All the Beautiful Things by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Martina Heiduczek

"It feels like all the beautiful things have to be hidden away ... "

"The world is a jigsaw puzzle, every person a unique piece. There's a space for each one, but it must be the space made just for them. And if we leave one piece out, no matter how small, plain, insignificant or odd it may seem, the jigsaw puzzled remains incomplete. 

The picture looks ugly because there is a gap."

In the world of Germany in 1939 to 1945 every child has to be perfect. Anna is perfect - the perfect German girl. She is athletic, clever and has that perfect blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her sister however is not perfect. She has a disability and Mutti and Anna know if little Eva is found she will be taken away. 

"Eva was born with a disability that weakens her body and makes it hard for her to learn new things. Eva didn't walk for a long time and she's still a bit wobbly. Words came much later .... It's unlikely she'll ever learn to read. And she's so very small and thin, more like a toddler than a seven-year-old."

Eva takes delight in making paper dolls. The family have to keep her hidden, but Anna is able to collect tiny treasures - a piece of lace, a ribbon, a small piece of coloured paper - and Anna weaves a magical story for Eva as they work together to create new outfits for dolly. 

"Eva fetches her square biscuit tin and returns to the kitchen table. She opens the lid and gasps with delight even though she knows exactly what's inside - Dolly, a flat cardboard doll with woollen hair and tissue paper underwear, and eight flat dresses. They're all made from scrap paper and other treasures Mutti and I have scrounged from floors, streets, bins, barns. ... Every piece of the dress needs a story."

Anna and her friend Udo work hard to keep Eva a secret but there is danger everywhere. A boy in their neighborhood - Manfred is especially dangerous. "He is fourteen, tall, strong and handsome. He is in the special patrol group, Hitler Youth's very own police." 

Woven into All the Beautiful things we meet Eva Braun, visit the countryside home of Hitler, and in some awful scenes witness the indoctrination of the children in class against anyone who is not perfect - people with disabilities, people who are different and of course Jewish people. In one scene we see brave Anna quietly taking Nazi propaganda posters from her school and at home she burns them.

Luckily Anna and Udo do find friends in their town and one of these is seamstress Fraulein Linz. Little do they know that this lovely woman will be the one to hide little Eva when it becomes too hard to keep her at home and keep her safe. Fraulein Linz is living a double life. The Nazi wives visit to have her make their beautiful clothes and she even appears to be friendly with Eva Braun but this is all just a ruse. 

"How do we tell the monsters and the angels apart?"

This book has 327 pages, and I read it all in one sitting - YES, it is that good. In fact, this book is wonderful! I actually read this book about 3 weeks ago but I just wanted to sit and think and let it settle before penning something here on my blog. I actually feel I am quite inadequate as a blogger and lover of middle grade children's books to even begin to talk about this amazing book. One of the most precious parts of this story is the emotional intelligence of young Eva. 

There are some quite terrifying scenes in this book which I think demonstrates the power of this writing. One that has lingered with me is when Anna is stopped and told to empty her pockets by a member of the Gestapo. They have been watching Udo. He is part of the resistance and their communication is via train tickets. Udo has slipped it into Anna's pocket and now Anna needs to take it to Pastor Almendinger.

"The railway station's a perfect exchange for messages. Always busy. ... I'm there all the time, looking for discarded tickets for Dolly's dresses. In fact, there are four in my pockets right now. ... 'I'd like to see what's in your pockets.' ... I stick my hands into my pockets, grab the lining at the bottoms and turn them inside out. Everything that was inside spills. The tiny folding scissors, bottle tops, acorns and buttons fall into the snow, but the wind grabs the rest and sends it fluttering along the street. Including the very important train ticket for Pastor Almendinger."  

All the Gestapo see is a collection of rubbish.  

Here are a couple of text quotes:

"We're crying for Eva, who is safe, but whose life has grown smaller yet again. How many times must her world darken and shrink? How long can she live this way without the light in her eyes fading, before hugs in her arms slacken?"

"And then I shudder. Not because of Manfred's fanaticism. That's old news. It's just I've never been called a traitor before. I realise that a person can be both a hero and a traitor. It depends on your point of view. To Eva and Mutti, I'm a hero. To Hitler and Manfred, I'm a traitor." 

All the Beautiful Things is certain to be a CBCA Younger Readers Notable, and I am also sure it will be shortlisted. Here are a set of teachers notes from the publisher. I highly recommend All the Beautiful Things for readers aged 11+. 

This is a great read, suffused with love and humour. As usual Nannestad has got the balance just right, presenting the reader with thought provoking situations while keeping them enthralled with suspense, some mystery, and lots of giggles. A must for every school  and home library. Storylinks

All the Beautiful Things is as much a story of resistance as it is about loyalty and family, but also, finding out what it means when the rules you think exist start to crumble, and your world changes in so many ways. It is a book that will make you question prejudices and what we assume disabled people are like, and ponder how we can help people who need it. And I think makes us ask ourselves what we would do if we ever found ourselves in a similar situation. Another wonderful novel from Katrina Nannestad. The Book Muse

History can be tough to understand, especially when it comes to things like war and prejudice. But Nannestad takes the real stories of the past and wraps them up in a way that is both accessible and heartwarming for kids. You’ll not only get to see the struggles of people who lived through WWII, but you’ll also learn about what it was like to be different in a world where difference meant danger. Better Reading

Some things to think about:

• It is interesting that Katrina named Anna's little sister Eva and Anna also meets and 'befriends' the famous Eva Braun. 
• When you read a book like this as a reader you put your trust in the author that there will be a 'happy ending' and that characters you love will be kept safe. What happens if this 'rule' is broken?

In November I attended a terrific 'fireside' chat at Gleebooks Kids with Katrina Nannestad.  Here are some things I discovered:

• Katrina will appear at our Sydney Writer's Festival in May 2025
• Her favourite character from her books so far is Udo (from All the Beautiful Things) and also Sasha from Rabbit Angel Soldier Thief
• Silver Linings is her personal family story and a sequel is planned
• Katrina reads and researches history through personal accounts. She likes to find lesser-known stories of World War II
• She plots her stories and has a clear plan of the way the plot will be structured
• When Katrina is writing one of her novels, she writes every day of the week and often becomes totally absorbed in the journey of her characters. Each book from this series takes 8-9 months to write.
• Her new books - another Lottie Perkins title and a new series about a character named Frances Bloom.

In November Katrina Nannestad ran a competition where people sent in their own paper doll creations. Take a look here.

After reading All the Beautiful Things you will want to read every book by Katrina Nannestad especially her stories set during World War II -   

Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief; Waiting for the Storks; We are Wolves

Here are some other companion books:

The Little Riders

I am reading this one at the moment so I will talk further about it here in the coming weeks. 

Check out the Kirkus review.

Mim and the Anxious Artist by Katrinia Nannestad illustrated by Cheryl Orsini

Mim, Nat (her brother) and dad along with their accompanying menagerie of animals have arrived in Paris with their horse drawn bookshop. Mim marvels at the beautiful city and Nat loves the idea of the Awful Tower, his new discovery of French culinary treats and the way he can find his favourite letter 'S' in just about any situation.

They meet a very talented artist named Pierre. His portrait art is captivating but once a painting is completed, he simply cannot give it away or give it to the person who has paid him. This is one of several dilemmas that Mim need to solve with the help of the seemingly mismatched books her father sells each customer from his bookshop. How on earth can a book about gardening help Pierre? Why does the rich lady need The Happy Handyman? And a book about bridges for a famous chef? Surely not. 

In 2021 I read the first first installment of The Travelling Bookshop series. Such a charming story with yummy cakes and the idea of giving the perfect book to a reader! I picked up this one - book three - at a recent charity book sale. I did wonder if I should have read the second installment first but no, the books in this series do stand alone - but IF you can try to get the whole set and then settled down for a delicious week or two of reading. 

In this video Katrina Nannestad talks about her series. Here is her website. You can see more of my posts which feature books by Katrina Nannestad by clicking on the label the bottom of this post. I also adore the illustrations and bright covers by Cheryl Orsini of this book and all the other titles from the series. 

This series is filled with such hope and whimsy, bringing words and the world to life for us. It is a series that I have been following since the beginning, and I am looking forward to seeing where Mim and her family go next with their wonderful bookshop. It’s such a fun series and readers of all ages will get something wonderful out of it. The Book Muse

This is the newest installment published March, 2024

Bookseller blurb: Mim Cohen roams the world in a travelling bookshop, with her dad and brother and a horse called Flossy. Flossy leads them where she will, to the place where they're needed most ... the place where the perfect book will find its way home. Now Mim has arrived in wonderful Venice, city of canals, palaces, bridges, boats and ... quarrels. Gondolier battles, cat nappings and laundry theft are just the beginning. The Magnifico family and the Forte family are at war. Mim knows they're here to help the feuding families. To show them a better way to behave. To bring an end to the vicious vendetta. If only Mim could find each of them the right book. If only they'd all stop reading the wrong books.

Silver Linings by Katrina Nannestad

Nettie (Lynette) Sweeny lives with her three sisters and her dad on a farm. The year is 1952 and in a few months Princess Elizabeth will be crowned queen and shortly after this she will visit Australia and in particular rural Australia - coming to a town near where Nettie lives. Nettie's mum died in childbirth. Nettie longs for the love of a mother and so it is wonderful to read that when Nettie turns five her father remarries. Alice is a perfect mum to all the girls but especially to young Nettie. I think Alice is my favourite character in this story along with young Nettie of course oh and the wise bus driver. Here are some text quotes about Alice:

"Dinner is filled with happy chatter. Every time Alice puts her knife down, I weave my fingers in and out of hers. Eventually overcome by the thrill of having my own real mother, I slip out of my chair and hang off her neck. I spend the rest of the meal running my knuckles along the pearls on her necklace ... and planting kisses on her cheek."

"Alice gives us one more kiss, which makes the skin on my forehead tingle with happiness ... "

"Mum spends heaps of time sitting on the lounge or in bed because Billy's always hungry and needs a lot of feeding. She uses one arm for holding Billy, so there's always a spare one for wrapping around me and plenty of room for Muriel if she wants to snuggle up too. Which she does."

The Australian vernacular in this story is so endearing and I didn't tire of the sweet 'joke' about babies and storks and Nettie's sweet misunderstandings and earnest little letters sent to the stork asking for a baby. 

I wonder what readers from other places in the world will make of expressions like these:

'whacko the diddly-oh!'
'stone the crows'

chooks (chickens)

'ruddy cold'

'that's a porky' (tall tale or a lie)

crook (unwell)

yarn (a story)

duffer (fool)

This story has terrific descriptions of life in a small rural school. I really enjoyed the scenes where the kids are preparing their Christmas play and also getting ready to meet the young Queen Elizabeth. The importance of supporting neighbours during times of hardship and disasters such as floods is also a theme and there are references to the damage done to the minds of returning soldiers - which we now call PTSD. I think Aunty Edith may have had a Victorian upbringing - she has such strict beliefs about the behaviour of children. She is also attached to lace hankies and the importance of eating peas. There are some truly funny moments when Nettie uses her doll Fancy Nancy to voice her frustrations about Aunty Edith. Fancy Nancy can say all the naughty words that the children might think but they would never dare to say!

You will find a link to some very good teacher's notes here. Katrina Nannestead says: "This story is fiction but inspired by family history."

Publisher blurb: A new heartwarming novel set in 1950s Australia from bestselling author Katrina Nannestad. Nettie Sweeney has a dad, three big sisters, a farm full of cows and a cat called Mittens. But it’s not enough. She longs for a mother. One with a gentle touch and sparkles in her eyes. Instead, she has Aunty Edith with slappy hands, a sharp tongue and the disturbing belief that peas are proper food. When Dad marries Alice, all Nettie’s dreams come true. The Sweeney home overflows with laughter, love and, in time, a baby brother. Billy. The love of Nettie’s life. Then tragedy strikes. The Sweeney family crumbles. Nettie tries to make things right, but has she made everything so much worse?

An emotionally rich narrative with big, complex themes, told in a way that’s irresistibly immersive for middle-grade readers. Nettie is a captivating protagonist with a huge heart. While her naive innocence at the beginning of the book makes her immediately endearing, the resilience and courage she develops over the course of the book’s tragic events will earn her a special forever-place in readers’ hearts. Better Reading

I am adding this book to my list of CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) notable and short list predictions. This book will warm your heart, then break your heart and then on the final pages, while the sadness is still there, you will be given a small glimpse of a better future. This book is sure to become a classic in the same way Seven Little Australian's captured our hearts last century.  I recommend this book for readers aged 11+. Note there are some suggestions of domestic violence in the home of their neighbours the Parkes.

Other books by Katrina Nannestad - I have LOVED all of them.

The Girl who Bought mischief

We are Wolves

Rabbit, Solider, Angel, Thief

Waiting for the Storks

Olive of Groves

The Travelling Bookshop

Waiting for the Storks by Katrina Nannestad

"Then he takes a smaller tool, like a ruler with little sliding bits, and measures my ears 

and ear holes and earlobes, the thickness of my lips, the distance between my eyes, 

the length and width of my nose and lots of other bits in between. 

Herr Doktor takes one last lap around me, staring, then declares, 

'It is a perfect head!"

Krakow, Poland is a dangerous place. Zofia Ulinski, her Mama and Tata (father) know there are huge risks now that the Nazis have invaded their city. Zofia and her family are Catholic not fewish but these German conquerors have banned so many every day things.

"They marched into Krakow, acting as though it was their city, not ours. ... they started closing libraries and schools, radio stations and newspapers, synagogues and universities ... burned books (and) ... started rounding up teachers and writers and doctors and artists and priests and professors and sending them off to concentration camps."

Tata is a tailor and he is also working for the resistance. As this story opens there are some parcels that need to be delivered. Mama and Zofia offer to take them and of course they promise to stay in the shadows and avoid crowded busy streets. They carry the carefully wrapped parcels in two baskets. One parcel contains a green striped velvet suit for Mr Wojcik. It is almost impossible to find materials for new clothes so this strange colourful suit has been made from his dining room curtains. On their way to make their deliveries they meet three German soldiers. I think I held my breath through the whole scene as the SS guards ripped open the parcels and threw their precious contents onto the muddy gutter. Zofia knows should stay quiet, she should not draw attention to herself but this is all so outrageous. She screams stop - and she screams it in German. 

"The first soldier puts his finger under my chin and lifts my face. He gazes into my eyes and his smile widens. ... The second soldier pulls off my headscarf. He takes one of my long blonde plaits in his hand and holds it out. All three chatter about my clear blue eyes, my pale skin, my shiny golden hair."

What does all of this mean? Read this statement (found on the very first page of this book):

"I really do have the intention to gather Germanic blood from the whole world, to rob it, to steal it wherever I can. Heinrich Himmler, Commander of the SS, 1938."

Little eight year old Zofia has no idea that she is about to be kidnapped, taken to Germany, held in an orphanage where she will be re-educated as a perfect German child.  In this horrid place the children (all blonde and perfect) are given clothes, shoes, and plenty of food but the punishments are brutal and their are constant medical and psychological tests. She will be told, over and over again, a new story about her life and a will be given a new name and new identity. And of course there is the constant cry of Heil Hitler. 

During one of the medical examinations, an important doctor arrives - Doctor Engels (adult readers are sure to shudder at the mention of this infamous name). He takes a special interest in young Zofria who is now named Sophia Ullman. 

"Once I was Zofia Ulinaki, a stupid Polish pig. Now I am Sophia Ullman, a good German girl, a princess, with a perfect head, golden hair, blue eyes and hairless arms."

Doctor Engels takes Zofia to his home. Bavaria looks like the land of fairy tales. At his farm she meets her new Mutti (mother).

"This is just like a fairy tale where a girl thinks she's an orphan but, after many years of hardship is found by her mother and father and not only are they kind and loving, but they are also the queen and king of a very grand kingdom. Of course this isn't a fairy tale. This is a lie. The girl is me and I'm not an orphan or a long-lost princess, but a Polish girl who already has a mother and a father. But the lie is all I have. It's the only thing that will keep me safe".

Yesterday I picked up Waiting for the Storks and by 8pm I had read the whole book - yes it is, as I expected, another fabulous page turner from Katrina Nannestad and another book where she gave me an insight into an aspect of history - specifically of World War II and dreadful programs in Germany, which were entirely new to me.  Each section of the book is prefaced with a question which mirrors a game Zofia used to play with her parents - a game of choices:

• Cream on your salami or gravy on your poppyseed cake? Make a choice!
• German or Polish? Make a choice!
• Real life or a fairy tale? Make a choice!
• A sausage dog in a bonnet or a cat in a cardigan? Make a choice!
• A happy traitor or a miserable hero? Make a choice!
• A crimson spotted velvet skirt or a green striped velvet coat? Make a choice!

There were times in this book when I was SO tempted to jump to the end. I always know I am safe inside a middle grade book and that the author will protect me (and keep the loved character safe) but I deeply feared a sad ending. I just couldn't imagine how Zofia could possibly escape from this dreadful situation return to her real life. I am going to predict that this book will be a Children's Book Council of Australia Younger Readers notable title and I am sure it will also be short listed (6 books). 

Nannestad refuses to patronise her readership (while remaining age-appropriate) and her clarity and emotional intelligence will make it easy for younger readers to put themselves in Zofia’s shoes. Sydney Morning Herald

I think this is a powerful and important book that can start conversations and introduce readers to a different aspect of history that they may not know about or know much about – and that is why I love Katrina Nannestad’s historical fiction books. They give voices to people who might have been left out of history and allow us to gain insight into important history that might not be taught often. The Book Muse

Further reading:

US Holocaust Memorial Museum

The Lebensborn program also became involved in the kidnappings of thousands of foreign children. During the war, the SS sought out ethnic Germans living in foreign countries and “repatriated” them to the Third Reich. Thousands of children—mostly from eastern and southeastern Europe—were kidnapped because they had German ancestry or simply the “appropriate racial features.” The Lebensborn program then helped place these children with German families. Adopting families believed that the children had been orphaned by the war.

New York Times, November 2006

Teaching notes for Waiting for the Storks from the publisher

When you share this book or gift or borrow this book for a mature reader aged 11+ try to also find a copy of the Aesop fable - The Fox and the Stork.

You will want to read these previous books by Katrina Nannestad which also explore the impact of events during World War II on young children. I love these covers by Martina Heiduczek. This morning I discovered the Star review by Kirkus of We are Wolves. 

We are Wolves

Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief

In all three novels Nannestad shows the intense personal cost to children caught up in wars not of their making, forced to adapt and become strangers to their true selves in order to survive. Storylinks

Carefully and sensitively written, meticulously researched, the whole is a dissection of how the choices we make every day affect our lives and the lives of those we love. This (Waiting for the Storks) is the bleakest of these three novels but also the most powerful, most moving and most memorable. Storylinks

Image Source: Facebook

Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief by Katrina Nannestad

 

The title of this book is so important. Little Sasha is living through WWII. He is a very young boy and his mother calls him Little Rabbit.  Sasha lives in a small village in Russia. When the German soldiers march in they brutally destroy his beautiful village. This very young boy is possibly the only survivor because he has been able to run away from, as he describes them, the 'handsome monster princes'. Sasha finds himself lost in the forest but he eventually stumbles on a camp of Red Army soldiers. This group, led by Major Fyodor Gagarin, are on the move desperate to rid their beloved homeland of the scourge of the German army. Sasha is welcomed into the group, given a tiny uniform and some important, non combative duties. And so Little Rabbit begins his march across the land to Stalingrad.

So now you have some idea about the title words Rabbit and Soldier. You will need to read this gripping account to understand Angel and Thief.  

Sasha tells his story, from his hospital bed, as a series of recounted incidents. We are left in suspense as to how he arrived in the hospital and how he survived the horrors of the war. Using objects he 'collects' from his hospital ward, Sasha gradually shares the memories of his journey over the previous three years and, even more importantly, we meet the men and women who kept him safe. Katrina Nannestad has created such real people in her characters. especially Major Fyodor Gagarin who Sasha fondly calls Papa Scruff. 

There is a very appealing structure to this book which has the dual effect of making it easy to read; helping to move the story forward; and working as a device that creates anticipation for the reader as we wait to find out why each object is so important as a memory trigger for Sasha.

One of the aspects of the writing in this book that I really appreciated was the way Katrina Nannestad creates powerful contrasts. For example in the early scenes we read about all the pretty flowers in the village - sunflowers, sun kissed strawberries, larkspur, daffodils and cherry trees covered in blossoms. Then we read about the arrival of the German soldiers and there are words such as hard boots, kicking doors, and stomp, stomp stomp. Then, later, near the end of the book we read about tanks rolling into the city with flowers in their cannons. Such a joyous scene. Another truly special aspect of this book is comes from the way Katrina Nannestad imbues Sasha with deep tenderness and an emotional intelligence well beyond his tender years. I have to say his tiny heart certainly touched mine. 

Katrina explains in her author notes that this while this book is entirely fiction is was inspired by a real boy called Sergi Aleshkov who joined the Red Army when he was between six and eight years of age.

This book will hit the shelves of your favourite bookstore on the 27th October.  I strongly suggest you order your copy now so you can get your hands on this book the day it arrives. If you subscribe to a standing order service this book is sure to be in your October selection for the school library. Huge thanks goes to Beachside Books for my advance copy of Rabbit, Solider, Angel, Thief.

You know I am slightly obsessed with covers - how perfect is this one.  Congratulations to Martina Heiduczek on her beautiful design. Martina also did the cover for We are Wolves which means these two books will look splendid when placed together on your shelves and the published edition will be in hardcover for a really great price. 

Naturally you will want to read We are Wolves by Katrina Nannestad which also explores the experiences of children during a war. I am going to predict we will see Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief short listed for many Australian book awards. Here are some other Katrina Nannestad books I have also read and enjoyed:

We are Wolves

The Girl who bought Mischief

Olive of Groves

The Travelling Bookshop

The Travelling Bookshop: Mim and the Baffling Bully by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Cheryl Orsini

Putting the perfect book into the hands of a reader can be such a powerful transaction. Mim's father, Zedekiah, has a knack for this. The small family of Mim Cohen, her dad Zedekiah and brother Nat, travel the countryside in a caravan pulled by a large Clydesdale horse. In this first adventure the caravan has arrived in a small town in The Netherlands.

People from the town are keen to visit the 'shop' and everyone who enters is amazed by the size inside and the way the shelves are bulging with treasures. Zebekiah asks his customers one or two questions and then he reaches onto his shelves and presents each person with a curious book. At first the book seems 'wrong' but in fact each book will prove to be perfect. A lonely person needs to make a friend; a young girl needs help with her difficult family; and most of all Mim and her family need to help a young girl called Willemina in a truly special way. 

I should also mention this book is filled with delicious cakes. You will want to eat cupcakes for breakfast and stroopwafels by the dozen. 

Image Source: Dutch Gezelling

The Travelling Bookshop will be published at the end of July. I suggest you add it to your book order today. This book should be in every school library and it would be a delightful family read aloud too. I highly recommend this book for readers aged 8+. My advance copy did not have all of the art by Cheryl Orsini but I am certain this will be terrific. The beautiful book cover gives you a hint of what is to come. This book is also sure to feature on our CBCA notable and short lists in 2022. Enormous thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy of this splendid book. 

Katrina Nannestad, in my advance reader copy of this book says: the caravan is "a place where the right book will be put into the right hands, to change a life forever. But of course, every book changes a life in some way, big or small. ... Because books are magic."

The bookshop, created by Katrina Nannestad, reminded me of a shop in London which is housed on a barge called Word on the Water.

Word on the Water, a bookstore on a barge, is truly a book-lovers paradise.  Every nook and cranny of this 100-year-old Dutch barge is stacked with neat rows of new and used classics, cult, contemporary fiction and a large range of children’s books. Customers are welcome to browse the books displayed outside or jump aboard and cosy up with a book by the stove! While books are clearly the star of the show, every inch of this book barge is cleverly used to its fullest potential.

Images:  Word on the Water 

I also remember reading about a bookshop, possibly also in London or New York, where you describe a book you have read or talk about yourself as a reader via a book interview and the shop gathers a small collection of books especially for you. I love this idea. Wish I could remember the name of that shop.

I have loved so many other books by Katrina Nannestad:

The girl who bought Mischief

We are Wolves

Olive of Groves

We are Wolves by Katrina Nannestad

As the end of World War II looms the Red Army are marching in to East Prussia. Liesl, Otto, Mia, Mama, Oma and Opa watch as Papa puts on a uniform and walks away to be solider. It is October 1944 and Papa has a bad leg which was crushed when he was a boy. Joining his father is a neighbour who is missing three fingers and young Jacob who is only sixteen. Up until this time the family have expressed their loyalty to Hitler and to Germany but this is about to change. By December twenty-third food is chronically short and Mama is forced to trade her beautiful pearls in exchange for their Christmas lunch goose. The next day there is a knock at their door. Papa is missing in action. On the twelfth of January school is cancelled and within days the family are forced to flee.

Mama packs dinner plates, a silver sugar bowl, the mantel clock, the family photo album and clothes including her best dress. Some of this seems odd but it also shows the panic and uncertainly of this terrifying situation. Wisely, though, Mama sews her jewellery into the linings of the children's clothes. 

The small group set off on their dangerous journey. They do have a horse but Oma is old, it is freezing cold and there is no food or shelter. Eventually they are forced to dispose of almost everything they have bought. Opa takes two photos from the album and he explains to Liesl that she must not forget her name and the names of her family. Liesl Anna Wolf; Otto Friedrich Wolf; Mia Hilda Wolf; Erich - her father; Anna - her mother. When the group move on this time they leave Oma and Opa behind and later they loose Mama too.  Now the three young children must find a way to survive and continue their journey to the promised safety of Lithuania. While the children do encounter kindness they also meet people who betray and terrify them. 

Katrina Nannestad read the story of Wolfskinder and she was intrigued by the story from World War II of the thousands of displaced children who were "orphaned, abandoned or simply lost". Children who were forced to live in the forests and abandoned houses stealing and foraging for food. 

Background reading:

• Wolfskinder Project Blog
• DW German Broadcaster 2013 Article Lost and forgotten: German Wolf children in Lithuania by Monika Griebeler (Teachers only - not suitable to share with young children)
• Wikipedia - Wolf Children

Here are some teaching notes from Harper Collins. Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy of We are Wolves. You can read some review comments by other Australia authors here. This book is due for publication on 29th October this year. I am certain We are Wolves will be short listed by the CBCA in 2021. I highly recommend this book for mature readers aged 10+.

I would follow We are Wolves with:

The Goose Road

Close to the Wind

Vinnie's War

Olive of Groves and the great slurp of time by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Lucia Masciullo

Olive of Groves and the great slurp of time follows on from the riotous Olive of Groves.  This new installment can stand alone but to fully appreciate this crazy school and especially the diabolical Pigg McKenzie and the batty school headmistress Mrs Groves I do recommend reading the first book if you can.

As this story opens Basil Heffenhuffenheimer arrives at Mrs Groves School for Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus Performers. What a wonderful name!

"Olive continued to stare.  She took in the lederhosen, the collarless white shirt, the big brown hiking boots with woolly white socks, the canvas rucksack and the green felt hat.  The hat was decorated with a beautiful tan and black feather that might well have been plucked from the tail of a pheasant."

Who is Basil?  He is a time traveler.  He has just been taking a hike in the Black Forest in Germany in 1857 and now he has arrived at this crazy school. Mrs Groves explains this is perfectly acceptable because the school is also for time travellers and she used to have some textbooks about this one of which she eventually locates - "The concise guide to Time Travel". Time travel is a two way process achieved using clocks - one running forwards and one running backwards.  Olive has the perfect backwards running clock so it seems everything is set for some time travelling adventures. Unfortunately (you knew I was going to say that!) Pig McKenzie has returned.  He has disguised himself as Pigg McKenzie and convinces Mrs Groves he is a different fellow but Olive is very suspicious.

"Anyone can see that he is the same Wicked Pig as Ever He Was.  Placing an extra g in his name does nothing to change the fact that he is a Nasty, Vile Creature Who Thinks of Nobody but Himself. Why, this very minute, he is probably Scheming and Plotting to Get Rid of Me."

This book contains all the elements I enjoyed in the first.  Wordsworth and his thesaurus style of talking.  "How annoying ... frustrating, irritating, infuriating and exasperating", The boys who like to blow everything up (you will gasp at some of their timing and the ensuing chaos), Chester the rat who loves buttons along with some new friends such as Basil himself and Num Num the dinosaur, not to forget the consistently devious Pig or Pigg McKenzie.

As for the time travel you will find yourself in the Jurassic era, Elizabethan England and even the Black Forest in 1857.  The word slurp in the title is something I will leave you to discover for yourself but you might have guessed something is not quite right when I mentioned Num Num the dinosaur.

You know from the start all will be well for Olive and her friends, of course, but the true enjoyment comes from the mayhem, crazy disasters and fun you will experience with our intrepid heroes in this rocket fueled adventure.

Olive of Groves by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Lucia Masciullo

He wanted her life to be sunshine and marigolds, fairy floss and pink lemonade, dancing tunes played on piano accordions and meadows full of frolicking lambs

Olive of Groves is a romp.  Reading this book is such a treat.  I smiled from page one through to page 260.  Some truly awful things happen to Olive (a couple of times I had to stop reading) but I knew I was in very good hands with Katrina Nannestad and that this gifted author would protect her heroine Olive.  Olive will survive. Olive will triumph. Goodness and kindness, patience and perseverance will defeat the evil school bully - Pig McKenzie.

Olive of Groves contains a huge cast of characters - each with special and sometimes dangerous talents.  There are eleven naughty boys.  Tiny Tim who never ever washes his socks, Reginald the butter spreader and Carlos an explosives expert.  There are eleven talking animals including three friendly rats - Wordsworth who loves his dictionary (I have quoted him at the top of this post), Blimp who loves to eat and Chester who collects and loves buttons.  Among the circus performers you will meet Anastasia, Eduardo and Alfonzo the most fabulous acrobats. Finally there is the school headmistress Mrs Groves "befuddled and bonkers" and Pig McKenzie "a pig of evil intent."

Olive arrives at her new school - Mrs Groves' Boarding School for Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus Performers.

"Olive was ... a sensible and practical girl.  She ate peas with a spoon and folded her toast together like a sandwich so that if dropped, it could not land jam-side down; she wore her jet-back hair long enough to pull back into a ponytail, but short enough that it was easy to keep clean and tangle free; she kept small snacks under her pillow in case of midnight hunger pangs; and she arranged all her clothes in alphabetical order."

Can you see the problem?  How will Olive fit in to her new school?  She is a girl, not a boy or a talking animal. Her only course of action is to become a circus performer.  This will be difficult but Olive is determined to stay at Groves.  Mrs Groves tells Olive she can stay for one week on probation.  She is assigned her room and Mrs Groves quickly runs away because she is scared of girls!  When Olive finally reaches the turret Olive meets three very special rats. She sets out her possessions including her alarm clock and arranges her clothes in alphabetic order. After dinner Pig McKenzie visits her room.  He picks up her clock.  "Glass shattered and springs, coils, cogs, screws, hands, bells and other mysterious clockwork components exploded across the room."  This is the first of many horrid incidents involving the despicable pig.  Luckily her friends come to the rescue.  One of my favourite scenes comes the next day when these delightful little rats repair her clock.

"The newly assembled alarm clock was a truly amazing piece of engineering. ...The hands moved backwards in an anticlockwise direction, ... a chunk of cheese sat where the number eight used to be." In spite of this haphazard repair the clock and alarm still work.

One other little delightful touch in this book relates to the buttons.  Teachers could use this as a simple stimulus for writing.  Chester invents the most wonderful and fanciful stories to explain each button.

"I found this one down the back of the sofa in the library four weeks, two days and three hours ago.  It's from the Napoleonic Wars.  Fell off the Duke of Wellington's shirt during the Battle of Waterloo."

Here are some of the wonderful words in this book.  This is just a tiny sample :

esteemed
conflagration
rotund
robust
ricocheted
sauntered
cocooned
supplicated
malice
botulism
avowal


Pig McKenzie uses some hilarious names for Olive - her is another fun writing exercise - finding words beginning with a particular letter - here is it O.

Oblong
Ostrich
Octagon
October
Obligation


I loved The girl who bought Mischief and so I was delighted to see Katrina Nannestad had written another book.  Read an extract from Olive of Groves.  Once again I have found a book that is truly wonderful.  I recommend you rush into a library and grab this book today!  Make sure you read the chapter headings - they are part of the delight! I dare to hope this book will be short listed for our 2016 CBCA Book of the Year awards - fingers crossed.

Olive of Groves is an enchanting, entertaining and incredibly funny book, packed with imagination.  I love everything about this book, from the crazy antics to the wonderful characters.  I picked it up thinking that the blurb sounded intriguing and I fell in love with it from the very first page.

The girl who bought mischief by Katrina Nannestad

This book has been in our school library for nearly two years and the cover has intrigued me but it has taken me until this weekend to pick it up.  Have you guessed what I am going to say?  Yes it is another of those amazing books that I just devoured in one sitting.

I am not sure how to express this with out offending the author or publisher but reading this book you will have no idea it is Australian or associate the author with her other books Red Dirt Diaries.  This books feels so European.

Inge Maria goes to live with her stern grandmother on a remote island in Denmark.  Her father has died and while we are not told until the end, Inge has also suffered another huge loss.  Life in Bornholm is completely different to the one she loved in Copenhagen.  Living with her grandmother Inge has to learn farm duties such as milking cows, tending pigs and collecting eggs.  Bath time involves so much vigorous scrubbing Inge thinks she has lost a layer of skin. She also has to help with enormous quantities of hand washing and wringing.

"Saturday is washing day.  We build a blazing fire in the kitchen and boil post of laundry as though we are going to make stocking soup, bed-linen stew and bonnet broth.  I have never done laundry before.  Mama always sent ours away ... It would return in brown paper parcels tied up with string, clean and pressed like magic. 
...When it is time to wring the water out of the bed linen we go outside into the chilly morning air.  Grabbing opposite ends of a sheet, we twist it around and around until it is a short thick rope and all of the water has been squeezed out onto the ground."

But the most heart-breaking thing is she has to cope with the little rural school and its archaic rules about silence, spelling and a segregated playground. Luckily in this same school Inge makes a truly special friend - a boy called Klaus.

Through all of this Inge must try hard to stay out of mischief but it seems no matter how hard she tries mischief catches her unawares.

Now we come to why I loved this book.  The story here is about reactions.  There were so many times during this story that I just gasped - how would her grandmother or another adult react to each catastrophe?

Inge - Half her hair is eaten off by the goat who is also on the little boat taking her to Bornholm
Grandmother could:
1.  Scold
2.  Cut off the rest of her hair
3.  Knit Inge a new hat

The answer is 3.  "Grandmother surprises me by pulling a red woollen hat down on my head. I run to the mirror by the door and laugh at the thick, floppy folds topped by the biggest pom-pom I have ever seen."

Inge - is given a tiny slither of cake so thin you can almost see through it.  She is starving hours later when they finally leave Angelina's house
Grandmother could:
1.  Scold Inge for her ungrateful attitude
2.  Ignore Inge and briskly walk home
3.  Reach into her pocket and pull out ...

The answer is 3.  "Grandmother pulls a parcel from her pocket.  She unwraps brown paper and hands me a thick wedge of cheese and an apple."

I also loved the way little Inge's personality shone through in the writing.  When she sees a beautiful spoon or a pretty teapot she thanks them for giving her pleasure.  I truly want to meet Inge and be her friend.

You might like to read this review.  Here is a video interview with the author filmed in the office of Harper Collins - make sure you look at the view from their office.  I was surprised to see I had missed this book when it was listed by the CBCA as a notable book for 2014.  If I had read it back then I would have predicted this book would reach the short-list (and receive a prize) but just like another fabulous book from that year The view from the 32nd floor, The girl who bought mischief didn't make the final six but it did win the NSW Premiers Award in 2014 thank goodness!  I heartily agree with the judges report.

After reading this book an older student might enjoy West of the Moon by Margi Preus (not suitable for Middle Primary).  This book also reminded me of Waffle Hearts.  You can read more about Katrina Nannestad here.

Before reading this book, which I guarantee you will enjoy, take a little time to reacquaint yourself with some of the classic Hans Christian Andersen stories which Inge reads such as The Princess and the Pea and The Emperors New Clothes.  You can read a sample of The girl who bought mischief if I have not yet convinced you to rush into a library and borrow this terrific book.   It is also available as an ebook.

Here is the US cover with a different title which will be released early in 2016.