc. Writing is something that Trudie says she always thought she’d have a go at “one day”. But I had imagined I would write for [...]

Scorpia Rising is the latest Alex Rider book by Anthony Horowitz. It’s the last book in the series and as far as red hot action goes, it doesn’t disappoint. “Alex Rider wants his life back. But when you’re the world’s most successful spy, there’s only one way out. Alex’s final mission will be the deadliest [...]

Sally Gould’s new novel, Dead Certain is a hilarious new addition to Walker Books’ Lightning Strikes series and although it has a funeral setting there is plenty to laugh about. Max’s Uncle Jack has died from a heart condition and Max is the only person who knows Jack’s last wish was to be buried next [...]

A funeral is an unusual setting for a children’s book, but Sally Gould has turned it into a riot that kids will find hilarious in her new novel, Dead Certain published by Walker Books Australia as part of their Lightning Strikes series. Sally is visiting Kids’ Book Capers today to talk about her writing and [...]

I’ve noticed recently that there seems to be an increasing trend to attach giveaways and merchandise to picture books. Harvey the Boy who Couldn’t Fart (Walker Books) came with it’s very own fart machine and I have seen books sold with stuffed toys, jewellery and other paraphernalia. From a marketing point of view, this probably [...]

When Robyn Opie was fifteen, her English teacher gave her an ‘A’ for every essay she wrote. One day, as he handed back her essay, he said, ‘You should be a writer’. I was stunned. I hadn’t thought about being a writer. In fact, I hadn’t even thought about people writing books. I mean, I [...]

TOPPLING Like many of Sally Murphy’s stories, Toppling started with a character. John is a boy with the slightly nerdy hobby of domino toppling. He has a very stable, happy home life, and a good strong friendship group at school. But Sally started to wonder what would happen if something went wrong in John’s life. [...]

A magical place, Marc had said. It wasn’t the kind of word he used very often. A place to get your thoughts together. Mimi Shapiro is fleeing New York and a possessive ex-lover. So when her estranged father offers her the use of his Canadian cottage, it seems like an ideal retreat. That’s until she [...]

Today at Kids’ Book Capers we start three weeks of celebrations for super spy Alex Rider’s ten years in print. Thanks to our friends at Walker Books we have some fabulous prizes to give away. From now until 11th June, we’ve got some great posts happening here. Learn about Alex Rider’s life saving gadgets, and [...]

This Sunday, we start three weeks of celebrations for the Alex Rider 10 years on the bookshelves celebrations. Keep watching Kid’s Book Capers for the chance to win some great prizes.

This month, Boomerang Books are giving you more chances to win! Alongside our regular monthly giveaway and our Facebook-exclusive giveaway, to celebrate August being the month of the Children’s Book Council Australia’s Book Week, we have a special children’s prize pack to giveaway. AUGUST MAJOR GIVEAWAY This month’s prize pack is an eclectic mix set [...]