Dear Broccoli by Jo Dabrowski illustrated by Cate James

Dear Broccoli,

Last night at dinner you were on my plate. 

AGAIN. 

This is the third time this week.

Please don't come back.

From, 

Frank. 

Dear Frank, 

Thank you so much for writing me a letter.

No one has ever written to me before.

I must say I was touched. And then I was amused - since I am always left untouched on your plate!

I am sorry to hear that you do not want me to return, but

I am afraid I cannot grant your request. 

The matter is out of my florets. 

Your parents decide when I attend.

I suggest you raise your concerns with them.

Yours sincerely, 

Broccoli 

I love the way Broccoli writes - his tone is so serious and also cheeky. These two are the first of a series of letters. Broccoli takes every opportunity to explain his value to Frank but will he convince this young boy to change his mind. 

This book will be an absolutely perfect to read aloud to your group of younger students age 7+. After your reading everyone could write a letter to a vegetable and then the students could swap their letters and write a reply from that same vegetable. Here are some other ideas for using this book with your school group. 

I know we are all supposed to eat five serves of vegetables each day but I will confess I don't always do this. I have all my standard weekly vegetables - potatoes; onion; carrots; pumpkin; cabbage; cauliflower; green beans; peas; corn; mushrooms; spinach; brussels sprouts; celery; lettuce; and I do eat broccoli every week. I am sure, though, that there are other vegetables that I could add to my basket - broccolini (I am not really a fan); kale (I have never eaten this one); snow peas (often a bit too expensive); asparagus (I eat this in season); leeks; baby squash; capsicum; eggplant (not a fan); lentils (never never); fennel (no no no); sweet potato (no); and Swiss chard (I have never even eaten this one).

Of course, as Broccoli himself points out in Dear Broccoli - tomatoes are fruits as is pumpkin. I wonder if rhubarb counts as a vegetable?

Here is an official list of vegetable categories:

Root Vegetables: These are plants whose edible parts grow underground. Examples include carrots, potatoes, beets, radishes, and turnips.

Leafy Greens: Leafy vegetables are known for their tender leaves and high nutrient content. Spinach, kale, lettuce, and Swiss chard fall into this category.

Cruciferous Vegetables: These vegetables belong to the Brassicaceae family and are known for their cross-shaped flowers. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage are cruciferous veggies.

Allium Vegetables: Alliums have a distinctive aroma and include garlic, onions, leeks, and shallots.

Podded Vegetables: These are vegetables enclosed in a pod or shell. Examples are peas, beans, and lentils.

Stem Vegetables: Stem vegetables are plants whose edible parts are stems or stalks. Asparagus and celery are common examples.

Jo Dabrowski is a children’s author and illustrator whose debut middle-grade novel, Get Your Act Together, Doris Kozlowski, was shortlisted for the 2024 Readings Children’s Prize. She lives in Melbourne, Australia.  Cate James is an award-winning illustrator and printmaker from Sydney and Edinburgh.

I am a fan of books that contain letters like this between characters. The official term is epistolary. You might find these examples in your school or public library:

The Jolly Postman series by Allan Ahlberg

 

I felt moved to re-read my set of Jolly Postman books after hearing that Allan Ahlberg died on the 28th July - just last week. Imagine my surprise when I opened the original book - The Jolly Postman - only to discover it was signed by Allan himself!  I have absolutely no idea how or where this happened - but yay!

The Jolly Postman delivers letters and cards to the inhabitants of fairy land – and drinks a lot of cups of tea. The book includes six letters in envelopes to pull out and read and on every page are lots of little details to spot.

Allan had briefly worked as a postman but the idea for the book actually came from noticing how much his two-year-old daughter liked playing with the post. She loved to take letters out of envelopes and put them back in again. The Ahlbergs were determined that the envelopes and letters would be part of the book. We may take it for granted now that books can be interactive and playful but it took five years to make The Jolly Postman, partly because the Ahlbergs were insistent that all the details would work perfectly.

The Jolly Postman (1986)

"A Jolly Postman delivers letters to several famous fairy-tale characters such as the Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella, and the Three Bears. Twelve of the pages have been made into six envelopes and contain eight letters and cards. Each letter may be removed from its envelope page and read separately."

The Jolly Christmas Postman (1991)

"A Jolly Postman delivers Christmas cards to several famous fairy-tale characters such as the Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella, and the Three Bears. Each card may be removed from its envelope page and read separately. With 6 letters in pockets".

The Jolly Pocket Postman (1995)

"Join the jolly postman with his mailbag of delightful deliveries for Dorothy from Oz, Alice from Wonderland, and other favorite storybook characters."

These books are a perfect demonstration of the importance of familiarity with nursery rhymes and fairy tales and later classic stories like The Wizard of Oz.  I can see someone developing a thesis around all the myriad of references found in the text and in the tiny corners of the illustrations in each of these books. Look at this picture above - can you spy Rapunzel; Dick Wittington; Jack and the Beanstalk; the little crooked man; and others I cannot identify - can you?

On each page, there are different letters to read and each offers a fun insight into classic fairy tale characters. The letters also offer a chance of the reader to predict. “What will this letter to the Giant say? Who could it possibly be from?” This story is perfect for a bedtime or story-time reading with parent and child.  The story is a clever rhyming narrative of the Jolly Postman’s travels through fairytale land delivering letters to various fairytale creatures. ...  The letters are also written in a variety of styles: some are formal, such as the letter from the law office; others are informal, and misspelled, like the letter from Goldilocks. Each voice heard in the letters is distinct and unique.

One aspect of the three books that always fascinated and delighted me were the stamps and of course the creative addresses on each envelope.

Image adapted from Kathy apRoberts

Pick up your copies of the books and look for these stamps: Old King Cole; the Loch Ness Monster; Cinderella with her Prince and the glass coach; the Queen of Hearts; the Lion and the Unicorn; Georgie Porgie kissing the girl; the house in the tornado from the Wizard of Oz and even a postage paid stamp from "The Sunny side of the Street".

I also have some favourites among the inclusions inside the envelopes:

The Jolly Postman - Hobgoblin Supplies Ltd advertising page; the official publisher letter from Peter Piper Press and the mini book of Cinderella; and the formal legal letter to Mr Wolf from Meeny, Miny, Mo, & Co Attorneys at Law - here is an extract

"Please understand if this harassment does not cease, we will call in the Official Woodcutter, and - if necessary - all the King's horse and all the King's men."

The Jolly Christmas Postman - my favourite thing is the peep hole or concertina book in the final envelope. I mentioned this very recently. And of course the little jigsaw of Humpty Dumpty is such a terrific surprise.

From The Kids' Book Explorer

On a rainy day you could have hours of fun with these three books - reading all the inclusions and then playing all the games. You might also like to write some letters or postcards and actually post them - not just send an email - to a family member or friend. 

The Humpty Dumpty jigsaw puzzle, the Christmas card to Baby Bear from Goldilocks, 

the fold-out board game to Little Miss Riding Hood from a certain Mr Wolf, and

the Toytown Christmas Annual booklet

Now go back and look at other tiny details. For example look for the tiny old fashioned domestic items such as a vacuum cleaner; telephone; mantle clock; grandfather clock; a radio; the witch eating horrid jam; Cinderella has all her newly opened wedding presents beside her; and on the wall of the bedroom behind the wolf who is disguised as Grandma you will see a painting of Red Riding Hood herself. The postman reading his newspaper - Mirror Mirror; in hospital (in the Jolly Pocket Postman) a cat is visiting with a soccer ball and on the next page we see him scoring a goal - Allan Ahlberg loved soccer (football). Did you notice the Gingerbread Boy lives in a house made from a biscuit tin? There is a moving van called the 3 Little Pigs Ltd. There is just so much to discover and to TALK about in these glorious books. I do hope you can find all three to share with your child. 

Don't you love getting mail? Letters are so fun to open up and read, and here is this book, 

The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters, full of letters to people like the Three Bears, and Goldilocks, and the Giant from Jack and the Beanstalk. Cool, huh? I wonder who is writing to them? What kind of letters to fairy tale characters get, anyway? Hmmm. The only way to find out is to ask your parents for a trip to the library or bookstore to find this book. Then find a squishy, comfy chair, and get reading (or, have someone read it to you). Bugs and Bunnies

Image Source The Postal Museum on Facebook

Image source: The Federation of Children's Book Groups Facebook post

Meet the illustrator Binny Talib

Image Source: Telerah Public School Instagram

Binny Talib has illustrated over 30 books here and internationally, ranging from picture, baby board, non-fictions and chapters. She is an award-winning children’s book illustrator. Binny was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards for her illustration of Hark, It’s Me, Ruby Lee by Lisa Shanahan and this book also received an honour award by the CBCA. Binny has illustrated picture books for a range of publishers, including Scholastic, Hachette, Ladybird, Allen and Unwin, YoYo Belgium, Auzou France, Little Tiger Press (Two Sides with Polly Ho-Yen) and Oxford University Press.

Bookseller blurb: Jasper has just moved to a new school and feels invisible. Next door Juniper is afraid of creatures lurking in the shadows at night. When Juniper writes a letter to the night creatures, it mysteriously lands on Jasper's bed. Jasper knows what he must do. A story of fears, friendship and a little bit of outer space.

I went to a book launch at Gleebooks for this new book - The Letter Writer - by Binny Talib.  Congratulations to Rachel Robson always works so hard to make these events exciting for the children who come along. This Saturday morning event was packed with enthusiastic readers. And there were fun craft activities for the children and colourful cupcakes too. 

I love receiving letters and posting greeting cards. Many years ago, I set up a pen pal activity for a Grade 3 class in my school and a class in Pennsylvania - it was terrific. And in my very first year of teaching, forty years ago, I sent a letter to each of the children in my own Grade 3 class at the end of our first term together. Many of the parents commented that this was the first letter their child had ever received - this was long long before the advent of email of course. 

Here is one of my favourite books about letter writing (apart from the Jolly Postman series by Allan Ahlberg):

A Letter for Leo

I left with a few unanswered questions about Binny Talib so I did some internet digging tonight.

Unanswered questions:

• Is her name Binny short for a longer name such as Benita?
• How did illustrating for other authors help you on your own journey to becoming an author/illustrator?
• Her early books just used the name Binny - why did she change this?
• Does she write letters herself and post them in envelopes? Do you think this is still a good form of communication? A project between school classes inspired by this book was mentioned this morning but I have not been able to find a web link about this to share. 
• Binny gave the children, who had their book signed, a gift bag with a 'real stamp' inside - was this a real stamp I did find an image (see below) but I cannot find any details on the Australia post page. 

Image Source: Binny Talib Instagram

Here are some things I discovered about Binny Talib:

• She also designs wallpaper, cushions, textiles, mugs, toys and greeting cards.
• Her studio is in Sydney - right in the CBD.
• She made tiny envelopes for the end papers in her new book.
• Her first book was Origami Heart. (She did do a small self-published book first)
• The Letter writer is her second book as author and illustrator.

 

This might seem odd but I didn't think of Binny Talib as an Australian illustrator until very recently but of course that was silly because I really enjoyed this book Hark it's me Ruby Lee which was a CBCA Honour Book.

Hark, It's me Ruby Lee!

I think I made this mistake because I also enjoyed this book from the Little Gems series which I am sure come from the UK.

Two Sides

Here is a 2019 interview with Binny Talib. And here is one from 2023 with Kids' Book Review. You can hear Binny talking about her work on the podcast Reading with a Chance of Tacos. 

Here are the teachers notes (published 2023)

Blurb: Shout-outs to 50 awesome Australian women with easy-to-read biographies of their incredible achievements. From Cathy Freeman to Turia Pitt, Edith Cowan to Julia Gillard, Mum Shirl to Vali Myers, plus rally car drivers, molecular biologists and more, this book is a celebration of women in all fields, from all walks of life, and from Australia’s past and present. (2018)

Something like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango

Laura is sure it is all her fault. The authorities have taken her mum and dad away. Laura now has to live with an aunt who she does not know. She has to go to a new school. And she is not allowed to phone her mum or dad she can only write letters to the rehab facility. She is wracked with guilt. Why did she make that 911 phone call? This was such a bad decision, or was it?

Her aunt has so many house rules - Laura is constantly on edge worried about doing the wrong thing. Luckily school is okay and without even trying she does make a really good friend - a boy named Benson who is also an outsider. Benson has Sickle cell anemia which means he cannot join in sport activities and he has to spend long periods in hospital. Laura is not sure at first if it is wise to make a friend because surely she can go back home very soon - any day now - but then days become weeks, and weeks become months. 

I love books where a dog helps with the healing of a character - Laura finds an abandoned puppy. Her aunt does let him stay and Laura names him Sparrow. She finds out about a program where dogs can go into care facilities like the one where her parents are. They work as therapy dogs so all Laura needs to do is train Sparrow, pass the training test and then find a way to visit Harmonic Way. This is a good plan but then her parents discharge themselves, they disappear and even though she writes to them every week she never receives a reply. 

The review by Ms Yingling will give you lots more plot details (Spoilers too). Colby Sharp talks about Something Like Home: "Beautiful, powerful, unforgettable." I totally agree - this is a perfect Verse Novel - you can find more of them by selecting that label from my sidebar. Highly recommended for readers aged 11+.

Arango’s writing is a joy to read, combining strong storytelling, compelling characters, and rich language. Kirkus Star review

Arango’s writing is intimate and heartbreaking, tackling such hefty issues as cultural identity, addiction, the pain of displacement and the anxiety it causes, and the adulation and rationalization that a child in pain can offer to adults they love. Arango accomplishes this with the believable voice of a girl in crisis and by tapping into compassion for all the characters amidst moving scenes of joy and connection. Horn Book

Haunted by her guilt and lack of autonomy, Laura is struggling to find a place in a new school and in a house with rules she doesn’t understand when she discovers an abandoned puppy and sets out to train him as a therapy dog. Maybe he will be the key to visiting her parents so she can apologize and they can all go home together. School Library Journal

Companion books:

Waiting for Normal

Wish

When Friendship followed me Home

Almost Home

Scarlet Ibis

Cora Seen and Heard by Zanni Louise

"Do you ever feel like you're living inside a shell? Something hard and impenetrable? You think it's transparent - that people can see you. Then you realise they can't. No one can see you. The real you."

I read this book in one sitting and for an hour or two I was right inside Cora's head listening to her worries and the way she tries to navigate relationships with her peers and her family.

Readers who have had previous experience with books like this - realistic middle grade fiction - are sure to work out the major plot point long before the main character but that just adds to your reading enjoyment as you keep turning the pages desperate for Cora to 'see the obvious' about the old lady who lives just down the road from her new home and also understand why Elle has secrets. 

Just after grandad dies, Cora, her sister Bekah, along with mum Wendy and Dad Hank, have moved from Queensland to a small town in Tasmania. Dad has a talent for renovation, but this project could test him. They have bought an old, run down, disused theatre. In past years this was an important place in the town because it is where the famous jazz singer Clair de Lune once performed. 

Cora finds school difficult - she is always on the outside and she finds it very hard to make friends. Moving to a new school and new town Cora is determined to reinvent herself - moving from Cora 1.0 to Cora 2.0. She does have some ideas about how to do this but once again so many things go wrong. Luckily the kids in her new class, especially Elle, do know how to make a new friend and before long Cora finds herself part of a small team who are chosen to take on a community project. 

Cora 1.0 survived in her previous school by hiding out in the library. When things go wrong in the new school she finds the library again but then the Teacher-Librarian tells her the library is going to be changed into a classroom and there will be no Teacher-Librarian employed next year. Cora knows this has to be her community project. As an aside it is interesting to see which library books are mentioned in this story - Goosebumps; Heartstopper (Young Adult graphic novel); and Okay for Now by Gary D Schmidt. There are also lots of popular culture references to current musicians and bands and television shows such as The Voice. 

Here is some life advice from Cora:

• The louder your voice, the stronger you become.
• Flick your hair confidently as you follow your bestie onto the bus.
• Be amazing. You've got this.
• Find a cause.

Publisher blurb: Cora Lane gets tongue-tied, is often ignored and would rather hide in the library than step onto a stage. However, when her parents decide to renovate an old theatre in small-town Tasmania, Cora realises this is the perfect opportunity for her to reinvent her personality. Enter Cora 2.0, stage left.

When Cora quickly slips back into her old ways and has once again made friends with the librarian. rather than kids her own age, she feels lost. Frustrated she’s not the person she wants to be, she shares her deepest feelings with her imaginary pen pal. The last thing she’d expect is for her letters to go missing. And now, the real Cora Lane is about to go public, but is she ready?

This is one of those books that I have found difficult to pin down in terms of a suggested reader. Soiler alert - Cora does get her first period so that means I would say this book is for 11+. Her sister decides she is bisexual and forms a new relationship with her girlfriend. That means I would say this book is a Young Adult title. It also feels at times there is just one issue to many for the characters to grapple with - Elle has dyslexia; grandma is an alcoholic; and mum is trying to cope with the raw grief of losing her father and helping her elderly mother who now lives over 2000km away. 

The publisher offers this advice: This novel contains references to alcoholism, sexuality, puberty, abuse.

Here is a set of detailed Teacher Notes from the publisher Walker Books Australia. 

Each of these reviews has more plot details:

Brilliant in every way, Zanni Louise has created another amazing novel with a chain of personal stories and happenings about reinvention, loneliness, friendship, and family being the twine that binds things together. Kids' Book Review

Zanni Louise’s latest middle grade book focuses on the confusing feelings young people have at the age of about twelve, when primary school is finishing, when they’re hitting puberty and girls are going through lots of emotional changes and conflicts with friends and family, and where big changes can mean great upheaval – and not just a physical move or change. ... This story is as much about acceptance of the flaws in others as it is about flaws in ourselves, and the coming together of communities to celebrate the past and future. The Book Muse

What a very lovely and warm journey of self-discovery it is, and I am supremely sure that young readers will embrace this one ... Just So Stories

It was rather difficult writing the synopsis of Cora Seen and Heard as it has so many themes, all of which are explored with sensitivity, insight, and cleverly crafted writing. Reading Time

Here is another Australian book with the title Clair de Lune.  You are sure to know the famous music by Debussy but that is not especially relevant to this book because this character Clare de Lune is a jazz singer. I previously talked about another book by Zanni Louise - Queenie in seven moves. 

Companion books:

The Sideways Orbit of Evie Hart

Ode to a Nobody

Six Summers of Tash and Leopold by Danielle Binks

The title of this book is quite intriguing. You need to think about it both before and after reading this newest book by Danielle Binks. Before reading the title made me think was a Young Adult title - perhaps a first love story. And after reading this proved to be untrue. Also, the name choices are interesting. One is an abbreviated name and the other a full name. This could say Alytash and Leopold; or Tash and Leo.  As for the six summers you need to read the beginning of the book carefully to understand this idea. 

Tash's real name is Alytash Simons (a name I had no idea how to pronounce as I was reading) but she prefers to be called Tash. Leopold Zając has many names. His mum calls him Myszko which means mouse in Polish. His Uncle Alek calls him Lew which means lion also in Polish but in reality, he just wants everyone to call him Leo. Oh, and it would be great if everyone took the trouble to learn how to say his last name: Zye-onse.

Tash is unwell and has been in hospital for extended periods. She is sure her cancer will return, and she is terrified of this. This partly explains why, after years of friendship, she now seems to have rejected her friend Leo. She does not want to think about her life before or be reminded that she is 'the cancer girl'. Tash is staying home for now and homeschooling. 

Leo has his own demons. Dad has had to move away to live with his own parents in Western Australia because his gambling addiction has nearly ruined their family. Leo misses him dreadfully. 

As this story opens as Grade 6 is ending and so over the coming months Leo will start high school but instead of going to the local public comprehensive one, he has won a scholarship to the prestigious Como College. Leo is worried about leaving his only friend Rami and he is also dreading the long journey to reach this distant school each day. And he knows he has to live up to his mum's expectations. Then Leo discovers he simply cannot go to school. He is not deliberately avoiding high school but his anxiety is so acute he simply cannot attend. He can do his schoolwork at home but he simply cannot leave the house to catch the train. 

At the end of Grade 6 a couple of significant things have happened. Leo experienced his first dreadful panic attack and to make matters worse this happened in front of all the Grade 6 kids at the end of year waterslide day. Tash has not spoken to him in over a year and then suddenly she wants his help to deliver a letter to a lady, Mrs Shepparson, who lives nearby.

Mrs Shepparson has her own terrible life issues to deal with. Her son died aged twelve in the storm water drain, she is suffering from acrophobia, and developers are harassing her wanting to buy her sweet little house which is full of memories and colours. The only company she has is her dog named Rosie. And those letters (there seem to be lots of them) are a mystery. Then tragedy strikes and it seems the developers are to blame. All these things need to come together. Leo and Tash need to get to know Mrs Shepparson; Leo and Tash need to heal their friendship; and the bullying by the developers of the new housing estate must be uncovered and stopped.

Danielle Binks creates a strong sense of place in her book although it is fairly Melbourne centric. Having visited a few Melbourne suburbs (I do not live there) I could, however, easily visualise the street, culvert and storm water drain which are the main focus of the story. I read that the real suburb is Noble Park in Melbourne.

Blurb: Alytash and Leopold - Tash and Leo - are neighbours who used to be best friends, but aren't anymore, for reasons that Leo doesn't entirely understand. But now it's the last week of Year Six and Tash is standing in Leo's front yard with a misdelivered letter - and a favour to ask. It's a request that will set off a chain of events in their little crescent in Noble Park, a suburb that is changing, and fast. As they solve an unfolding neighbourhood mystery and help Ms Shepparson, a reclusive neighbour with a tragic past, Tash and Leo each has to confront fault lines in their own recent histories and families. They will discover that friendships can grow and change, that bravery takes many forms, and that, most of all - whatever the future holds - friends and family are what matter.

I think readers aged 11+ either at the end of Primary school or in High School will enjoy Six Summers of Tash and Leopold. I do like the cover. My label for this book is Young Adult - I wonder if this book has been submitted for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2025 and if it has, I think it might be a notable title.

Here are a few text quotes:

"I think it's a pretty good test of a friendship, being apart for a while and coming back together again, seeing if it makes you feel more or less like yourself."

"The past can never be changed, but 'history' is ongoing - we try to understand what happened, and we find new evidence or new accounts that fill out our understanding and provide new context. Which means history is an ongoing conversation that we can always learn more about, but the past is a fixed point that's just kind of there waiting for us to dig up and better understand. "

"Everyone keeps telling me that the cancer isn't back, that I've been given the all clear,' she made bunny rabbit air quotes with her fingers, ' but all I can hear is yet."

"It's easy for historians - they look at the past like rewinding a movie, able to skip backwards and forwards seamlessly so that all the events line up and make sense, dominoes falling in place along the timeline. Uncertainty doesn't factor in once the story's been written, and it's easy to forget the people in the middle of all that history, who never knew whether or not things would work out in the end."

Reading reviews of Six Summers of Tash and Leopold I made some discoveries - things I might not have thought of:

1.  It is essential to turn back to the beginning of this book and re read the letter Leo writes to Tash, which is how the book begins and yes, it is how the book ends too. 

2. The publisher has likened this book to Bridge to Terabithia and I thought oh no surely not but - well you need to discover why this is actually one book you could connect with Six Summers of Tash and Leopold.

Read this extensive interview with Paperbark Words and Joy Lawn. 

Review quotes:

This is really a book that displays the human condition at its best and worst, and we just love the characters all the more, for it. Both Tash and Leopold are authentic kids who we care deeply about, and they live on long after the book is finished. Fabulously for a YA novel, the conclusion makes you re-open the book at the first page to read again what you have already absorbed – a genuinely brilliant inclusion.  Kids' Book Review

The Six Summers of Tash and Leopold is also filled with wonderfully diverse characters. Leo has Polish heritage, Tash has mixed race South African heritage, and the peripheral characters come from various backgrounds: Rami is Indian, Fatemah has Muslim heritage, and the librarian at their primary school is non-binary. The Book Muse

As they solve an unfolding neighbourhood mystery and help Ms Shepparson, a reclusive neighbour with a tragic past, Tash and Leo each must confront fault lines in their own recent histories and families. They will discover that relationships can grow and change, that bravery takes many forms, and that, most of all – whatever the future holds – friends and family are what matter. Buzz Words

I do, however, need to do a little nit picking about this book. I really did not understand why the Primary School Teacher-Librarian was a non-binary person with the courtesy title Mx Chambers. I'm always happy find a kind, sympathetic, and in this case, wise teacher-librarian in any story or school library, but I found this character label inclusion a little contrived. I did do some research because this term was new to me, in fact at first I thought it was a typo, and here is what I discovered: Mx. is a title that indicates neither marital status nor gender. The Reading Time reviewer agrees with me about this small point. 

Speaking of typos - sorry I did warn you I was going to be a bit picky - if you have this book in your hands turn to page 225. I feel there might be a word missing from this sentence. It is not crucial to the plot but it confused me:

"At that, I threw my arms around Tash - pinning her own in place if only so I could help warm them - and I felt her turn her head and rest her cheek atop my head."

Is this meant to say pinning her arms in place? or pinning her hands in place? We have read in the previous section that it is winter, and they are both quite cold.

One more problem - sorry again. Leo and his former friend Rami are library monitors, or as they are called in this book Library Leaders. Clearly Danielle Binks does appreciate libraries. The Primary school library sounds terrific in contrast with the non-staffed, high tech, impersonal, and 'all for show' posh high school library. Early in the book Leo quotes his mum who quotes Professor R David Lankes - 

"Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great libraries build communities."

I watched this video by Danielle Binks from her Instagram page and I know she deeply appreciates school libraries but there is a small error in her story (well it feels like an error to me). Some libraries use little paper slips to record the date a book is due back - this was certainly a standard library procedure in the past. The little slips are called date due slips, not catalogue cards. As a teacher-librarian this sentence gave me a bit of a jolt (sorry I know this is so trivial). You can see examples below.

"Over the break I received a letter in the mail ... from Librarian Chambers. I guess they meant to give it to me at graduation, but then I didn't go. It was an old-school library catalogue card - the ones that used to be taped into the back of library books to show how many times a title had been borrowed, before everything got digitised."

Date Due slip ready for date stamping

Cards in a card catalogue

Companion books:

Grace Notes

The Year Mrs Montague Cried

The Honest Truth

Exit through the gift shop

A Good Night for Shooting Zombies