Category: Younger readers

10 out of 10

Morgan Goes to Nowhere, by Richard Fairgray, Tara Black and Terry Jones (Square Planet): It’s about a boy called Morgan who can’t find his toy rabbit, so he thinks it has gone nowhere so he goes nowhere as well. So that’s…

Not-so-gentle coming-of-age story

Snake Bite, by Christie Thompson (Allen & Unwin, RRP $30): Jez is 17, bored in a downtrodden Canberra suburb, and coming to realise she’s in love with her best friend, Lukey. It’s summertime and Jez has little to do but hang…

Engaging tale set in China

Blood Brothers, by Carole Wilkinson (Black Dog Books): As a young novice monk in a Buddhist monastery, Tao’s life is simple, ordered and inward looking. All that changes when Kai enters his life. Kai is a young dragon whose arrival…

Columnist’s early life a fun read

The Chronicles of Narmo, by Caitlin Moran (Random House, RRP $20): First published by Corgi in 1992 and republished in January  2014, this delightful home-school romp was written by 16-year-old Caitlin Moran who is now an award-winning The Times critic,…