Unreal: Can you tell fact from fake? by Kate Simpson illustrated by Leila Rudge

"Some of the displays from our Myths and Legends exhibit were brought here to the Natural History wing (of the museum) by mistake. ... 

Could you help me sort the real-world animals from the myths?"

This is a fantastic book and it has been so thoroughly researched - and the coloured pencil illustrations by Leila Rudge are perfect. I was alerted to this book when I saw the brochure for a recent local children's CBCA NSW event where Kate Simpson was one of the guests. I will confess I don't read many nonfiction books but I really enjoyed testing myself on each of the challenges - real or unreal. AND I was wrong more than I was right.

Every teacher of Grades 3-6 and every school library should make a chart using the introductory page from this book which explores these important research questions:

• Who is providing me with this information?
• Do they have evidence for their claims?
• Why are they telling me this?
• How recent is the information?
• Do other sources agree?

The first habitat was easy - which is real which is unreal - Kraken; Vampire Squid; Marine Iguana; Narwhal; Lamprey = Kraken. But then I started to go wrong. I had never heard of a Chupacabra - turns out this creature is an urban legend. Thank goodness because it is supposed to drink the blood of its prey. I also learnt some new vocab from this book such as the word cryptid which means an animal that some people believe is real but whose existence is not backed by science - such as the Loch Ness Monster. I am also curious to read more about foxfire fungus; the turtle frog (its Australian); zombi ant fungus; and the plantasian. I did think sewer alligators could be real - luckily they are not. Kate Simpson tried to trick me but I knew the spaghetti tree was an April fool's joke.

This book would be a delight to share with a class. If you or your school are members of PETAA they have developed some teaching ideas. There are ten animal categories in this book. I think it would be fun to share one category with your students each week. You could share the page; spend three or four days researching the creatures; vote for your choice of 'unreal' and then reveal the truth at the end of each week. A related topic could be museums - check out this Pinterest. 

We know that sorting fact from fiction is a useful skill for all readers to acquire as early as possible. This book with its tantalizing topics, its brief descriptive texts accompanying the engaging illustrations will keep children engaged and learning for hours. It’s a book to explore, to delve into and to share. Storylinks

This book is brimming with fascinating creatures, some I had not heard of (the turtle frog, tarsier and jerboa to name some) and mesmerising facts for each creature. The facts included are unique to each animal and may include information about their diet, habitat, adaptations, temperament, as well as information about what makes them unique, their life cycle plus many other engaging facts. For the incredible plants and fungi included (a plant that moves, a tree with exploding fruit, a carnivorous plant and the zombie-ant fungus) readers will learn more enthralling facts about each of these. Reading opens Doors

Author blurb: There's been a mix-up at the Museum - some of the displays from the Myths and Legends exhibit have snuck into the Natural History wing. We have to sort it out, but how can we tell fact from fiction? Animal from apparition? Megafauna from monster? Kids will have fun guessing which animals and plants are real and which are fake in this extraordinary exhibition of the strange and wonderful animals and plants that inhabit our world ... and our imaginations. And a brilliant guide to help us know what to look for when tracking down truths.

I missed this book last year - I was so pleased to see Unreal was a 2025 CBCA Eve Pownall Notable title. 

I previously adored these books by Kate Simpson:

How to move a zoo

Ouch!

Leila Rudge is the illustrator of two books that I really loved sharing with readers in my school library. We have sent her an invitation to participate in our IBBY Australia Mini Masterpiece art auction for 2025. I do hope she agrees to send us a post card sized piece of her beautiful art.

Gary

Once upon a small rhinoceros

IBBY Australia

Dear Leila,

We need your support. We were so delighted by the success of the inaugural 2023 Mini Masterpieces fundraiser that we’re going to run it again to raise funds for the Australian branch of the International Board on Books for Young People, IBBY Australia. 

We’re inviting celebrated Australian children’s book illustrators to donate post-card sized artworks for an online auction. Can you take part?

Formed in 1966, IBBY Australia is one of 82 National sections of IBBY, and each year must pay a membership fee of almost $10 000 to remain part of the international IBBY organisation.

IBBY was established following the Second World War and aims to build bridges to international understanding through children’s books. As you may be aware, IBBY Australia promotes Australian authors and illustrators by submitting their work for several IBBY administered international awards, including:

• the Hans Christian Andersen Award

• IBBY Honour Book List

• the Silent Books collection 

• the Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities list 

The Mini Masterpieces auction will run from 14 November to 28 November, with the original artworks promoted as a unique Christmas gift. Each piece will have a reserve of $75.

We welcome your support to help IBBY Australia continue to promote Australian creators internationally. Your contribution will be acknowledged and celebrated on our website and our social media channels. 

The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicolas Day illustrated by Brett Helquist

Who stole the Mona Lisa?  This book is a fantastic mystery/detective story. By the end you might discover the answer to this age old question. 

Publisher blurb: On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the director of the Louvre and shouted, La Joconde, c’est partie! The Mona Lisa, she’s gone! No one knew who was behind the heist. Was it an international gang of thieves? Was it an art-hungry American millionaire? Was it the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who was about to remake the very art of painting? Travel back to an extraordinary period of revolutionary change: turn-of-the-century Paris. Walk its backstreets. Meet the infamous thieves—and detectives—of the era. And then slip back further in time and follow Leonardo da Vinci, painter of the Mona Lisa, through his dazzling, wondrously weird life. Discover the secret at the heart of the Mona Lisa—the most famous painting in the world should never have existed at all. Here is a middle-grade nonfiction, with black-and-white illustrations by Brett Helquist throughout, written at the pace of a thriller, shot through with stories of crime and celebrity, genius and beauty.

Here is a detailed summary of the plot.

Here are some text quotes to give you a flavour of the writing in this book - it is funny at times, and shocking and interesting and even matter of fact. 

None of them saw the man leave the closet. But if any had, they might not have noticed. He was wearing a white smock, the uniform of the Louvre maintenance workers. It was a suit of invisibility. He was too normal to be noticed.

The Mona Lisa was gone for over twenty-four hours before anyone realized it was gone. If not for the persistence of Louis Béroud, it might have been days. It might have been a week. The theft of the Mona Lisa—the art heist of the century—was discovered because Louis Béroud got bored. The Louvre was lucky.

Everyone in Paris could tell you it was obvious what had happened. It was just that everyone told you something different was obvious. It was blackmail, obviously. It was sabotage, obviously. It was the work of a madman, obviously. It was the work of an extremely wealthy man, obviously.

I especially love the way the narrative flipped between scenes and characters and also back to the time of Leonardo himself. 

Back in Florence, he hears from a silk merchant who wants a portrait of his wife. And in 1503, Leonardo, after turning down far more prestigious commissions, after expressing little interest in painting at all, says yes to Francesco del Giocondo. No one knows why. If Leonardo met Lisa before he took the commission—we don’t know whether he did—maybe he saw something in her. Something that took him beyond financial calculations. Or maybe not. Why this woman? It ranks among the greatest mysteries in the history of art.

I read The Mona Lisa Vanishes last year (on my Kindle) while traveling. Over the coming days and weeks I am catching up on all the books I still need to share. I highly recommend The Mona Lisa Vanishes for readers aged 11+ and then you should plan a trip to an art gallery or even better time in Paris to see the actual painting and all the other treasures in the Louvre. The narrative style combined with all the actual facts of the case plus lots of background information about Leonardo make this book an engrossing one to read.  

Awards: The Mona Lisa Vanishes won the Robert F. Sibert Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for nonfiction. And A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year • A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year • A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year • A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Best Book of the Year • Booklist “Top of the list—Youth Nonfiction” 2023 • NPR "Books We Love" 2023 • New York Public Library Best Book of 2023 • Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2023 • The Week Junior “The Fifty Books Kids Love Most”.

A multistranded yarn skillfully laid out in broad, light brush strokes ... Kirkus Star review

Colby Sharp talks about this book - I agree with so many of his thoughts - so many things you will learn about this painting and its rise to fame and the myriad of characters involved in the theft. 

I am quoting the entire School Library Journal review:

Most readers will not know that the Mona Lisa painting was once stolen from its home at the Louvre. This nonfiction middle grade book contextualizes this historic moment with world events. The publicity that surrounded the theft only added to the painting’s fame. Readers will learn of the heist, discover new connections to other artists, and find out fascinating details and facts of the long-ago crime. Moving back and forth between the caper and the life of Leonardo da Vinci, the text takes readers around the world figuratively and literally. Day writes in a pleasant conversational style, addressing readers directly. The story moves along at a reasonable pace and includes many historical figures; the abundance of cultural references makes the story challenging, but interesting.

Take a look at my previous post about Leonardo's Horse. You might like to explore these books too:

Oscar's Lion by Adam Baron illustrated by Benji Davies

Reading this book is a roller-coaster ride. Oscar wakes up (a little later than usual) and he wonders why his parents didn't call out telling him to get ready for school. He picks up his favourite book, reading this is part of their family morning routine, and he heads along the hallway to his parent's room. BUT his mum and dad are gone and in their place he finds a huge lion. 

Sadly, I cannot tell you too much more because anything I say here will spoil this story. Since I have given this book four stars and because the paperback edition has only just arrived here in Australia I am going to suggest you go out and find or buy or borrow this book yourself - I am certain you will enjoy it because there are so many surprises here including flying a spitfire plane and meeting Admiral Nelson and being part of the Battle of Trafalgar but just how this, and many other things happen, and how it all relates to a lion, are things you need to discover for yourself. 

Content warning - there is a distressing scene near the beginning of this book (it's okay the lion has not eaten Oscar's parents) involving a bully and a birthday party and some vicious cruelty towards young Oscar but the resolution of this will give you a smile. 

This is definitely a story where you just have to suspend disbelief and roll with it. There is no point in wondering why Oscar is not more upset about his missing parents and there is no point in thinking it is all very convenient that the lion can shape-shift into an insect or a bird. Yes, there are some deeply sad moments in this story along with some that are funny and slightly incredible. As an adult reader you may have guessed the ending long before your young reading companion, but I think that will just allow you both to go back and hunt out the story signposts. The reviewer at BookBag disagrees. 

The narrative voice accepts all of the magical at face value and is a skilful portrayal of a child’s view of the complexity of life as the plot tumbles through historical, real life and eccentric exploits. Books for Keeps

Listen to the first couple of chapters here. The audio is perfect and this could be way to introduce this story to your young reader or library group. You can read a brief interview with Adam Baron about the topic of grief. And you can read more about him and see his other books here. 

My copy of this book has an extra very appealing feature - the fore edge is red. The fore edge is a term used to describe the vertical edge of a book opposite the spine. The part you see when the book is closed. This, along with illustrations by the wonderful Benji Davies, is why I picked up this book in one of our large chain bookstores. 

Summer of Shipwrecks by Shivaun Plozza

Do you have a best friend? Is this friendship so important to you that you would try to change yourself to keep this friend? Is it possible to think of someone as your best friend when you only meet once a year for two weeks when your families visit a seaside campground? It is this last point that I found a little unlikely and yet this was the main driver of the plot - with Sid desperate to win the approval of Lou. 

Sid regards Lou as her best friend and so when Lou brings Hailey along this year it is clear things will be different. You have read this plot line before I am sure - once there were two friends and now there are three girls - is there a way they can all be friend. The annual holiday location is called Shipwreck Coast and Sid is totally caught up in the story of a shipwreck from years ago. 

"Since forever I've spent the last two weeks of summer holidays camping at Penlee Point, so I know about every shipwreck that's ever happened her. ... The Penlee set off form London ... March, 1879; there were fifty -four people on board; ... the Penlee hit a reef off Desperation Point and only took ten minutes to sink; the ship was carrying nineteen million dollars worth of treasure; ... only one person survived: Katherine Natpier."

Last summer Sid and Lou found a coin which surely must come from the ship's treasures. Sid has huge plans for her time with Lou but this year everything is different. Hailey just wants to sit on the beach. Hailey is 'cool' and she wears a bikini and she has her period. Hailey seems to know about boys - how to flirt with them and get their attention. None of this interest Sid but she feels she needs to change so she and Lou can go back to the way things were.

It has taken me a while to read this book mainly because instead of settling down and reading long sections I tended to read only 3-5 pages at a time. I was a little invested in the main character Sid but most of the time she really exasperated me. I just wanted to say 'please stop trying to please Lou because she is no longer noticing you'. 'Please be brave enough to be yourself'. 'Please stop making promises and telling lies so you can get back with Lou'. Lou is giving all her attention to Hailey and Lou in turn is letting Hailey manipulate her activities, taste, reactions to boys and especially her relationship with Sid. Growing up should not be this hard. Poor Sid. 

The suggested age for this book is 10+ but I think it might better suit 11+. Other reviewers really enjoyed this book:

Summer of Shipwrecks is a tender and poignant story of best friends growing apart, and the grief that accompanies this change. It’s also an exciting mystery of long-ago shipwrecks and lost treasure, and how life continues – even after incredible suffering. For me, a highlight is the relationship which slowly develops between Sid and her almost-stepsister, which vividly relates all the awkwardness, pain, and surprising moments of joy which can occur as two families become one. Readers ... who like contemporary, character-driven fiction will wholeheartedly enjoy this story. StoryLinks

ReadPlus review. Reading Opens Doors.

Here is an interview with the author and Joy Lawn for Paperbark Words. There is a link to a set of teachers notes for Summer of Shipwrecks on the UQP page but in my view this is not a book I would use for class study - it feels more like a book to be read privately by a girl who is either at the end of Primary School (Grade 6) or just beginning High School. 

If your readers enjoy this book, I would recommend these companion books especially Junonia which follows very similar themes of change and growing up and summer holidays and altered expectations. 

Shouting at the rain (5 stars from me)

Junonia (5 stars from me)

The first summer of Callie McGee

You could also look for a couple of older books - Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord (2014); and Takers and Returners by Carol Beach York (1974).

Just before I left for the IBBY Congress in Trieste a parcel arrived from UQP (University of Queensland Press).  I simply didn't have time to read the two books which were released 3rd September - Summer of Shipwrecks The Lost History by Melanie La'Brooy. The Lost History is a sequel to The Wintrish Girl but with over 430 pages I won't be ready to talk about this one for a week or two. 

I previously read this book by Shivaun Plozza:

Meet me at the Moon Tree

Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children's Books

Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books is a museum and visitor centre dedicated to children's literature and based in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, close to the city's regenerated Quayside. The renovated Victorian mill in which it is housed has seven levels.

Why seven? The theory is that there are seven story topics or themes:

• Quest
• Overcoming the Monster
• Rags to Riches
• Voyage and Return
• Tragedy
• Rebirth
• Comedy

In 2012 I attended the London IBBY Congress and that is when I first heard about Seven Stories which opened in 2005. Actually, while I was at the London event I visited a similar museum in Oxford which was just about to open - The Story Museum. 

After attending the 2024 IBBY Congress in Trieste I travelled to Newcastle-on-Tyne so I could spend a day at Seven Stories. Unfortunately, possibly because it was a Monday, no one was there. I had hoped to meet an administrator or a member of the museum staff. I did email several times prior to my visit and I followed and commented on their social media posts over the previousl weeks. Seven Stories does open on a Monday so I went along to the first story time of the day with Tom (see below). Oddly I was the only one there. Tom reads a picture book three times a day on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and once each hour on the weekend. I also met the education staff who were very busy preparing for several school visits the following week. On my visit Tom read Into the Forest by Anthony Browne.

The exhibitions in Seven Stories at the time of my visit were - Judith Kerr and The Tiger who Came to Tea; Judith Kerr and the Mog series; Bob Graham original art from Jethro Byrd Fairy child winner of the 2002 Kate Greenaway Medal; art by Helen Craig for her Angelina Ballerina series; Tony Ross; Nicholas Allen; and Helen Cooper. The bookshop also had some wonderful picture books, middle grade and YA titles for sale. 

I was thrilled by one display. A display case with the author notebook showing the inspiration for this dystopian novel. I adored the book Where the River Runs Gold by Sita Brahmachari. 

If you are in the UK or you live in the UK do go to Seven Stories but take some children - ideally aged 4-8. There are interactive activities, dressing up clothes, small stages, colouring pages, and creative spaces on every level along with tons of books which are scattered around ready to read. 

The other thing I sadly missed out on this visit was an exploration of the archives. These are held in the city library and are available if you make an appointment. I discovered this on the day of my visit, so I was too late to make a booking. If I had been able to prepare for this, I might have asked to see the box with 45 pieces relating to Sunshine by Jan Ormerod, or work by PJ Lynch (9 pieces including Catkin), or Martin Waddell, or Barbara Firth or Angela Barrett (The Snow Queen). They have:

• Over 250 authors and illustrators  
• Book collection of over 36,000 texts  
• 1000 metres of shelving = about 10 football pitches long! 
• Material is stored in over 2500 boxes 
• The oldest item is almost 250 years old! 

Britain has a wonderful heritage of writing and illustration for children – from The Famous Five to We're Going on a Bear Hunt, British children’s books are among the best known and most widely read in the world. Seven Stories are the custodians of a unique and ever-growing national archive of modern and contemporary British children’s literature dating from the 1930s to the present. Our Collection includes artwork, manuscripts, dummy books, correspondence, editors notes, proofs, and anything else that helps us explore how books are created. The collection includes material by over 250 authors and illustrators including Enid Blyton, Philip Pullman, Robert Westall, Judith Kerr, Edward Ardizzone and Kaye Webb.

Here are the addresses:

Seven Stories
The National Centre for Children’s Books
30 Lime Street, Ouseburn
Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 2PQ

City Library

Charles Avison Building

33 New Bridge Street West

Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8AX

If you live in Australia, we do have our own National Centre for Australian Children's Literature in Canberra. They have a wealth of resources and fabulous databases and from time to time they host exhibitions. 

And after your visit Seven Stories you should also head up the road to The Biscuit Factory - it's an art space with painting, sculpture, jewelry and more all for sale plus a bonus wonderful cafe. The Seven Stories cafe is quite basic so I highly recommend heading to The Biscuit Factory instead. I had the most delicious meal there. 

Brian Wildsmith exhibition South Yorkshire

For the first time Brian’s personal collection of over 40 colourful original illustrations, early works, drawings and paintings will be on display in the beautiful setting of the Cooper Gallery. The walls will be filled with colour and vivid characters. It’s a perfect destination for art lovers of all ages and our younger visitors can enjoy our specially created forest activity area ‘Brian’s Wild Wood’, upstairs in the Sadler Room.

Read more about this exhibition here. And also here on the Brian Wildsmith web page. I hope to visit later this month. He illustrated well over 100 books and also did many book covers early early in his career. He illustrated the cover of our Australian book Tangara by Nan Chauncy in 1960. 

Liberty fabrics have made a range of material to celebrate his work and in the video you can hear Brian Wildsmith's voice. 

Brian Lawrence Wildsmith was born on 22 January 1930 in Penistone. In 1946 he enrolled at the Barnsley School of Art. In 1962 he was Awarded the Kate Greenaway medal for his work on the book, ‘ABC’. His vibrant use of colour and depictions of animals became his trademark. In the 1970s Brian and his family moved permanently to France. In 1994 a Brian Wildsmith Art Museum was opened in Izu-kogen, in the south of Tokyo in Japan, closing the year he died in 2016. (source Barnsley Museums Blog) Read more here. 

Here are some Kirkus review comments:

• As usual with Wildsmith's work, the animals and birds are superb ...
• ... no one should forgo Wildsmith's delectable art with its delicately glowing colors and wonderfully imaginative juxtapositions of harmonious images.
• Wildsmith has outdone himself in splendid paintings of a lush tropical isle aglow between a richly luminous sky and a gloriously beautiful sea.

This gorgeous budgie illustration comes from his book Circus:

This sweet little hedgehog is from his book Wild Animals

You can see cover images of all books by Brian Wildsmith here. My own favourites are:

Daisy

I used to own these glorious alphabet cards and animal cards (hope the person who has them now loves them as much as I did).

Animal Gallery the cover at the top of this post is a book about collective nouns - a pride of lions; a corps of giraffes; a wedge of swans; a party of rainbow fish; a stare of owls; and more.

Awards:

1963 Kate Greenaway Medal: The Lion and the Rat.

Kate Greenaway Medal: The Oxford Book of Poetry for Children.

1964 Horn Book Honor List. 

New York Times Book Review List of Outstanding Books.

1965 The Brooklyn Art Books for Children Citation: 1 2 3.

New York Times Book Review List of Outstanding Books.

1966 Hans Christian Andersen Award: runner-up.

New York Times Book Review List of Outstanding Books. 

1967 The Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal: Birds.

New York Times: Best illustrated book of the year: Birds.

New York Times Book Review List of Outstanding Books.

1968 Hans Christian Andersen Award: runner up.

1971 Kate Greenaway Medal: The Owl and the Woodpecker.

1982 Kurt Maschler Award short-listed: Pelican.

1991 Ushio Publication Culture Award: In recognition of his distinguished achievements.

1994 Selected as one of The Children’s Books of the Year: The Easter Story.

1995 The CD Rom of: The Christmas Story, won the Grand Prix of European Multi-Media.

1998 National Jewish Book Awards, Finalist: Exodus/Moses.

2000 Parent Council Ltd, Selected as outstanding: The Easter Story.

Children’s Literature, Choice List: Moses.

2001 - 2002 Children’s Crown Award reading Programs, Nominee List: Moses.

2005 Book Sense, Easter/Passover, Top Ten Picks List: Moses.

Have you seen Dinosaur? by David Barrow

This is one of those terrific books where your young reading companion (aged 2+) will know way more than the main character.  Yes, there are plenty of dinosaurs but the little boy keeps missing them. You will even see one on the end papers.

I counted seven dinosaurs on the final page. Why not head to your library now and go to the non fiction shelf [567.9] and grab a few dinosaur books and then try to identify the dinosaurs in this book. There are other visual jokes too - such as the pigeon and the dog on each page. Watch out - the pigeon is riding a skateboard. I also love all the characters on the train especially the punk girl with her spiked hair and nose ring. This is a book you could also share with a slightly older group who might identify all the environmental print - street signs, newspapers, even number plates!

The joy of this book lies in the interplay between the dead-pan words on the page: ‘None here. Let’s keep looking.’, the images and the reader’s engagement with the search. ... This is a book to share time and again with readers from two or three upwards who won’t get tired of dinosaur hide and seek. Just Imagine

This is also a lovely story about friendship, and Barrow’s artwork is dreamy, painterly and stunning as well as being totally perfect for young readers. A fabulous read for any time of day, which will definitely get plenty of repeat reads. Book Trust

Here is an interview with David Barrow. He lists his own favourite illustrators as:  Brian Wildsmith, Alice and Martin Provensen, Evaline Ness, and David McKee. I’m also drawn to modern artists with a unique visual language, such as Isabelle Arsenault, Marta Altés and Birgitta Sif.

Have you seen Dinosaur is the sequel to this:

The Swallowtail Legacy: Wreck at Ada's Reef by Michael D. Bell

Meadowlark Elizabeth Heron-Finch is known as Lark and she has returned to the island where her mother lived as a child. Lark has come with her sister Pip (Sandpiper Alanna Heron-Finch), with their stepfather Thomas and his three sons.

"When I was five, and Pip was three, our dad died ... That same summer Thomas's wife was killed by a falling tree branch when she was jogging in Central Park. Four and a half years later, Mom married Thomas. ... So we had kind of a Brady Bunch thing going for a couple of years but then, three months ago, Mom died, and what was left? Thomas and his kids, and then Pip and me. I don't know what we are exactly, but it doesn't quite feel like a family."

The Island of Swallowtail is holding a mystery. One resident now claims the island is his because of an inheritance. He has a plan to develop the island with holiday houses and a golf course but one resident - Nadine Pritchard - is desperate to find the truth and stop this dreadful development which will ruin their tiny island home. Nadine was Kate's (that's Larks Mom) best friend. She is also the granddaughter of a man who was killed in a boating accident many years ago off the coast of the island. This is where describing this story could get a bit complicated.

Captain Edward Cheever was born on Swallowtail island. His wife and young daughter Ada died during the flu epidemic. Edward Cheever has only one brother named Gilbert. 

"So, when Captain Cheever dies, he owns all this land, everything north of this line. Something in the neighborhood of five hundred acres, or almost twenty percent of the island. A lot of land. Unfortunately, the only will that the captain leaves behind is one written in the 1930s that, naturally, leaves everything to his wife and daughter. One little problem: they're already dead. So who gets it all? His only living heir, the brother he hates, Gilbert."

So now we have several mysteries to solve. Did Captain Cheever write a new will? If so where is it? What do his dying words (will, safe, two bells, Ada holds the key) mean? Was the boating death of Albert Pritchard really an accident? Did one of the witnesses leave something important out of the inquest into his death? Why is the woman at the Cheever Museum so nasty? You need to read this book to find all the answers to these and many more questions.

There are a lot of characters in this story and I did find at times I was a little bit confused but that may be because I read this book a little too quickly. It might have been helpful if the author had popped a character list at the beginning of the book perhaps.

Here is the publisher blurb: Twelve-year-old Lark Heron-Finch is steeling herself to spend the summer on Swallowtail Island off the shores of Lake Erie. It’s the first time she and her sister will have seen the old house since their mom passed away. The island’s always been full of happy memories—and with a step father and his boys and no mom, now everything is different.When Nadine, a close family friend, tells Lark about a tragic boat accident that happened off the coast many years before, Lark’s enthralled with the story. Nadine’s working on a book about Dinah Purdy, Swallowtail’s oldest resident who had a connection to the crash, and she’s sure that the accident was not as it appeared. Impressed by Lark’s keen eye, she hires her as her research assistant for the summer.And then Lark discovers something amazing. Something that could change Dinah’s life. Something linked to the crash and to her own family’s history with Swallowtail. But there are others on the island who would do anything to keep the truth buried in the watery depths of the past.

Each character, historic and contemporary, sparks with life. Lark’s process and the reveals are perfectly paced. Descriptions of the island and weather, plus some dramatic moments on rough water, help build atmospheric tension.  Kirkus Star review (this reviewer also said Readers will be hooked—more, please!)

I love the way Thomas inserts wise quotes into his everyday conversations by people like Marcus Aurelius, Aristotle, and Cicero.

If your reader aged 10+ loves a good mystery story they are sure to enjoy Wreck at Ada's Reef. I would pair this book Out of the Wild Night by Blue Balliet. And the publisher links this book with The Parker Inheritance.

The Parker Inheritance

Here is the website of Michael D Bell. And here is an interview where he talks about is book. Nearly everything is resolved at the end of the first installment in this series except we do need to know more about the little bird that Lark found in her bedroom and also more the book that was carved inside to hold this little treasure. The second book from the series The Swallowtail legacy was published in 2023 and it takes up this part of the mystery.

Here is the Kirkus review

Cornbread and Poppy at the Museum by Matthew Cordell

Each year at this time Betsy Bird (School Library Journal) posts 31 lists over 31 days. This is such a generous series of posts and a rich source of new books to discover.  Here is her list of Easy Books and Early Chapter Books. The list has 25+ titles. I would also add all three books in the Cornbread and Poppy series to this list. I have talked about this series previously.

In this newest installment (published 2023) Cornbread is so excited to receive an invitation to the gala function at the Moonville Museum. A new surprise exhibit will be revealed. Cornbread loves so many of the museum displays. It is a favourite place to visit where he can see:

Toothbrushes through Time; Molds and Fungi; Insect specimens; Antique cheese graters; and the Mummified peanut (this is my favourite item).

His invitation to the Founders Gala is for Cornbread and a guest. Gourmet cheeses, nuts and juices will be served. Fancy attire is required.

Naturally Cornbread has invited Poppy but she is not really keen on events like this and has no interest in museums. She does put on her "glamorous dress with sparkles" and great-great-auntie Twick's fancy hat. Little does she know this hat is of great significance and yes there is a museum disaster but everything is neatly resolved in the end - thank goodness. 

Bookseller blurb: Cornbread LOVES spending time inside. Poppy does not. Cornbread ADORES in-depth research. Poppy does not. Cornbread is THRILLED to visit The Moonville Museum. Poppy…is not. But Cornbread and Poppy are the best of friends, so when Cornbread is invited to attend the Founders Gala to see the unveiling of a surprise new exhibit, Poppy agrees to be his guest. Their evening is full of spectacular treasures, including hand-carved hairbrushes, diamond-encrusted perfume sprayers, and a solid gold ice cream scoop. What other wonders will these mice discover? 

The friends’ charming camaraderie shines in this sweet, gently humorous early reader ... No need to visit a museum to find an exhibit of best friendship; see it on display right here. Kirkus

After or even before reading this book it would be terrific to take your young reading companion to a local museum so they gain a sense of how the displays are set out and perhaps encounter some new vocabulary. Reading this book you may need to talk about the idea of a gala and also ancestry. Your family might also adopt a new expression 'Cornbread cleaned up nice!' 'Poppy cleaned up nice!'

I recommend shopping around for the Cornbread and Poppy books. I picked up my paperback copy in a city bookstore today for just AUS$13 but one of our popular Australian online booksellers lists this book at nearly AUS$19.  Do think about adding this series to your school library. Young children who are just ready for easy/beginner chapter books also need books with terrific stories that are fun and worth reading. Listen to Matthew Cordell talking about his book series.

A truly great easy book must use literally the simplest of words to convey a title so interesting that it makes a child want to know how to read. Betsy Bird

Here are the three Cornbread and Poppy books that have been published and the newest one which will arrive in 2024.

Out of the Wild Night by Blue Balliett

"These old houses were built to survive, and their materials actually last longer and adapt better than most modern materials. An old wooden house expands and shrinks, it understands how to be 

moist and then dry without damage, it breathes."

"As long as the settled landscape of an old house remains, we spirits, those of us whose lives were anchored in its walls and floors, who were born, gave birth, and died inside them, can stay. 

As can our dreams."

Beautiful old homes are being knocked down all over Nantucket. This has stirred up the ghosts. The developer is like a vulture waiting for older residents die or move out of the homes. He promises to keep all the heritage features but in truth he just knocks everything down and throws away all the beautiful timbers and fixtures. A group of young children, who are islanders, are dismayed to see all this destruction and one of the ghosts - Mary Chase, who has been dead over 100 years has woken up. She can see what is happening now in the 21st Century. She is frustrated, though, because no one on the island can hear her. The children can however see other ghosts of people and children from long ago. The children have always played at the graveyard and so they are familiar with the names of children from long ago. The island ghosts begin to take action by sabotaging the building works and frightening the workers and officials. But can these beautiful old homes be saved in time and will this help the ghosts to settle back into their graves?

Here are some real Nantucket homes:

It did take me nearly a week to read this book and it won't feature as my favourite by Blue Balliett but the premise and relationships between the children and several of the adults held my attention. Best of all the ending was a huge shock. By coincidence, while I was reading this book, I watched as a sweet little mid-century modern home was demolished just around the corner from my house so some parts of this story were extra poignant.

"Sorry house. I should have asked. I'm Phoebe Folger Antoine (Phee). I live inside the home in your picture, and my family always has. Can I take this and keep it safe? I promise I'll hang it right up.' The door blows back open, and a yellow-handled screwdriver rolls across the floor, stopping in front of the group. The kids stand quietly for a moment, looking at it. 'I think that's a yes ... and may be the house wants us to replace the old front door before we go."

Publisher blurb: Ghosts are alive on the island of Nantucket. You can hear them in the wind, and in the creaks of the old homes. They want to be remembered. And, even more, they want to protect what was once theirs. The ghosts seem to have chosen a few local kids to be their messengers -- and to help save the island. But in this mystery, the line between those who haunt and those who are haunted is a thin one -- and the past and the present must come to terms with one another in order to secure the future.

About 14,000 people live on the island of Nantucket. It is off the coast of Massachusetts. It is a very popular destination with tourists and the population grows to 40,000 in the Summer. In the early days the main industry was whaling. 

Blue Balliett says: I first came to Nantucket as a summer worker at age 18 and fell under the spell of this magical island. I married my husband Bill on Nantucket a few years later, and we’ve lived and worked here, off and on, for many decades. Two of our three kids were born here. I’ve heard many, many ‘real’ ghost stories… and finally, after writing six mysteries set in the Chicago area and published by Scholastic Press, got brave and wild enough to write Out of the Wild Night… It’s my love poem to this extraordinary, unique island and its year-round community, its oldest houses, and their ghosts.

Modern themes and old-fashioned values in a ghostly Nantucket wonder, with a twist. Kirkus Star review

Ms. Balliett kept me captivated, guessing…and second guessing, in this Middle-Grade, ghost-story mystery. Easily evident is her admiration and adoration of Nantucket and I enjoyed learning about the island and its people. Buried Under Books

When you finish this book, you will want to go back and reread chapter 3 (or listen to the audio sample below). You will also want to grab some wonders or donuts to celebrate solving this mystery. This book was published in 2018 and the paperback is still available.

Listen to an audio sample here. 

I have read and loved other books by Blue Balliett so when I spied this book (hardcover with a dust jacket) at a recent charity book sale for just $3 I grabbed it with both hands.

The Calder Game; Hold Fast

Companion book:

Magrit