How to Sail to Somewhere by Ashleigh Barton

"Bea turns away, blinking her eyes back into focus. She can't believe that, after all this time dreaming about it, Somewhere is actually so close she can see it."

There are two girls in this story, Bea and Arabella, and quite unexpectedly their lives collide. Arabella is in Bea's class at school but Arabella is one of those popular girls who always has a swarm of other girls around her. Bea has never even spoken to her. 

"Arabella has always seemed like the kind of person who doesn't want to speak to Bea, but may be Bea has been wrong about that too. ... hanging with Arabella is like hanging with royalty. Arabella is pretty and rich and confident. She's also somehow stony, like nothing bothers her ... This makes her untouchable, alluring and being her friend is an instant ticket to being popular. And Bea can't understand it, but popular is all anyone seems to want to be. They're not concerned about being nice or smart or clever ... or resourceful or creative or pioneering or anything like that."

What Bea doesn't know is that Arabella is not really friends with all of those girls. Bea, herself, has one or two good friends but they always head away from this small seaside town in the summer. She usually has her uncle to keep her company because her extremely busy parents disappear very early each day and always return late at night. Usually, summer is her time of joy when her uncle Bryon comes to stay. He is a fantastic uncle and together they have so much fun but this year he has not come and no one has told her why or if they have told her she simply does not understand. Before he left last year Byron showed Bea a map and said that next summer, they would sail together to a small star-shaped island off the coast called Somewhere. 

Here is a description of Byron:

His smell "that combination of freshly washed cotton, chewing gum and his peppermint shampoo."

And "the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed and how his smile was always slightly crooked or the way he always listened when you spoke, watching you like what you had to say was genuinely interesting even if you were just telling him why sandwiches are better without their crusts."

I mentioned there are two girls in this story. Everyone knows Arabella lives in a mansion with solid gold doorknobs and marble walls and an indoor swimming pool and fifteen cars. Bea is amazed to be invited there by Arabella and then she is even more amazed to discover none of this is true. And then Arabella shows Bea that she also has a map of the island named Somewhere and suddenly this summer it seems these two girls are destined to become friends.  The girls make a plan to sail to Somewhere. Bea wants to go there because it was the place her uncle promised they would go to together but why does Arabella so desperately want to go there and also how is the old fisherman Ray connected with all of this? And what about Uncle Bryon he is not here and yet somehow he seems to be directing the action with mysterious clues, secret keys, hidden rooms and one very special book. I loved the way the girls used their local library to search for more information about the island. 

There is something truly comforting about a story that is filled with delicious food. Ashleigh Barton has included a wonderful cafe in her story. Arabella's dad works there, and he is happy, as all good chefs are, to share his food with an appreciative audience. Bea is given food at home but it is nowhere near as delicious as the food served at Fishbone. Older readers might make the connection about the nourishment of food and Bea's need for comfort. Arabella has delicious food from her father but she too has an emptiness inside because she is holding onto a dreadful misunderstanding about her own absent mother. 

Add this book to your book shopping list - it is sure to be enjoyed by keen readers aged 9+. And after reading this book you will also want to go to your own local fish cafe or perhaps enjoy a picnic of cheese and pickle sandwiches, honey cake with strawberry jam and homemade lemonade. 

If you are book talking this new Australian book with your library group I would begin with these sentence:

"Where are you going to go?"  "I don't know. I'll go anywhere. Somewhere."

How could this be misinterpreted?  What if there is an island off the coast called Somewhere?

Here are some detailed teachers notes by Dr Robyn Sheahan-Bright. And here are the webpages for Ashleigh Barton. How to Sail to Somewhere was published just four days ago so it will be in your local bookshop right now!

Publisher blurb: Beatrice Glass - Bea - lives in a tiny fishing village that's sleepy all year until the summertime, when the tourists flock in and most of the locals leave. But summer is also when Bea's favourite person in the entire world, her fun and hilarious uncle, Byron, comes to stay. On their last day together the previous summer, Byron had given Bea an intriguing antique book containing a map of Somewhere, a mysterious island off the coast, and promised that next summer they'd sail to Somewhere together for their best adventure yet. That was last year. Now summer has arrived, but Byron hasn't. And now it looks like he never will. Are the book and Byron's disappearance linked? Byron has left some clues for Bea - a scavenger hunt of sorts designed to bring her and her new friend, Arabella, together and give Bea one last magical summer. Could Somewhere hold the key to both Bea's and Arabella's future?

My 2025 CBCA Younger Readers notable and short list predictions were totally wrong but anyway I am going to say that How to Sail to Somewhere is sure to be a 2026 notable - fingers crossed. 

There’s magic in this story. ...  a joyous magic that comes with discovering something new, making new friends and going on an adventure that means something to both of the main characters. Loss is a central theme in this novel, showcasing the power of facing how you feel about loss, and family finding ways to talk about things that are painful for everyone. Because not everyone always knows how to address things. ...  Grief is a powerful emotion that everyone responds to differently, and I liked that this book acknowledged that. This is a quiet gem of a book that will have something in it for every reader. The Book Muse

It’s evocative and emotional, without being syrupy or sanctimonious. I predict that readers will not only fall in love with these characters, but with the setting itself. Here’s one to add to forthcoming ‘best of’ lists without a doubt. Just so Stories

Companion books:

This is book is a perfect match with How to Sail to Somewhere - highly recommended.

Junonia

Summer of the gypsy moths

Jubilee

Good Night, Good Beach by Joy Cowley illustrated by Hilary Jean Tapper

Joy Cowley is a master of rhyme and pace. The text is minimal but it has such a pleasing cadence. This is made all the richer by the way Hilary Jean Tapper adds a layer that will take readers into scenes way beyond the simple words. You could run a master class on pace and page turns using this book with older students or even better with trainee teachers.

Creaky old bed with rumpled sheet,

sunburned skin and sandy feet.

Moon at the window,

sea by the door,

waves hush-hushing on the shore.

Under the pillow, one white shell,

and sea-washed glass with salty smell.

Plump up the pillow,

put out the light.

Good day,

good sea, good sand,

good night.

You might find this book listed with a different title if you live in New Zealand - At the Bach. 

I you have a library or book collection in your preschool this book is a must add addition. It would also make a sweet gift for a young child. 

Here is an interesting interview with Joy about her life. Her picture books include titles such as The Duck in the Gun (1969) and The Cheese Trap (1995). She has been actively involved in teaching early reading skills and helping those with reading difficulties. She has written approximately 500 books for children learning to read. You are sure to have seen her books for the Story Box Reading Program. These may be less familiar but I especially like her World Classics series:

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

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.

Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker

Due to complex circumstances Stella and Angel find themselves living with Louise. Louise is Stella's great aunt and Stella has been sent there while her mother sorts out her dysfunctional life. Angel is a foster kid and this is her sixth placement. Louise is tough with the girls but she is also quietly very caring. The problem is Stella and Angel are like oil and water - they just cannot seem to get on at all - but that is going to need to change because as the story opens Stella arrives home from school to find Louise has died during the day.

The setting for this story is Cape Cod. Louise lives in a house beside a set of four holiday cottages. It is her job to manage the bookings and clean the cottages all through the summer. Stella dreams that one day soon her mother will arrive. Her mother will be magically transformed into a perfect mom and the three of them can all live happily together. But now Louise has died. Mom is far away. The first summer visitors are about to arrive. Angel has a plan to run away. She has an aunt who is working hard to secure a job and a home for Angel but all of this is taking a long time. 

George Nickerson owns the holiday cottages. In the 1940s his parents set them up. They are completely identical, small and very basic but also perfect for families looking for a summer beach holiday. Stella and Angel have not phoned 911and they do not tell George about Louise. Instead they pretend she is just unwell and over the coming weeks, after burying her body, the two girls take on all the summer holiday cottage chores. 

Stella loves these tasks because she craves order and cleanliness. Angel has absolutely no idea about even the most basic things, even though she is older, because for almost her whole life she has lived in care. Stella, on the other hand, has had to manage money, cooking and washing over all the years she and her mother have moved from place to place. Luckily, Stella also has a special guide book or set of advice columns collected by her beloved grandmother. These clippings from magazines and newspapers are called 'Hints from Heloise'. 

Reading this book you know there will have to be a crisis. Two young girls cannot bury someone in a garden. Surely someone will notice Louise is missing? And George has a dog who seems very interested in the freshly dug pumpkin patch. The food has run out and the shops are many miles away. 

Over the coming days our local Lifeline branch here in Sydney Australia are holding their charity Book Fair. I adore attending these because there are always so many book treasures and the kids books are usually SO cheap! Today I picked up a terrific selection from baby board books, nursery rhymes, picture books, junior novels and a few middle grade titles. Most are destined as presents for various children but a few I purchased just for me. What a discovery - Summer of the Gypsy Moth ($3).

If you are curious about the title - the gypsy moth is an invasive species and one of the battles Stella has to fight is to save Louise's precious blueberries from this leaf eating pest. 

I love the way Stella (and Sara Pennypacker) think about the things that are often missing from books:

"One thing about any books I'd write - you would be reading about the cleaning-up parts of scenes. It drives me crazy how characters are always making messes and then the author doesn't tell about cleaning them up. Everybody eats dinner in books, but nobody does the dishes. People wrestle around in the mud and have accidents with blood, and nobody does the laundry. I just hate that."

I am a huge fan of Sara Pennypacker so when I saw this book - in hardcover, with a dust jacket - I popped it straight into my shopping cart. When I arrived home I had some reading time. I am in the middle of the third book in the Five Realms series by Kieran Larwood but I decided to dip into Summer of the Gypsy Moths first. You may have guessed that I ended up reading the whole book in one sitting.

If you are looking for a terrific book for a reader aged 10+ (and a book for yourself too) try to find Summer of the Gypsy Moths - this is a heart-felt story with tiny touches of humour and fabulous tension that I highly highly recommend. 

As a librarian I’m always on the lookout for good middle grade books I can booktalk to kids. Often you don’t need an exciting cover or title to sell a book to kids. Heck, sometimes you don’t even need to show the book at all. Yet in the case of Sara Pennypacker’s debut middle grade novel Summer of the Gypsy Moths I fully intend to show the cover off. There you see two happy girls on a seashore on a beautiful summer’s day. What could be more idyllic? I’ll show the kids the cover then start right off with, “Doesn’t it look sweet? Yeah. So this is a book about two girls who bury a corpse in their backyard by themselves and don’t tell anyone about it.” BLAMMO! Instant interest. Never mind that the book really is a heartfelt and meaningful story or that the writing is some of the finest you will encounter this year. School Library Journal Betsy Bird

The unfolding story is both deliciously intense and entertaining. Kirkus Star review

This book was first published in 2012 but I looked at an online book seller here in Australia and it seems to still be available but the paperback is AUS$26 so hopefully you might find a copy in a library. Listen to an audio sample which begins in Chapter One. Here is an alternate cover (which I do not like). 

Companion reads:

Recommended by Betsy Bird (SLJ review) 

Love, Aubrey

Waiting for Normal

One for the Murphys

Small Mercies

Missing May

Check out some other books by Sara Pennypacker I have talked about here in the blog. She is such a talented writer:

Pax and Pax Journey Home

Waylon

Sparrow Girl

Leeva at Last

The Summer We Found the Baby by Amy Hest

 

Julie Sweet and her little sister Martha find a baby on the steps of the library. The sisters have come to the library because today is the day the new children's library will be opened and they are hoping a very special guest will arrive to cut the ribbon. Julie, aged eleven, has even made a cake for the celebration but all of this goes out of her mind when she sees the baby on the library steps in a carry basket. 

Julie picks up the basket and heads off to the beach with her little sister tagging behind. Where did this baby come from? Bruno sees Julie pick up the basket. He sees there is a note inside. He and Julie used to be friends but something has gone seriously wrong and she won't speak to him even though he lives next door.  Little Martha adores Bruno's mum Mrs Ben Eli. Mr and Mrs Ben Eli run the local store in this seaside place and Summer is their busiest time. Bruno is sure Julie is kidnapping the baby so he feels he has to follow her. He did have a more urgent plan for that day having just received a letter from his brother who is serving in the army. The letter told Bruno to catch the train to New York to find his brother Ben's girl friend, Tess. 

This story is told in three voices - Julie, Martha and Bruno - and as we read we slowly piece together the events of the Summer, why Julie is not speaking to Bruno, the importance of letters from young soldiers and a little about Julie and Martha's mum who died many years ago. 

I selected this book because I have read and enjoyed other books by Amy Hest and as you can see I have given this five stars. I highly highly recommend this book for readers aged 9+. It is a short book with lots of white space and empty pages between scenes. I read the whole thing in less than an hour. Read more plot details by Ms Yingling.

Warm family stories laced with some sorrow and great joy. Kirkus star review

Throughout the tale, Hest juxtaposes childish bickering with the heavy weight of grief and ultimately hope in the form Eleanor Roosevelt. Historical novel society

This brief story unfolds in short vignettes which prove surprisingly engaging and will draw the reader in quickly. Kids Book a Day

Mikki and me and the Out-of-tune Tree by Marion Roberts

Alberta is a keen boogie boarder. It is the Summer holidays in her small Australian coastal town. Alberta is looking forward to five weeks of freedom spent in the ocean. But, you knew I was going to say but didn't you, but Alberta, who is known as Birdy, is knocked off her bike and it is not an accident. Her arm is broken so there will be no boogie boarding for Birdy. Six weeks in a plaster cast.

Luckily Mikki Watanabe lives in her street. He has no interest in the ocean. His family, who originally come from Japan, have a beach house at Kingfisher Bay. Mikki and Birdie team up to investigate the forest area nearby and they make an amazing discovery. There is a small grove of towering pine trees. Mikki has a spiritual connection to trees. He is keen to make a video about their discovery and Birdie is equally keen to stand in front of the camera. Then they discover the council have plan to bulldoze this special area. Can their YouTube videos gain enough coverage so that this special place can be saved?

I did like the way Marion Roberts included the video chat and comments into her story along with advice from the book by Birdie's mum - Tammy's Bracken's guide to Modern Manners. I was not quite so interested in or convinced about Tammy's mental health issues and shoplifting. I really liked the community activism and the way Birdie and Mikki navigate the complexities of local government. This harks back to a very old classic Australian book - Battle of the Galah Tress by Christobel Mattingley. I also kept thinking about the television documentary made with Judi Dench "My passion for trees". 

This film follows Judi's experience through the seasons and her mission to understand the role of trees in history and the future. Judi joins tree scientists and historians to unlock the remarkable secret lives of trees and the stories that they cannot tell. With scientific techniques and equipment at her disposal, she is able to truly understand how trees work and gain an insight into their secrets. She meets a designer with a microphone to hear the trees around her, and a scientist with 3D scanning technology reveals her favourite oak in a new light.  BBC One

Marion Roberts mentions this book (for adults) as one that inspired this story:

You might also enjoy A Good Day for Climbing Trees.

This book will be published in April, 2022. Thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy. 

Summer Time by Antonia Presenti and Hilary Bell

It is summer here in Australia so it seems this is the perfect time to talk about the new book from Antonia Presenti and Hilary Bell.  I loved their previous books - Alphabetical Sydney and Numerical Street.

Here are a few quotes from Summer time. If you live in Australia I am sure you will relate to these scenes.

Magpie prepares for her last swoop of spring,
A moment that fills you with dread:
Black-and-white blur and the crack of a beak,
She narrowly misses your head.

Image source Booktopia

Light through the breeze blocks, the smell of shampoo,
Goggles that someone forgot.
It always takes AGES to figure it out:
The water will never get hot.

I first heard about this book at a CBCA event. I didn't know the title but I knew I wanted to read this book especially because of the ice cream page.

With out horrendous bushfires this year this page is especially poignant:

Over a WEEKEND the bush turns to black,
Hazy with cinders and soot.
Scarred ashen sandstone and charred spotted gums;
Burnt seedpods crunch underfoot.

A warm and inviting book for reading with young children (and for those who will be made nostalgic for their own childhood summers). Dictionary of Sydney

This book, along with the first two, are prefect gifts for Australian friends living overseas and for nostalgic adults who will be sure to appreciate the beautiful art work in these books. I especially love the colour palette used in Summer Time of lime green, dusty pink and aqua.

Christmas in Australia - a selection of picture books

Image Source Australia Post collectible

Image source Trove

It is Christmas Day. My card collection this year, as always, contain images of winter scenes with snow and fur trees. Our Australian Christmas is during Summer so our traditions and weather are very different from other parts of the world.

Rain for Christmas

All I want for Christmas is Rain

Wombat Divine

Christmas Where the Gum Trees Grow

From England came our Christmas fare

They even said what Santa should wear

But here down under for summer's cool

Santa should dip in a swimming pool

Santa rides in a sleigh on snow

But down here where the gum trees grow

Santa should wear some water skis

And glide around Australia with ease

To ride 'round the bush where it's often dry

To cart all the presents piled up high

A red-nosed reindeer would never do

Santa should jump on a kangaroo.

Chorus

Christmas where the gum trees grow

There is no frost and there is no snow

Christmas in Australia's hot

Cold and frosty is what it's not

When the bloom of the jacaranda tree is here

Christmas time is near.