Astrid and the Accidental slip between worlds by Jaclyn Moriarty illustrated by Kelly Canby

First off, I should say I have only read the first book in this six (so far) book series called Kingdoms and Empires, so I may have missed important plot details that link the stories. For my reading this book did stand-alone (the Kirkus Star reviewer agrees) but it also piqued my interest to catch up with the other four books that I have not yet read.

The most satisfying part of this book is the utterly amazing way Jaclyn Moriarty pulls together all her story threads. In Part One we meet some men called Pinnacles competing at a major magic tournament. In Part Two we are move to Sydney Australia where we meet a girl called Echo who as recently moved to a large house in Neutral Bay with her dad and brothers - Noc, Syme and Tones; twin sisters Cadence and Bell; older sisters Perry and Melody. Echo has now met Astrid (you know her name from the title of this book) and Astrid (her full name is Astrid Mettlestone-Staranise) has come from somewhere else. The somewhere is the Kingdoms and Empires - that is where the Pinnacles were competing. It is also the place we move to in Part Four where we catch up with Astrid's sister Esther and five other girls from her school the Katherine Valley Boarding School. The girls have been sent on a survival camp for a week and they have to (yes HAVE to) write in a Journal. 

"It summons us to write in it. And it will grade our work when the camp is complete."

Through the journal entries from each girl, we learn about their relationships, their special talents (some are magical) and we also read about a series of extremely strange happenings in the camp. The camp leader seems to have deserted them and food is running short and adding to the panic of this situation there seems to be no way to leave this island and head back to the safety of school. 

Astrid has another sister Imogen and a cousin, Bronte. They have not been able to go to the camp because the have been invited to the Elven Games. Astrid herself didn't go to the camp because she had been sent to assist the mayor at the Pinnacles Tournament. 

Do not try to predict the plot - just read this book and enjoy all the scenes and perspectives not to mention dangers and deceptions. Readers aged 10+ are sure to love this book even if it is the first one from the series that they have read. Hopefully you have the full series in your school library because I am sure word will quickly spread about the magic that comes from reading these books.

This is a brand-new book from Allen and Unwin [AUS$26.99]. At first I was daunted by the 416 pages but this book is such a page turner that I read the whole story over just one day. Time is ticking in this story because if Astrid does not make it back to her 'world' she is in danger of disappearing. 

The page-turning adventure itself is completely satisfying, with plenty of humorous moments and all loose ends addressed. The graceful incorporation of themes of loss and grief, remembering and forgetting, and growth and connection renders it spectacular. A stellar work: enchanting and uplifting. Kirkus Star review

(The books in this series) are long, with many short parts and chapters, but this works ... I can’t put my finger on why, but in this instance it is very effective across the series. And even when we have multiple perspectives, like journal entries, it’s clear who is talking (or writing) which helps shape the characters and their voices. The Book Muse

Kelly Canby has added lots of great illustrations, and the cover and the all important map end papers. She is a multi award-winning illustrator and author of over two dozen books for children. Kelly was born in London, England, but has lived in Australia since the age of three, which is probably around the same age she started playing with pencils and crayons, and it was probably only a few years after that that she decided playing with pencils and crayons was something she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Kelly is well known for her illustration work on writer Jaclyn Moriarty’s Kingdoms and Empires series of books. 

In 2017 I read the first book in this series The extremely inconvenient adventures of Bronte Mettlestone. Here is an interview with Joy Lawn and Books for Keeps where Jaclyn Moriarty talks about the third book in her series. In this 2023 interview with Love Reading for Kids Jaclyn shares more about her series. 

In the US some of the books from the Kingdoms and Empires series by Jaclyn Moriarty have different titles: Oscar From Elsewhere; The Secret of Lillian Velvet; and The Whispering Wars. 

These are some of the US covers illustrated by Jim Tierney

These are some of the UK covers illustrated by Karl James Mountford

The Book Muse as excellent reviews of each of the books from this series:

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty 

The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars by Jaclyn Moriarty 

The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst by Jaclyn Moriarty

The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere by Jaclyn Moriarty 

The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet  by Jaclyn Moriarty

Astrid and the Accidental Slip Between Worlds by Jaclyn Moriarty

N is for Noni by Alison Lester

A is for apples, the fruit Noni loves.

You might be able to anticipate some of the alphabet choices in this newest book from Alison Lester if you have already met little Noni (N), Coco (C), and Dave (D).

In 2027 several of my friends are expecting the arrival of a new baby. This book, along with others from Alison Lester such as Kissed by the Moon, will be added to their baby book gift parcels. 

There are four Noni the Pony books by Alison Lester - I discovered this from the back cover of this new book from Allen and Unwin published just yesterday [AUS$24.99]. 

Publisher blurb: A delightful rhyming story featuring the instantly lovable character, Noni the Pony – the nicest pony any child could ever hope to meet! – from the phenomenal and much-loved author Alison Lester. Would you like to meet Noni? She's the friendliest pony. She lives on a farm overlooking the sea and has a lot of fun with the alphabet as she plays with her best friends, Dave Dog and Coco the Cat.

When you read this book aloud to your new baby or young child don't rush because you might begin to think there is a predictable pattern to the rhyme but on the page "J is jumping for joy, just like Joe." the pattern changes. 

A couple of years ago a colleague and made a presentation for IBBY Australia about alphabet books. I also have a Pinterest on this topic. Every young child, preschool and school library needs a good collection of alphabet books. 

The first Noni the Pony book was published in 2010 with a 25th anniversary edition published this year by Allen and Unwin. The illustration on the last page of the original book is almost the same as the one you will see on the final page in this newest installment.

If you have all the books in this series, you might also spy the four cows from "Noni the Pony goes to the beach" making a return appearance in the alphabet book "M is the moon shining down on the dancers." and you will also recognise the little joey from Noni the pony rescues a joey. The emu chicks "E is for emu chicks, cheep, cheep, cheep" can also be found in this previous book about the joey along with the koala and I am sure there are other references I have not yet discovered.

Maybe you are lucky enough to have a Noni toy from 2012, a board book or even a magnet book:

In 2012, Alison Lester became Australia's first Children's Book Laureate, a position she shared with Boori Monty Pryor. In 2016, she was awarded the Dromkeen Medal for her outstanding achievement in the creation of Australian children's and young adult literature, and in 2018, she became the first children's book creator to win the Melbourne Prize for Literature, for her outstanding contribution to Australian literature and cultural and intellectual life. In 2019, Alison was awarded an Australia Post Legends Award and featured on a stamp, as well as being the recipient of a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours List. In 2026, her book Magic Beach was voted Australia's Best Children's Picture Book of all time in a Guardian Australia poll. In the 2026 ABC poll of Best Australian books (adult and children's titles) two of her books made the top 100 - Magic Beach and Are we There Yet? 

My own favourite Alison Lester books are Ruby; Are we there yet?; and Clive eats alligators. 

Splish Splash Splosh! by Renae Hayward illustrated by Briony Stewart

What's the best on a summer day?

Grandpa knows – it's water play!

Off we go now! Sunscreen's done.

Splish, splash, splosh, let's have some fun!

This book celebrates summer fun with water play, mud puddles and a patient grandfather. As the publisher says: From sprinklers to mud pies to paddling pools, there's nothing kids love better than messing around with water, and this joyous celebration of summer fun is a delight to read out loud.

The best picture books are the ones where the illustrations perfectly enrich the text. I have said this before, but I enjoy thinking about an illustrator, in this case Briony Stewart, receiving one typed page of text and then thinking about, creating and imagining each scene along with designing the perfect place for page turns. The words give us the story yes, but the illustrations in Splish Splash Splosh! go so much further for example after the day of fun with all that water and the wild spraying of the garden hose, the kids come inside for a bath (yes that is in the text) but turn the page and we see the three kids snuggling in with Grandpa enjoying a reading a book together. This image comes entirely from the imagination of Briony Stewart. And make sure you go back through the book and look at the antics of their family dog. 

I visited a public library today and it had so many young children with their grandparents. Childcare by grandparents is a common part of daily life now and this book beautifully celebrates the joy of those relationships. 

The other wonderful part of this book is the repeated refrain "We're out of water, Grandpa ... more!" A repeated refrain is such a terrific device for read aloud sessions with your youngest readers. And make sure you tilt the cover to see the way the title words shine with spot varnish. 

Image source: Allen and Unwin

Companion book:

Summer Blue

This is a brand-new book from Allen and Unwin published today! and only AUS$22.99. I am sure we will see this book listed by the CBCA in their notable Early Childhood titles for 2027 and I predict it surely will make the shortlist. If you work with very young children in a preschool or you are looking for a wonderful summer holiday or Christmas gift, make sure you head out to your local independent bookstore and grab a copy or two of this book. Huge thanks to Allen and Unwin for my advance copy. 

Renae Hayward was born during a cyclone in Western Australia's Pilbara region but grew up by the beaches of Perth's northern suburbs. She has authored several books for children including Say Hooray and Say Hello, which were both shortlisted for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards, and the CBCA Notable Book, Say Goodnight. She has also contributed as a poet to The School Magazine and the children's anthologies Right Way Down and If I Could Eat the Stars. Renae now lives near Fremantle ... 

Briony Stewart is an author and illustrator of books for children and the young at heart. She lives in Walyalup/Fremantle, in Western Australia. Briony's chief loves are language, word play, whimsy and wonder, and she enjoys working across all categories of children's books in a diverse range of styles and processes. Briony's work has won several awards including CBCA Picture Book of the Year for Gymnastica Fantastica, CBCA Honour Book for We Love You Magoo, and a Prime Minister's Literary Award for Mina and the Whole Wide World (written by Sherryl Clark), among others. Her bestselling books include These Little Feet (written by Hayley Rawsthorne), Bedtime Sorted! (written by Jimmy Rees) and Accidentally Kelly Street.

For more books about playing with mud take a look at this post from Kinderbookswitheverything.

Watching the three children playing with the hose, watering the garden and jumping in their small paddling pool I also thought of this Bluey episode Trampoline (series two episode 33): and where the kids are waiting for their Takeaway and they play with the tap outside the restaurant (series one episode 14; and Slide (series three episode 46).

Slide

Trampoline

Takeaway

Alone like me by Rebecca Evans

A hopeful, universal story about the power of friendship to dramatically improve 

the quality of everyday life. Kirkus Star review

A beautiful purchase about friendship even in difficult circumstances. 

School Library Journal

Publisher blurb: Liling and her family have moved from their rural farm to an overwhelming urban city. Because of Chinese law, Liling can't go to school and spends her days with Mama or Baba at work. At the playground, the other children throw sand at her and tease her old red coat and dirty shoes. But after she shares a smile with a girl in a bright yellow jacket who lives in an apartment beneath hers, Liling has a big idea! She draws a picture and lowers it down to the girl - Qiqi - who returns it with a drawing of her own. When the new friends meet face to face, Liling takes Qiqi's hand, and they walk bravely into the park - together.

This is a perfect book to share with children when you talk about the concepts of Windows and Mirrors - or in this case just 'Windows'.  I am sure the children in your Australian library group will have no idea that some children cannot to go to school. Reading about children who live very different lives to ours is a perfect way to build empathy. You could share this book with children aged 7+ as a way to talk about friendship and even bullying. With students from Grades 5 and 6 you could use this book to talk about the 'Rights of the Child'.

Sometimes I go to work but the can factory isn't a place for little girls either.

Liling cannot go to school because of the Chinese system called hukuo.

The children of farm workers (Chinese: 农民工; pinyin: nóngmín gōng) are not allowed to enroll in the city schools, and even now must live with their grandparents or other relatives to attend school in their hometowns. They are commonly referred to as the "stay-at-home" or "left-behind" children. There are around 130 million such left-behind children, living without their parents, as reported by Chinese researchers. (read more here) Watch this ABC video. 

Alone like me was published in 2022 and is still available. I found a copy in a public library in Melbourne.

Rebecca Evans is a first-time children's book author who has illustrated several picture books written by others, including Two Is a Lot, Plants Fight Back, and If Animals Built Your House. She also illustrated Mark Weston's Finding the Speed of Light, which Kirkus called a "highlight" in a starred review. She lives in Maryland with her family.

If you are talking about the history of China and Mao try to find this fabulous book:

Sparrow Girl

Essential Fairy Tales: Puss in Boots

Fred Marcellino 2011

Fred Marcellino: Having culled through dozens of stories in search of the right one for nearly a decade, Marcellino immediately recognized the pictorial possibilities in the text, and agreed to take on the project. He then produced a body of illustrations in colored pencil with a degree of refinement rare in the field. The story’s historical setting allowed him to give free-reign to his penchant for the Baroque, and to his admiration for late-Renaissance perspective explorations. When he tackled the cover design, he found “no room for the type.” His long-standing devotion to typography notwithstanding, this now famous image of Puss was allowed to grace the jacket unencumbered. In a highly unusual gesture, the Caldecott committee elected to bestow its coveted “Honor” award on this first picture book effort.

Puss in Boots is a French Fairy Tale by Charles Perault. Your library visitors will probably relate this story to the character from Shrek.

Story summary:  A miller's youngest son is left with his father's cat after his passing. Seeing his new master is dissatisfied with his inheritance, the cat requests some boots and a sack and departs into the countryside to prove his worth. The cat hunts numerous animals and presents them to the king, saying the game is gift from his master, the Marquis de Carabas. When the king takes a drive along the river with his daughter, the cat plans for the king and his master to cross paths. The cat then hides his master's clothes and convinces the king that his master was drowning and robbed, to which the king replies with new, fancy clothes for the "Marquis" and asks for him to join him in his carriage. The cat runs ahead and threatens all the people working the land along the king's path to tell the king that they work for the Marquis. The cat finally comes to an ogre's luxurious castle, where he asks the ogre to turn into a mouse. The cat then kills and eats him and presents the castle to the king as belonging to his master. The king is so impressed with the Marquis' wares that he offers him his daughter's hand in marriage. The cat becomes a lord with fancy clothes. Source

Illustrated by Cecile Becq (2014)

Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (paperback edition 2015)

Retold by Joy Cowley illustrations by Sam-Hyeon Kim (2014)

Illustrated by Ian Beck

This is Orange by Rachel Poliquin illustrated by Julie Morstad

Witty, smart, and sophisticated. Kirkus Star review

There are lots of books recently published about colours but this one really stands out because who knew there was so much to say about orange. Did you know there was even a time when that specific colour did not have a name in English? Orange is a colour but it is also the name of a fruit and the colour of many other fruits such as mandarins and melons. But there is so much more. Think about flags, flowers, birds and pumpkins. 

In The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer describes the fox as a colour 'betwix yelow and reed'. In 1502 a portrait of Margaret, Tudor Queen of Scotland, shows her wearing 'slevys of orenge colour'. You will also discover how artists made this colour using minerals such as realgar and crocoite. Orange is found in nature too such as the Guianan cock-of-the-rock, the feet of a mallard duck and the feet of the puffin. Have you ever wondered why astronauts wear orange suits? And I discovered Canadian children wear orange shirts on September 30th each year to commemorate First Nations children who were taken from their homes.

Publisher blurb: Look closely. The color orange is all around you, not only in the natural world—from fruit and foxes to minerals and mushrooms—but in the human-engineered world, too, from works of art to religious ceremonies to astronaut survival suits. Ranging through time and circumnavigating the globe, witty stream-of-consciousness text and jaunty illustrations explore color through surprising social, historical, cultural, and artistic lenses. With more than thirty vivid examples and a gentle introduction to color theory, this eye-opening voyage into the heart of orange is a clever appeal to experience other colors—and the world at large—with an open and expansive mind.

It seems a little surprising to me that I have not heard or read a lot of 'hoopla' about this book. I first saw it in the Art Gallery of NSW shop in 2025 and quickly added it to my huge to read list. I should also mention that this is one of those books with a fabulous case reveal - you need to slide away the dust jacket to find the surprise underneath. Here is the webpage for Rachel Poliquin. I want to say you should add This is Orange to your school library but once again this is an international title with a high price of AUS$35. 

Julie Morstad is the illustrator of numerous acclaimed books for young readers, including House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery by Liz Rosenberg, When Green Becomes Tomatoes by Julie Fogliano, and Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder. She has been nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award three times. Julie Morstad lives in Vancouver.

A tour de force through world history, the natural world, and cultural studies. ... With some uncommon words and packed with ideas, this compelling and humorous book lends itself as a read-aloud for early grades and is a must for all libraries. School Library Journal (starred review)

You can find more books about orange in this blog post from Kinderbookswitheverything. 

Here are some other books you could add to your school library about colours:

Green

Before Colors

Big book of Colorful foods

I can see Nature's Rainbow

Essential Fairy Tales: Tom Thumb

This one from Eric Carle was published in 2011

Once upon a time, a poor woodcutter and his wife lived in a small cottage beside a great forest. They had a warm fire, a wooden table and a little garden by the door, but the cottage was very quiet because they had no child. One evening, the woodcutter’s wife looked at the empty chair beside the fire and sighed. “I would be happy with a child no bigger than my thumb,” she said, “if only we had one to love.”

I am sure the story of Tom Thumb is included in many fairy tale anthologies but I did not find any/many current versions. Most of the covers I have included here are for books that are out of print. 

1993

Gerda Muller 1984

The Tom Thumb story is one of the oldest recorded English fairy tales – a chapbook version by Richard Johnson was published in London around 1621, predating the Brothers Grimm by nearly two centuries. In the English tradition, Tom Thumb is a figure from Arthurian legend, known to King Arthur’s court, and his adventures involve giants, magicians, and the royal court. The Brothers Grimm published their own very similar version in 1812 under the title “Thumbling” (Däumling in German), in which the same tiny boy has adventures in the fields, is swallowed by animals, and eventually returns home. The basic pattern – a tiny boy born to childless parents who proves his worth through cleverness rather than size – is found across many cultures, from Issun-boshi in Japan to the Scandinavian Tommeliden.

Tom Thumb’s adventures typically involve his tiny size getting him into and out of extraordinary situations: being carried off by animals, hiding inside everyday objects, being swallowed by creatures far larger than himself, and using his voice and wit from inside places no one else could reach. He sells himself to strangers knowing he can escape through a mousehole; he is swallowed by a cow and calls out from her stomach; he ends up inside a wolf and uses the wolf to return to his parents. In each case it is his cleverness rather than his strength that saves him.  Source

The episodic form of this story reminded me of Pinocchio. 

I am not sure if we will keep this book on our essentials list but you might be thinking of this important reference: