Run by Sarah Armstrong

Cas (short for Casper) has experienced some dreadful things in his short life. He is only twelve. His mum left him and his dad when Casper was just four years old. He has no real memory of her, but he has so many unanswered questions. Did she leave because he did something wrong? Does she miss him? Where does she live now? Cas is left with his dad but that's when life becomes even harder because dad cannot cope. He does not buy food, he has no job and he shows no affection towards his young son. Cas is forced to scavenge for food in dumpsters. If anyone offers him the tiniest touch of affection it almost overwhelms him. Eventually Cas is sent to live with Mel - his father's sister and his aunt. She tries hard and is able to give Cas a stable home but then, unbeknown to Cas, his father wants to resume contact. Mel organises for Cas to spend a day with his father but he absolutely does not want to go. At the last minute Mel is unwell and so she sends Cas with her former partner Kimberley. 

Cas is seething, so when Kimberley's car veers off the road, Cas takes his chance and dives out of the car and runs away. Note the title of this book - run! Cas is now running. He thinks of the way people survive on television series like Alone. Of course, he lacks skills and equipment, and he knows he has put himself into a dangerous situation and then he meets three people - a father and his two daughters. They have been living in the bush for two years but why? And who are these people? Can he trust them? How will he find his way home without them? But then there is a major landslide and it seems he is stuck. 

Waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to keep reading is a sign of a great book. I started Run at about 9pm one night and by the middle of the next day I finished off the whole book. I think this action thriller will greatly appeal to readers aged 10+. It is a survival story but is it also a story about forgiveness and about 'growing up'.

Publisher blurb: Cas thought running away from home would solve all his problems. But he didn’t count on getting hopelessly lost in the tangled Australian bush. Alone and afraid, Cas has given up all hope of rescue when he stumbles upon a strange family hiding out in the wilderness. He won’t survive without their help. But when he discovers they’re also on the run – from something so big, they won’t even talk about it – he realises his problems are just beginning …

This is a fast-paced survival story that also manages to thoughtfully address themes of family and forgiveness. Set in the bush, it’s an exciting read filled with strong, memorable characters. The plot is gripping, yet written with sensitivity and an inclusive approach. Readings Melbourne

Without giving away too much that would spoil the suspense or the story itself, it really has many layers and moral dilemmas entwined throughout and will have you questioning what you would do if you were not only in Cas’ situation, but also that of Mack, Pearl and Viv. And then there are the feelings and emotions that his family and friends are going through, not knowing where Cas is, or if he is even safe. A suspenseful and fast-paced story of survival, with many twists and turns, but also a story of family, friendship, trust and belonging, and is suited to those in lower secondary and also to those in upper primary as well. Lamont

Companion reads:

The Honest Truth

Cop and Robber

Being Jimmy Baxter

The Lovely and the Lost

Sunshine

Pax

A Different Dog

Drift by Pip Harry

How did he see the video?

Who showed him?

Why did he watch it?

Does he see me differently now?

Can we ever be friends again?

Nate has moved from Singapore to Sydney. His mum has a serious issue with her spine and can no longer work. She talks about her days in terms of spoons and often by the end of the day she has no spoons left. Dad is back in Singapore but he will join them soon. Nate has to adjust to helping his mum and fitting in at a new school. He also misses the hustle and bustle of Singapore.

In the house next door there is a girl named Luna. She lives with her mum, dad and older brother. Very recently something dreadful has happened. She has been filmed and this has been shared with 'everyone'. Luna has to endure cruel comments at school and she has now lost her closest friend.

The stage is set for Nate and Luna to find each other and yes they do. Even better this story is also filled with bees and honey and first love and kindness and a glorious seaside Sydney setting. 

There are text fragments in this book that show Pip Harry 'really gets' teenagers:

After class,

the DKs invite me to sit

with their friend group for recess ...

This is the ultimate act of social rescue

and I accept immediately ...

It's Annalise

the most popular

of the popular girls.

We used to laugh when she and her mates

walked past with their

ponytails worn ridiculously

high.

Their skirts ridiculously

short.

We called them 

the Ponytail Gang.

This quote really resonates with me because I call adults who clearly succeeded at High School and who were the queens of their peer group - ponytail girls. 

There is a tiny 'throwaway line' on page 243. Luna has been absent from school for two weeks. She has been refusing to go to school refuser:

I miss face-to-face classes,

new books in the library,

the smell of the art room ...

Thank you, Pip Harry, for having a character mention the school library!

I also love the way Pip Harry makes this story unashamedly about the Northern Beaches of Sydney. She has references to the pool at Curl Curl; a market a Freshwater; Narrabeen Lagoon; Manly Dam; Avalon; Palm Beach; our beautiful flannel flowers (photo below); the Manly Corso; the local rehab hospitals at Dee Why and Warriewood; and she even adds in an echidna and a kookaburra. (I talked about this same use of the setting in The Little Wave). 

My photo of a flannel flower at Dobroyd, Sydney NSW

Also thank you for the tears I shed over this story - this reflects the beautiful honesty of the storytelling the genuine emotions of these two kids - Luna and Nate - kids I have to come to really care about. And there is also honesty in the way so many parts of this story relate Pip Harry's own real life - which is something I discovered from her talk at the library. Like Amber, Pip had major spinal surgery; like Nate and Amber, a swarm of bees did move into the walls of their home; and Pip lives in the same part of Sydney where her story is set. Oh, and Pip is a keen swimmer. In her talk she used the word authentic and that certainly applies to the tone and story she is telling in Drift. 

Luna's dad is a minor character but I love the way he is allowed express his confusion:

He comes from 

The School of Hard Knocks.

My generation Didn't Get Any Handouts.

Get on with it,

don't be a sook. ...

Why are kids so bloody anxious these days, Steph?

I don't remember anyone seeing a shrink

when I was a teenager ...

Life is hard,

out kids need to get tougher.

Am I wrong?

I bought Drift at the literary festival (see below) and came home and read the whole book in one sitting. 

Pip Harry shared the advance copy of her book with Megan Daley and her husband who is a beekeeper. They were able to check her bee keeping facts were accurate. Megan loves bees. Here is her book list for World Bee Day. Megan will launch Drift in Brisbane in mid-August. Her endorsement on the cover says: "Buzzes with warmth and the undeniable magic of bees!" Speaking of the cover - it is fabulous. Well done Astred Hicks. Pip Harry will also be presenting at events over the coming weeks in Bendigo and Adelaide. And she mentioned she is speaking on a panel about allowing children's books to deal with deep and complex issues - I would love to know more about that event. 

Publisher blurb: Fourteen-year-old Nate has just moved back to Australia and is finding it hard to navigate a new city, school and changed home life. His next-door neighbour, Luna, is dealing with her own issues: a viral video, friends who have dropped her, and a subsequent anxiety disorder. When a swarm of 20,000 bees unexpectedly settle in the walls of Nate's family's house, Nate and Luna come together to save the hive, befriending local beekeeper Tyler. Over the course of one summer, their loyalties will be tested and their lives will be forever changed.

Here is a review comment from Instagram. The themes this reviewer identifies (check my post labels) are why I think this book is better suited to mature readers aged 13+: 

Self-harm, depression, chronic pain, violence - it all sounds so heavy but in Pip Harry’s hands it is gentle and tender. These two beautiful characters are vulnerable and loving, wanting no more than to be accepted for who they are. This is not a horror story about social media, but it is a story about the healing power of friendship, in many different forms. And if you are after a book that demonstrates how sweet and thoughtful teenage boys can be, then look no further. Pip’s middle grade novels are extremely popular with kids so no doubt they will go looking for this one, but Drift is firmly YA, 13/14+. I adored everything about it. Drift will be published in August. MSW Book Lady

Companion books:

All the Blues in the Sky

Birdy

I am sure we will see Drift on the 2026 CBCA Older Readers Notables List along with another splendid YA Verse Novel I read this year - The Foal in the Wire by Robbie Coburn.

Yesterday I attended the first Willoughby Literary Festival. My discovery of this event, hosted by the Willoughby Library in Chatswood, held over two weekends, was entirely an accident. This is where I heard Pip Harry talk about her new YA Verse Novel Dift - for ages 12+. It will be released on Wednesday this week. Pip shared her book with fifteen kids in the session today. They were fairly quiet and reticent to participate but she kept up her energy and enthusiasm for the whole hour. If you have the opportunity to have Pip Harry visit your school or library grab it with both hands - your kids will experience a brilliant and insightful session. 

I have previously talked about several books by Pip Harry and I penned a detailed profile post after her presentation at a local Teacher-Librarian conference. I have added the view count beside each title:

• The Little Wave (976)
• Are you there Buddha? (241)
• August and Jones (219)
• Over and Under (111)

How to get Children Reading Again Financial Review 18th July 2025

“Reading holds the keys to so much of children’s education.”

Reading with children also helps cultivate good (reading) habits.

You might like to begin with this blog post from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything - she alerted me to this article in the Financial Review.

Here are some quotes from the piece that resonated with me:

Nicki Duckett, the teacher who oversees reading at the school (Silverdale Primary Academy UK) ... has an ambition to marry the “skill” and the “will” to read. In the 20 years she has worked in education, she has observed how the proliferation of gaming and smartphones, a busy school day, plus extracurricular clubs and activities create “more demands on children’s time”.

“Without adult reading role models in homes, schools and wider society, it is likely children will find it harder to develop the reading habit.”

Immersion in new worlds, the delight in good writing and the discovery of information are goals in themselves. But the decline in reading has broader implications for employability, participation in democracy, and literacy, including critical thinking, particularly important in the age of digital misinformation.

Another study found “significant evidence that reading is linked to important developmental factors in children, improving their cognition, mental health, and brain structure, which are cornerstones for future learning and wellbeing”.

Tech is also a problem for parents, says Douglas. “They are not modelling great reading habits because they’re always on their phones. They are also more likely to put kids on a device. There is a decline in parents reading to children.”

Check out my recent post which explores many of these important issues. 

This article also touches other issues such as giving readers choice to select the books they want to read; the availability of books in libraries and shops and classrooms; books for boys aged 11 and 12; and the pesky issue of celebrity authors (I call these Fairy Floss books). 

The statistics in the Financial Review piece are from the UK. Here is a snap shot of the situation in Australia:

Anna Burkey Reading Australia - ABC News 14th July

"We're not just seeing people not reading for themselves … we're seeing people not reading to their children as much and that they are less likely to read to boys than to girls," she said. 

Ms Burkey said she would like to see more dads reading to their children to set a positive example.

"Reading for pleasure as a child is one of the biggest indicators of future success as an adult, and spending time reading increases empathy, while helping us feel less anxious,"

"Reading brings down your blood pressure, it slows your heart rate, it calms you down and it allows focus and concentration in a world where our attention spans are getting ever more fragmented.

"Reading allows us to have more focus and concentration and, if you read regularly, you're more likely to sleep better at night."

"[Not reading] means that we don't see the patterns in things, we don't see the human behaviours that keep repeating in politics and public life because we're not doing the deep, slow thinking and books are vital to the deep, slow thinking."

"Reading is proven to help you understand your place in the world, 
to walk in other people's shoes," she said. 

Gozzle by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Sara Ogilvie

Bear wakes up from his hibernation. He sees an egg. He could eat this for breakfast, but then he hears it tapping and, quite suddenly, out pops a baby goose - a gosling. The bear is the first face she sees so of course she thinks this bear is her daddy. Young Goozle is "programmed" to follow and imitate the first face she sees which would usually be her own parents. To the young goose it seems obvious that Bear is her daddy. Bear is not happy but underneath his gruff exterior there are hints of his kindness and as the seasons progress it is also clear this pair are forming a strong bond. But then comes the day little Goozle is old enough to fly and then old enough to fly with her flock - it is time for the geese to migrate to a warmer place. Like all good parents, Bear worries about his young charge. Can she swim? Can she fly? Will she be safe when she flies away? And most important of all - will Bear ever see her again? Bear heads back to his cave to hibernate through the winter. Then spring arrives and so does ...

Julia Donaldson had been thinking about animal imprinting. Here is a list of animals that use this process to assist their young: geese, ducks, zebras, raccoons, guinea pigs, chickens, hyenas, and the turkey.

Here is a three minute video Q&A where Julia Donaldson talks about Gozzle. I'm sure you are very familiar with lots of Julia Donaldson picture books. My own favourites are: Follow the Swallow, The Magic Paintbrush, Tiddler, Who lives here?, Room on the Broom, and The Snail and the Whale. I have a plan to read Paper Dolls next - I gifted this to a friend for her granddaughter and then another friend mentioned it was a huge hit with her own four young children. 

I am sure you have your own Julia Donaldson book collection either at home or in your school library. Goozle is another sweet story by this master storyteller which is sure to charm young children and adults alike. The happy ending certainly made me smile.

Bookseller blurb: It's springtime. Bear has woken up hungry and finds a lost egg outside his cave. Breakfast? No! Out hatches Gozzle, a very sweet little gosling who is convinced that Bear must be her daddy – and that she should be able to climb, dig and eat honey just like him.

Sara Ogilvie was born in Edinburgh and now lives in Newcastle. She graduated with an Illustration/Printmaking degree from Edinburgh College of Art. Sarah has won numerous awards for her work including a Commonwealth Heads of Government commission, presented to Nelson Mandela and HRH Queen Elizabeth II. Her work is inspired by words, street life, antiquities, posters, old wives tales, household appliances, carpets, masks, trying to spell sounds, packaging and old second-hand bookshops… Nosy Crow  

She is the illustrator of many books including Dogs Don't Do Ballet, Do Not Enter the Monster Zoo, Once Upon a Wish and Julia Donaldson's Detective Dog.

If you are thinking of your library program it would be terrific to explore some Julia Donaldson books with your young groups and then, even better, use these as a jumping off point to explore all the different illustrators whose work is showcased via her huge body of work. I would explore illustrators such as Helen Oxenbury; Charlotte Voake; Yuval Zommer; Emily Gravett; Catherine Rayner; Sharon King-Chai; Rebecca Cobb; and of course Axel Scheffler. 

Donaldson’s collaborations beyond Axel Scheffler offer refreshing artistic variety while keeping the same warmth and playfulness that children love. In Gozzle, Ogilvie’s textured and expressive artwork is the perfect companion to Donaldson’s storytelling, helping bring to life a tale that is as visually rich as it is emotionally meaningful. Popular Picture Books

Over and Over by MH Clark illustrated by Beya Rebai

"And all the while, we'll watch the clouds change, making rabbits and fish in the sky. 
They will never quite look this way again, and neither will you or I."

This is a beautifully illustrated book that falls into a category I previous discussed - Poetry with Pictures. There is no real plot just a series of slightly philosophical statements or homilies. The words are also a series of wisdoms shared by an adult to their child. I put one of my favourite lines under the cover above.

"Over and over, the sun will rise and touch the sky above. And over and over you'll open your eyes, good morning to you, my love."

"Over and over we'll put on our shoes and our coats and our warm wool hats. And I'll open the door to the world with you. And we'll greet the day like that."

From the publisher: In a world marked by uncertainty, this reassuring tale celebrates the gentle rituals that ground a child’s day. Over and Over follows a young girl and her father as they enjoy life’s simple everyday pleasures—from sitting down for breakfast to gazing at the clouds to counting the stars before lying down to sleep. With poetic storytelling and captivating imagery, each page honors the calming magic of togetherness and the comforts in routine. 

And we will leave angels and footprints and tracks in the field, all gone sparkling and white.

Near the end of the book the pages fold out to reveal all four seasons. 

Here is a very detailed interview with the author MH Clark and the illustrator Beya Rebai. Read more about MH Clark and see inside other books here. See more art by French illustrator Beta Rebai here. 

There are other books in this series by MH Clark:

And I found these too - I am keen to see more of her work:

Fly, Chick, Fly! by Jeanne Willis illustrated by Tony Ross

"If I fly, a crow might get me. If I fly, the rain might wet me. If I fly, a train might hit me. My sister flew and never came back. Why would I want to fly?"

Her sister flew and never came back. Her brother flew away and never came back. The parents keep trying to explain her siblings are not far away and that all baby birds must eventually fly away from the nest. 

"So the last chick left the nest. She crept to the end of the branch. She flapped. She flipped. She flopped. And this time ... she flew!"

The last chick does find her own hollow tree. The last chick builds her own nest and in time, the last chick has a chick of her own!

The repetitive, alliterative poem and realistic pictures work together to tell the story. Ross' illustrations vary in size and placement on the white pages. Done with pastels on a textured base, they show barn owls with endearing, heart-shaped faces. Kirkus

This is a perfect book for a young child and it should be part of all preschool library collections. Sadly it was published in 2012 so it is long out of print. I dream of the day someone asks for submissions of books that should be reprinted. This is one I would put forward.

I saw this book in the library I visit each week and I knew it would be fabulous because of this particular combination of author - Jeanne Willis - and illustrator - Tony Ross. I have loved some of their previous collaborations.

Mayfly Day

Boa's Bad Birthday

Companion books to read with Fly, Chick, Fly:

Puffling

Lucy Goosey

Almost Anything

Little Tree

The First Summer of Callie McGee by AL Tait

Callie is on the cusp of her teen years. She will begin at the High School next year although not at the High School she was supposed to attend. As an only child there seems be a lot of extra pressure on her from her mother. Callie is a very intelligent girl who finds it hard to fit in with her peer group. Over the course of this week, we see her grow in confidence as she navigates complex relationships with her peers.

Every summer her family visit a holiday house at the beach and two other families come along too. The adults love this summer week spent fishing, golfing, walking and reminiscing about their former days. Every summer the group follow a series of traditions. The kids are forced together but really, they are not friends. In fact, one of the boys regularly teases Callie in quite a vicious way. This summer Callie (full name Calliope-Jean) has decided to reinvent herself beginning with her name. She wants her parents, their friends and the other kids to now call her Callie. So, this is not their first summer staying at Sawyer's Point, but it is the first summer of her new identity as Callie. 

Among the group of kids there is a teenage girl named Sasha. Early in the story Sasha takes Callie's very old mobile phone. Sasha loads her own apps on to the phone because her own phone has been confiscated by her parents. Sasha has a plan to stay in touch with her friends and to set up meetings with one of the local boys. As a reader I knew this would most certainly end in disaster.

"Still staring at her screen, Callie opened her mouth to protest and then shut it. whatever she said would be wrong. She didn't want to be part of Sasha's duplicity but she also didn't want her friend to think she was a complete loser."

This summer another boy has joined the group. He is Mitch's cousin. Mitch is the kid who is always so mean to Callie but somehow perhaps because they are close in age these three form an alliance. When they hear someone has been robbing the holiday houses over the summer Owen, Mitch and Callie decide to track down the culprit but this does mean they need to wander the streets of this sleeping seaside village very late at night. And it does mean they see a gang of local kids, their elderly neighbor assisting others with plumbing issues at midnight and later they witness Sasha who should not be out this late at night and who is now in a very a dangerous situation.

This book is easy to read and I think it will be enjoyed by readers aged 11+ who enjoy realistic fiction with a touch of mystery and danger. 

Blurb from the author page:  It’s the last summer before Callie starts high school and she’s been dragged along to yet another ‘family friends’ holiday. Determined to change her nerdy reputation, Callie sets out to make waves but nothing is quite as she expects. Her usual ally, Sasha, has outgrown Callie; her nemesis, Mitch, has brought his cousin Owen along; and the boring south coast town of Sawyer’s Point has been rocked by a series of burglaries. Callie, Owen and Mitch decide to investigate the robberies, bringing them face to face with a local gang … and a possible ghost. But when Sasha goes missing, Callie must draw on all her smarts to find her friend, and (she) discovers that being Callie McGee has its benefits.

Navigating the tricky passage from child to young adult is never easy and with the added pressure of a helicopter parent and the pressure of expectations on an only (and bright) child, even more difficult. Callie’s experience and concerns will no doubt strike a chord with many readers, even if they are not in exactly the same position. Kids Book Review

Companion books:

This book was published in 1974. The robberies are far more serious but it is a book that has lingered with me. It will probably be very difficult to find unfortunately.

Junonia.

This book is on my top ten list of favourites. There are so many similar plot points in this story 

but it has a deeper emotional resonance.  Very highly recommended.

Shouting at the Rain

Half a chance

Return to Gone-away

This is another very old book first published in 1961.

These Little Feet by Hayley Rawsthorne illustrated by Briony Stewart

 

This book has sweet end papers with an ownership space that says:

"These little footprints belong to:"

The text is written like a poem. Each stanza begins and ends with a repeated line.

These little feet so tiny and new.

The places they'll go the dances they'll do.

The mountains they'll climb, the dreams they'll pursue.

These little feet so tiny and new.

I often think about the process when an illustrator receives the text for a picture book. I assume this words for this book were sent on one page. Briony Stewart needed to interpret the words - she does that beautifully and she needed to position the text on each page.

This book will be given as a gift for a new baby due to be born in April this year. I have huge box of books ready for the arrival of this precious baby girl. Mum is from Bolivia so it is good to see Briony Stewart has included babies with different skin tones, a baby in hospital, and a baby with her dad. The final page acts as a recap where we can view the scattered photos from various family photo albums.

You can see inside this book on the author web page. Click here to see other books illustrated by Briony Stewart. And I talked about her work in a previous post. 

And truly gorgeous these illustrations are. Stewart’s soft and loose style brings the characters alive. The details she has added make them so real and the diversity she has injected makes this a book inclusive and welcoming. Rawsthorne has captured all the emotions of new babies coming into the world in this book. And the hopes and dreams (and curiosity) their loved ones have for their future. Add Stewart’s beautiful illustrations and you get a picture book that will be treasured by families for many years. Kids' Book Review

These little feet is a story and celebration about babies spanning several generations across one family, starting in about the 1920s or 1930s, and going through the decades towards today, with each generation exploring a different sense: feet, hands, eyes, ears, and mouths across generations of the same family. The Book Muse

Of course I will also gift these two books:

No one but you by Douglas Wood illustrated by PJ Lynch

Lynch’s softly smudged oil paintings, drenched in sun- and moonlight, match the gentle flow 

of this sensory walk through nature. Kirkus 

If I still worked in my school library, I would love to display one double page spread from this book each week. The text is a gentle celebration of small moments, quiet contemplations of the world. The illustrations are joyous and so very appealing as you would expect from PJ Lynch. And it helps that this is a big format picture book so each image has even more impact.

Here are some text samples:

"No one but you can feel the rain kiss your skin or the wind ruffle your hair. And no one but you can walk through a rain puddle in your bare feet."

"No one but you can gently hold a turtle with your own hands and count the plates on her back and the stripes on her chin, feel the hardness of her shell and the soft scratching of her claws, and imagine what a turtle's life is like as she swims back into the blue-green shadows of her world."

"And who else but you will roll a glistening dewdrop from a rose petal onto your tongue or savor a red, ripe strawberry or a golden drop of honey and know what it tastes like just to you?"

Every now and then I borrow a book from the library and wonder - how did I miss this? And then I reach for my computer to see if I can perhaps purchase a copy. Of course, this 2011 book is long out of print. If I wanted to spend over AUS$110 I could buy a new copy - I have to say I tempted.

Blurb from Walker Books: Feel the rain kiss your skin or the wind ruffle your hair. Hear the hum of a bumblebee; watch a water strider march across a pond; taste a red, ripe strawberry; whistle with a blade of grass. From Christopher Medal-winning author Douglas Wood and celebrated illustrator P.J. Lynch comes a moving look at the experiences that belong only to us, marking a place on Earth that is ours alone. After all, who but you can remember your own memories? Wonderfully evocative of nature’s sensory treasures, here is a perfect gift to share with a child — or to inspire loved ones of any age as they set out to create their special place in the world.