Still Sal by Kevin Henkes

Sal is excited. She is about to begin Grade One. Sal has all her special supplies ready:

At the moment, the school supplies were the things in Sal’s life that made her most happy; the things that gave her a little joyful lift just by thinking about them. The box held brightly colored pencils with glittery stars on them, an eraser shaped like a cupcake for the top of a pencil, and two folders and two notebooks with photographs of baby animals on them—piglets, kittens, puppies, lambs.

Her outfit is ready too:

Sal got dressed in the outfit she’d been planning for days. Pink-and-blue plaid tights. Pale-green corduroy pants that came just below her knees. A shirt patterned with yellow and orange suns. Red sneakers. ... Sal had picked out a cloth headband—her most comfortable one. It was white with purple stripes. She was avoiding her hard plastic ones with teeth. She pushed the headband on and patted it into position. “Ready.”

Then a letter arrives and it seems Sal and her best friend in the whole world Griff (Griffen Babcock) will be in different classes. Griff will have a teacher with such a wonderful name - Ms. Flowers. Surely there is a way Sal can change classes and not be in Ms. McCormick's class.

Ms. Flowers’s hair was dark and curly like Sal’s, but cut very short and accessorized with an ABC barrette. She was wearing red sneakers, also like Sal’s, and jeans that were frayed and fringy at the bottom. Her belt appeared to be a tape measure. She looked like a fun babysitter. She smelled like strawberry jam. Sal’s heart leaped.

This is a year of change for Sal. Her baby sister Poppy has moved into her room and Sal is not happy. Griff seems to be making new friends. AND everything, just everything that can go wrong at school, goes wrong. For example my heart broke for Sal when she saw her name label was wrong (this happens to quite often):

She was looking at her name tag with narrow eyes. There was a new problem. Although Ms. McCormick had cut off the second L and the Y, she’d made her cut so close to the first L that if you didn’t look carefully, you might think Sal’s name was Sa. Also, there’d been a nice border around each name on the name tags, and now the border on Sal’s was gone on the right side. And, the cut edge was crooked. Sal’s name tag didn’t look professional anymore, and it was different from everyone else’s. Stinging tears came to Sal’s eyes. She knew she shouldn’t ask Ms. McCormick to fix her name tag again, but, still, she found the whole thing upsetting.

Kids in Australia are sure to enjoy all the clothes Sal wears - here children wear school uniforms. Sal's choices each day reminded me of Goonie Bird Greene. 

I love the way Sal tries to convince her parents that two-year-old Poppy should not move in:

“I just don’t think she’ll be a good resident of this room,” Sal had told her parents, trying to be as serious as possible, narrowing her eyes, tilting her head, and pitching her voice to sound important. “I just don’t think she’s responsible enough to be here.”

I also love Sal's dad - he is a parent with quiet wisdom and he can make delicious pancakes.

With a group of older kids in Grade 3 perhaps, you could use this book to talk about the way teachers are different - not to criticise just to explore different ways teachers might cover a topic or relate to their class. You could also talk about the way Sal observes the kids in her class. Oh and I cheered when Sal does speak up - she certainly is not a shy child but she does have an understanding of some adult rules such as not using the teacher's first name even though she is so delighted when she makes this discovery.

I think my hairdresser would enjoy reading chapter 19:

The hair salon was called Hair We Go and it smelled important. Like the smells of a doctor’s office and a flower shop mixed together. Brooke was the name of the woman who was to cut Sal’s hair. Brooke’s thin, straight hair was shoulder length and streaked with pink and green. Sal couldn’t take her eyes off it. She wondered how old you had to be to get pink and green hair, although she wasn’t sure if she’d actually want to have it.

As an adult reader I adored this fourth book about the Miller family - I hope young readers aged 7+ will also enjoy this book but they might find the tone used by Sal a little too mature? I need to think about this a little more. The Kirkus reviewer says: Fairly sophisticated language and observations stretch the target audience to include third and fourth graders for whom first grade may be a distant memory. I was delighted to see Kirkus gave Still Sal a Star review:

Henkes’ graceful, easy prose, sharp insights, and impressive ability to convey the way children think shine here. He invites readers to empathize with Sal, feeling her disappointment and annoyance with a world that doesn’t always understand her as well as the satisfaction with small victories that bring her back to herself: getting used to a major haircut and learning to connect with Ms. McCormick. ...  A delightful, understated triumph.

Blurb from Kevin Henkes web page: Sal has been looking forward to first grade for a long time. But her excitement quickly turns to disappointment when she learns that her best friend, Griff, is in the other first-grade classroom and has the most popular teacher. Then Sal’s name is spelled wrong on her name tag, she trips in front of the cool fifth graders, and her self-portrait doesn’t turn out the way she wanted it to. In fact, everything about school is an absolute disaster. Poor Sal! Luckily for Sal, she has understanding parents, a terrific new teacher, and empathetic friends who remind her that it takes time to adjust to change. And sure enough, after a few days, Sal feels like herself again.

Still Sal highlights themes of family, friendship, social and emotional growth, resilience, and adapting to change. The fourth stand-alone book in the Miller Family sequence includes black-and-white illustrations by Caldecott Medal winner Kevin Henkes on almost every page and is an excellent choice for early elementary grades, for readers ready for a short novel, and for family and classroom read-alouds.

AND there will be another book in this series later this year - Poppy.

If I worked in a bookshop I would love to make a window display of this series. Here are the four titles from the series so far and I also think all Primary school libraries should own every one of them - you can read more from the links below. All four of these have Kirkus Star reviews:

The Year of Billy Miller; Billy Miller makes a Wish

Click on the Kevin Henkes label on this post to read about more of his books - for all ages!

Spill the Beans: 100 Silly Sayings and Peculiar Phrases by Julia Murray

Recently I have started paying a little more attention to the nonfiction section of bookstores especially the kids nonfiction. Last week I spied this book in The Constant Reader. It links so well with a topic a friend and I were discussing recently about common sayings and how to explain or even introduce them to children. For example I used the phrase 'get the sack' and the Grade Two kids had never heard this term. Then, we were chatting after school with a grandfather and he explained more about how this saying came about. I don't think this one is in this book but there are a hundred others to talk about. This book was published in 2024 - I did see it in the bookshop but hopefully it is also available in your school or local library. 

Bookseller blurb: Discover 100 silly sayings and peculiar phrases in this illustrated book for curious kids!

• What does it mean to spill the beans?

• Why does it rain cats and dogs?

• Who is the early bird and why do they catch the worm?

Discover 100 silly sayings and peculiar phrases from the English language, with lots of playful pictures bringing them to life. Beautifully illustrated by Julia Murray, it explains what the sayings mean and explores the strange stories behind them, making this the perfect gift for kids who always want to know 'why?'.

Here is some art from this book - see if you can work out the relevant saying. 

Julia Murray is an illustrator and typographer living in Aotearoa, New Zealand. She won a colouring competition at age 8 and hasn’t looked back – applying her work to everything from book covers to puzzles. She is inspired by film posters, nature, everyday characters and an ever-growing collection of children’s books. You can follow her on Instagram @jumurrayillustration

Now to go back to the expression "get the sack":

Before the Industrial Revolution – when men, women and even children flocked to the factories to make a living – it was far more common for workers to travel from job to job. Rather than joining a team, tradesmen, craftsmen and labourers would move around on their own, carrying their own tools and supplies, and find work where they could get it. The easiest way to lug their tools around was in a sack, which they would then leave with their employer for safe keeping. The origin of the phrase, therefore, starts to become clear. With no job security, contracts or trade unions, workers could be discharged at a moment’s notice. Once their services were no longer required, they were literally given their sack, before being ordered to pack it up and leave.  Source: History Extra

Another expression you won't find in this book that I think about is one my parents used to say: "What you lose on the hurdy-gurdy you pick up on the roundabout" but I have no idea what this means. And my class teacher in Grade 3 used to say "Silence is golden". 

Here are a few peculiar phrases or idioms you could share with your class:

“First come, first served”; “Count your chickens before they hatch”; “Hold your horses”; “Like a bull in a china shop”; “Cry over spilled milk”; “Cost an arm and a leg”; “Spill the beans”; “Couch potato”; or “The icing on the cake”.

You could also link this with Bluey when Bandit says he "wasn't born yesterday" [Season 3 Episode 5]. 

Julia Murray also illustrated this book (I do like books about words and I love the idea of 365 words so that you can share one each day). I talked about this idea in several previous posts: Big words for little Geniuses by Susan and James Patterson; The weird and wonderful world of words by Charles Hope; and An Interesting Word for Every day of the Year by Dr Meredith L Rowe and Monika Forsberg.

Otis Ottley and the School in the Sky by Will Kostakis

"What else had I forgotten? How much of Mum had I lost without even noticing?"

The opening scene in this book is SO intriguing. Two boys are standing on a lawn in front of an elevator. By page two we discover that this elevator takes kids to the 'School in the Sky' named Manor. You can see it on the book cover (art by Hana Kinoshita Thomson). One huge complication, though, is that his boarding school is for rich kids and Otis Ottely does not come from a wealthy family. Elevators appear in random places in the town of West Orlow but luckily technology can help. The weather radar meteorologist now adds a tiny yellow dot to his weather map showing where elevator has descended in the town and, so on this day, Otis plans to board the elevator so he can join this school. There are, however, lots of holes in this plan including wearing the correct school uniform.

So, what is going on with Otis Ottley and his family? Why is he trying so hard to reach this school? In the beginning it is simply because he would like to attend a different and possibly better school but then he meets one of the students and everything changes.

His dad owns an ice cream shop but recently another business has been opened by Tabitha Tabernacle who is a Manor graduate. This means her ice cream is made with, or better yet curated, with magic. Dad keeps trying to perfect new flavours and he says there is room for two ice cream establishments in their town. But is this really true? Since the death of his mum Otis's dad has withdrawn into his own thoughts.

Otis uses a tennis ball to talk to his mum. It has a Y and an N. He asks a question, tosses the ball and reads the answer. This sounds like a good plan but sadly, Otis has begun to forget precious memories of his time with his mum. Then a boy, called Keean, lands in West Orlow. He has been or is a Manor student and he has been experimenting with something that might just help Otis but others want to reclaim this magic and so the race is on!

I read Otis Ottley and the School in the Sky three times. YES, I really did enjoy it hence the four stars BUT my reading was overshadowed by the publisher listing ages 9-13 recommended. The cover has a younger vibe, but I think this book will better suit readers aged 11+. The main characters are in High School and aged 14. The book references The Merchant of Venice (possibly no 9-year-olds will be familiar with this play); and there are a few language issues with words like pissed and sparrow's fart but on the other hand I really appreciated the sophisticated vocabulary used in this book: words like reminisced; aplomb; gregarious; incredulous; philistine; sheeny; and covert ( and there are heaps more).

The Teacher Librarian in the story is named Mr Darcey (I like this), but he specialises in giving the kids books "that are equal parts gory and romantic, and super sweary." Again, this sounds like a phrase you might use with a Young Adult audience.

I think Otis Ottley will be a perfect book for a young High School (boy) who is a reluctant (but capable) reader who is sure to be attracted by the book length - short - and perhaps the cover (although that does look a little junior to me). There are some laugh out loud moments in this story and the plot twists and turns kept me turning the pages once I conquered the rhythm of Will's writing - he is excellent at leaving a reader to 'join the dots' in the narrative and so demands that, as a reader, you do pay very close attention to every word of every sentence - this is not a book to skim and scan. Behind all the humour, there is also a layer of poignancy and desperation in this story which you can feel from the quote at the start of this post. 

Here is a quote from the Teachers Notes which contains an interview with Will Kostakis: ‘In media, we like to treat drama and comedy as silos, but in life, they bleed together, and I always want my work to honestly reflect that. Getting the balance right is something I’ve learned to do over time, choosing the right joke for the right moment, and trusting that when the book requires it, readers will engage with something serious without me clowning out.’

Bookseller blurb: Otis Ottley is an ordinary boy who yearns to go to the magic school in the sky. And he will stop at nothing to make it happen. A funny and warm middle-grade novel about finding the magic in everyday life, from a much-loved, award-winning Australian author. Otis Ottley lives in the shadow of the Manor School for Magic. Literally. It's an island hovering over his town, and he's determined to reach it. While many kids dream of roaming the prestigious institution's halls, casting spells and conjuring spectacles, Otis has a very specific mission: to seek magical help remembering something very, very important. The odds are stacked against him, but Otis will break into magic school. Or at the very least, he will break a few rules trying.

The story is slightly Harry Potterish with a magical boarding school in the sky, but it also has a beautiful heart as young Otis desperately wants to bring his mum back. I also loved his emotional intelligence as he tries so hard not to upset his dad. Will Kostakis has created a fun side kick character for Otis named LJ - his role is to act as the 'voice of reason' along with supporting Otis as he tries to reach the school and find the memories of his mum. LJ is a terrific friend.

Some of the best scenes (I know this sounds very strange) take place in the nursing home on the outskirts of West Orlow where Otis goes to visit his grandmother. She is a feisty character with huge opinions and colourful clothes. I totally related to her horror of nursing home 'arts and crafts' activities and her 'busy body' personality.

"Nan lives on the second floor in what's basically a hospital room, but she's draped doilies over everything so it feels like home."

There are also some very imaginative ideas in this book such as bilocated paper - it is paper that appears magically and then words appear as if there is an invisible person writing them. Such a fun way to communicate with no need for devices! I also like the name Otis Ottley - the alliteration and the way, when he spells his name, Otis will need to say one 't' then double 't'.

It’s funny, it’s emotional and it’s fast-paced, with short chapters that keep the story moving so readers who don’t like long books, reluctant readers or readers just looking for something a bit lighter if they have been reading a lot of longer stuff can enjoy it. ... many readers will enjoy and find something to engage with, ... there is a sense of seriousness, a gravitas running through that shapes the story and makes Otis the character he is. It helps us as readers understand him and connect to him, and for readers who may have gone through what he has, it is a solid and meaningful reminder that they are not alone in the world and what they might be going through. The Book Muse

Here are some other Young Adult titles by award winning author Will Kostakis. His first novel, Loathing Lola, was released when he was just nineteen, and his second, The First Third, won the 2014 Gold Inky Award. It was also shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year and Prime Minister’s Literary awards. Will Kostaskis won the IBBY Australia Ena Noel award in 2018.

I had this book from 2014 - Stuff Happens Sean in my previous library - I plan to hunt it out and read it because I really enjoyed the style of writing in Otis Ottley.

Today I attended an event at Gleebooks Kids where Will Kostakis talked about his new book with fellow author Jack Heath (Jack Heath also won our IBBY Ena Noel Award). 

Just stop and think for a minute about these splendid events at Gleebooks Kids. We all know how much work goes into an author visit - most Teacher-Librarians host these important events once or twice a year or maybe in some cases (in wealthy schools) once each term. But think about Rachel Robson who hosts two author/book events EVERY Saturday. Exhausting but also fantastic. 

Back to the author talk today. I actually cheered when Jack Heath listed books that may have influenced Will Kostakis - of course he mentioned the obvious one which is Harry Potter, and also Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator but then Jack Heath named the short story Smart Ice Cream by Paul Jennings. Woohoo - this is a longtime favourite of mine. I have read it to hundreds of kids in my school library.

Here is a summary of Smart Ice Cream from Unreal: An ice-cream seller called Mr. Peppi has special ice-creams that have effects such as making people happier, shortening peoples' noses, removing pimples, and making people smarter. A smart but arrogant boy who is always top of the class gets jealous, because he never ever gets any of the ice-cream and also because one of his classmates becomes as good as him, so he ruins the ice-cream business by destroying all the ice-cream except the one that makes people smarter. He then proceeds to eat that one, only to find out that it actually makes people less smart.

Through the conversation between Will and Jack we learnt that this book Otis Ottley and the School in the Sky not only had long ago origins (back when Will was in Grade One!) but that it went through many drafts and plot changes - a good lesson for young readers about the importance of patience and perseverance along with striving to make your story or book the best it can be for your readers.

A few things Will Kostakis mentioned:

• The magic in the town of West Orlow needed to sound like a natural part of everyday life.
• Otis doesn't express his feelings, but we do know them through his actions (Jack Heath pointed this out).
• Jack Heath also said that Otis Ottley and the School in the Sky has 47 chapters and 47 plot twists all in 150 pages. Then Will explained his plan was for 130 pages but he went slightly over.
• The rich vocabulary used in this story was a deliberate choice (hooray!)
• The name LJ was inspired by the child of a friend.
• Will Kostakis is an author who does his best work under the pressure of a deadline. 
• At a deeper level this story shows the rich poor divide especially between Private and Public Schools - the discussion then turned to the way this is often reflected in the school facilities such as the school library.
• The bookseller's name Arabella Moriarty was a deliberate nod to the famous Australian children's author Jaclyn Moriarty.
• New books coming from Will Kostakis - possibly a sequel to Otis Ottley; a title for the Your Kids Next Read series for young readers (Affirm Press); and a new Young Adult title. 

Questions I didn't ask today (I never ask questions which I know is silly):

Do you think kids need to know the plot of or read the play of The Merchant of Venice which you reference in your story - it seems like quite a key plot point towards the end of the book.

I loved the scenes in the nursing home - can you talk about these - for example do you have an elderly relative living in care? You created such scenes and a terrific character with this grandmother.

It sounds like your editor had a huge role in the creation of this book - can you talk a little more about how this process works?

Companion book (this is a more serious book about a boy who visits an aged care home and all the different people he interacts with):

Not Nothing

Will Kostakis is also the National Judge for the Kids' Cancer Project - Write a Book in a Day. I am one of the State level judges (Primary division).

Stan the Van Man by Philip Webb illustrated by Emma Vere-Jones

 

This is not an earth-shattering book or perhaps even one you need to rush out and read or buy for your library but IF you can find Stan the Van Man it contains an interesting and important story about literacy even though the rhyming singsong style text might drive an adult reader slightly crazy. I am sure young children will enjoy the chaos and funny parcel deliveries and perhaps discover that some adults can have literacy problems. 

Stan volunteers to drive the mail van to help the desperate Post Office owner Miss Mickle. There are heaps of parcels that need to be delivered but along the way Stan also meets people who need his help - a little boy is stuck up a tree and a man needs help with his broken-down car. Once he has helped them, he starts to deliver the parcels but somehow everyone gets the wrong delivery. 

Mrs Vine gets a skateboard, kneepads and a hat; Guy gets two squeaky cat toys; Mr McDrew gets a pink toy horse on a pull along stand; and Miss Brock doesn't find her sunscreen but instead it is a bottle of tomato sauce. Oh, and perhaps worst of all Professor John Moore opens his parcel and finds a pair of frilly ladies' underpants!

Everyone races down to the post office to complain. Then we discover the problem:

"Stan's face went bright red and he lowered his head. 'I've not learned to read,' he replied. ... 'Here's the van key. This job's not for me,' and he turned and walked out the of the door."

How do the people feel? How do they react? Is there something they can do for Stan? Oh, and it fun to think about the way no one swapped their parcels back to the right owner - I wonder what the professor is doing with those undies?

Stan the Van man was published in 2015 by Scholastic in New Zealand - so it might be in your local school library as I imagine it was offered on their book club or in a standing order. 

Blurb from illustrator web page: Miss Mickle’s Post Shop is in chaos. Her van driver has walked off the job, the parcel sack is overflowing and there’s no-one to deliver the mail. When her neighbour Stan offers to help out, Miss Mickle thinks he could be her knight in shining armour. But Stan’s hiding a secret… he can’t read. And now it seems his secret might throw Miss Mickle’s postal service into even more chaos than before… Told in rhyming verse, Stan the Van Man was the recipient of the 2014 Storylines Joy Cowley Award. With illustrations by Philip Webb, this is a heart warming tale recommended for children aged 4-8- or anyone who wants to celebrate the joy of reading.

Companion book (same theme but a more powerful story):

Mr George Baker

Meet the illustrator Clotilde Perrin

Last weekend I visited one of our independent bookstores here in Sydney - The Constant Reader. How lucky are we to have a shop like this - with one whole store just for kids! One of the staff showed me a few of her new discoveries and among them were several books by Clotilde Perrin - we both gushed over the fabulous books available from Gecko Press and talked about how wonderful that they translate books from around the world into English for our readers. (Scroll down on this link to see her Gecko Press titles). The bookseller especially loves the delightfully named book The Kerfuffle. I have added it to my Pinterest of books that feature walls. 

Here is a quote from Clotilde Perrin's web page: I was born in the Vosges in France. My father made paper by hand, my mother drew. And in this mountain, you can meet wild beasts as well as imaginary beings. The dark fir trees of the Vosges forests have inspired me more than once. I also have fantastic memories of reading Arnold Lobel's "Porculus," John S. Goodall's "Jacko," Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and Michael Ende's "The Neverending Story." I was also terrified by the monsters of Etienne Delessert and the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch. Thus began my journey into images and the desire to share them.

Clotilde Perrin is an illustrator and author living in Strasbourg, France. She has published over 30 books including the international lift-the-flap bestseller Inside the Villains. Here is her Instagram page.

In this interview with Books for Keeps Clotilde talks about her book The Remarkables. 

Two of the books that I saw that 'blew my mind' were these although I am not sure they can really be added to a school library - better as gifts for an individual child:

Bookseller blurb: An extraordinary pop-up book that reveals the secrets of the most famous fairy-tale villains-the giant, the wolf and the witch-with interactive flaps, a twist on well-known tales, and personality cards for each villain. Lift the flaps to see the diabolical thoughts inside the villains' heads, what hides beneath their disguises, or the victims of their last meals (now comfortably settled inside their stomachs!). Read all about each villain on their personality card, which shows strengths and weaknesses, pastimes, physical characteristics, their best meal and-of course-their favorite books. And if the wolf bites your fingers while you're reading, you can always pull his tail... 

Read the Kirkus Star review. This book is huge/tall - you might get a shock when you see it. 

Bookseller blurb: Are you lost? Come in! You’re in luck there’s no one here just now Shhh… Be as quiet as you can, and very, very careful! In The House of Madame M, we explore a strange house: hallway, living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Each room is full of surprises to make even the bravest shiver. Are we in the house of an ogre? A witch? Something else altogether? This visit to Madame M’s brings the thrill of finding what lurks in the wardrobe, behind the door, tucked under the furniture. Full of humour and detail, it will mesmerise readers of all ages. This book has 25 flaps, pull tabs and other secrets hide jokes and spine-shivering surprises.

The most, and best, (pop-up) haunted house in decades. Kirkus Star review

I haven't talked about this book here but I have seen this one from 2014:

A very fine working of story, information, art and culture. Kirkus Star review

Here is a partial book list of titles by Clotilde Perrin (Note some may only be available in French). You can see all the titles here:

Heart of a Witch (November 2026)

Blades of grass (August 2025)

The confusion (April 2025)

Such cute ogrillons (November 2023)

The Remarkables or the most amazing children I have met (October 2023)

Ha! In a monstrous game of hide-and-seek (October 2021)

Inside the suitcase (October 2020)

Madame M’s House (October 2019)

Hurry, hurry, hurry! (October 2019)

Gotcha! – A Funny Fairy Tale Hide-and-Seek

The One about the Blackbird by Melanie Florence illustrated by Matt James

Please begin here - listening (no visuals) to the famous Beatles Song - Blackbird.

This is a very special Canadian picture book exploring an intergenerational relationship between a grandfather and his grandson. This book is only 32 pages but over the pages we watch as a young boy moves through is teenage years and into adulthood. His grandfather plays Blackbird on his guitar and then he patiently teaches his grandson Jack how hold, then how to form chords, on a guitar.

Image Source: Matt James

"I can't do it. It's too hard,' he said, pushing the guitar back towards his grandfather. 'If it was easy, everyone would do it,' his grandfather said kindly. 'Keep trying'.

Jack does try. He learns more chords and keeps practicing until eventually he can play whole songs. 

"Jack went from playing the guitar in his living room to playing for crowds of people all over the world."

Even though he lives and works far away, Jack still comes back to visit his grandfather. At this point the story goes full circle. With advanced age and perhaps memory loss Jack's grandfather has trouble getting his fingers to work on his old guitar - the guitar that was once his but that has now travelled around the world.  When his grandfather struggles he reminds him:

"If it was easy, everyone would do it,' Jack told him. His grandfather nodded, like he had heard those words before."

The Teacher-Librarian in the school where I volunteer shared this book with her Grade Two students today. It was fun listening to the way these kids, born in 2019, had no idea about vinyl records - the Teacher-Librarian had an old record to show the kids - one child suggested it could be a frisbee and another, who had seen a record before, knew you should not run your fingers over the surface. I kept wishing the library had an old turntable so the children could gain an idea of how records work. It is odd to think these kids also possibly have no idea about CDs (or videos!).

Publisher blurb: A young boy learns to play guitar from his grandfather, and the one about the blackbird is their favorite song. Years later, the boy visits his grandfather, and while his grandfather doesn’t recognize him, now grown-up, he does still remember how to hold a guitar. A beautiful full circle moment ensues when the boy plays his grandfather their favorite song. The moving text and dynamic, gorgeous art celebrate the connection that music can create between two people and the joy that music, and the shared love of it, can bring at any age.

A hymn to intergenerational ties. Kirkus

Like the blackbird of that song, the boy, and later young man, learned to fly. He learned to take flight in song and in life, gathering knowledge at the feet of one who knew how. And when that knowledge wanes, as happens with time and age, that grandson helps his beloved grandfather hear the song again. Can Lit for Little Canadians

You can see more books illustrated by Matt James here. Matt James is a painter, author/illustrator, and musician whose books include Yellow Moon, Apple Moon by Pamela Porter (New Mexico Book Award); I Know Here by Laurel Croza (Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award); When the Moon Comes by Paul Harbridge (Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award); and I Know How to Draw an Owl by Hilary Horder Hippely. Matt’s illustrations for Northwest Passage, a tribute to the Stan Rogers song, won the Governor General’s Literary Award. The books Matt has written include Tadpoles, Nice Try, Charlie!, and his author-illustrator debut, The Funeral, which was named a New York Times and New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book. As a child, Matt James liked to trace comics and pretend that tennis racquets were guitars—now he lives in Toronto and behaves more like a grown-up.

Here is the web page for Melanie Florence. Melanie Florence is a Canadian author of Cree and Scottish heritage. She lives in Toronto. 

This book was purchased in Canada while we were travelling there for the 2026 IBBY Congress. Sadly here in Australia this book will probably be too beyond your library budget but perhaps you can persude your local public library to purchase a copy. 

Landslide by Betty Cully

 

“Protestors have a right to be there, same as the dump, Nathan. Unless people stop making it, garbage has to go somewhere,” Dad says. “It’s always gonna be in someone’s backyard.”

You know that old saying don't judge a book by its cover? Well in the case of this book I totally misjudged the book by the title. YES there is a landslide but not of the kind involving huge mountains and perhaps catastrophic damage to a small town or village below the disaster. In this case the landslide is a huge or I should say enormous pile of rubbish or garbage that is piled up at the local dump on the edge of town. Perhaps no will notice the pile getting bigger or the pile actually beginning to move but one boy does notice because he lives right across the street!

How did that happen? Where I live the local dump is no not near any houses but Nathan does live there:

Our house on Route 4 in Crawley, Maine, is right across the road from the dump. There wasn’t always a dump there. It used to be the other half of my grandparents’ land, and in the summer we’d look out our front windows and see a big field full of tall grass and wildflowers. In the winter we’d watch deer and foxes. Mom doesn’t blame her sister for selling it. Aunt Del had no idea what would happen. But now it’s the place for everyone’s trash. 

And the complication is Nathan's dad works for the dump company called on Route 4 in Crawley, Maine, is right across the road from the dump. There wasn’t always a dump there. It used to be the other half of my grandparents’ land, and in the summer we’d look out our front windows and see a big field full of tall grass and wildflowers. In the winter we’d watch deer and foxes. Mom doesn’t blame her sister for selling it. Aunt Del had no idea what would happen. But now it’s the place for everyone’s trash. Last week protestors started gathering at the entrance, under the metal sign that says Homefront Municipal Waste Management.  

Nathan begins to read about the way these huge mountains of trash have begun to collapse in other places even leading to a death. Nathan needs a way to gather evidence and also he desperately needs to keep his dad safe. His dad's job is right on top of the pile - he works on huge equipment which tries to flatten the pile as more and more refuse is added each day. And this refuse is not just household waste.

Sometimes trucks from down south start lining up as early as six a.m. with special waste, solid waste, sludge, demolition debris, oily debris, asbestos, fly ash, dirty dirt. ... thing—dirty dirt means contaminated soil.

Luckily Nathan is a very observant boy (he calls this his I-sight) and he also has a terrific tool - a phone that he can use to take photos and timelapse videos. He also has a new friend - a boy names Wilder Bacon who needs a friend as much as Nathan needs someone to help him with this urgent issue. 

He told more glacier facts. Glaciers get so big the pressure of their own tremendous weight causes them to move. Glaciers are solids that flow like a liquid. That’s when I realized the garbage hill doesn’t move like a baseball or a hockey puck or a zip line. What it moves like the most is a glacier. Sometimes it moves fast and other times slow. Check. A glacier is constantly being topped off by fresh snowfall that keeps it flowing downhill, and the landfill always has more garbage being added. Check. If these things make the landfill like a glacier, then the other thing I learned might be true, too—that it is unstoppable.

I have good news and bad news about this book - yes it one I highly recommend and yes it is available here in Australia. It was published this year - 2026 BUT because it is from the US and because so far it is only available in hardcover it is way too expensive for a school library at AUS$35. If you can find this book in a library, I am certain readers aged 10+ will be hooked - Nathan is a kid who has real concerns, he loves his dad, he cares about his community and friendships and his activism as a kid is wonderful to witness. 

Adding to the power of this story the end notes explain the actual real-life situation that led to Betty Cully researching and writing this book. 

Culley grounds the story in solid environmental education, explaining rural landfills’ acceptance of out-of-state waste and the cumulative dangers of exposure to environmental waste and landfill gases. The plot builds steadily, and Nathan’s voice remains absorbing throughout, capturing a kid’s determination to protect his family while grappling with complex community politics. The environmental message is clear but never heavy-handed ... Kirkus

“This book has a lot of information about garbage, landfills, trash removal, and the impact of a landfill on the environment, but it’s also a story of friendship, family, and kindness. The characters are interesting and well developed and are portrayed as loving people who want to do the best for their families as well as the community. . . An excellent choice for libraries needing realistic middle grade fiction, particularly with environmental or social emotional themes.” —School Library Journal, starred review

I found Landslide on a shelf at my public library earlier this week. I’m so glad I did! It’s about a boy named Nathan that lives across the street from the landfill that his dad works at. As you can image, living right next to a landfill comes with some challenges. The characters in this one are easy to root for. Great book! Colby Sharp

Here is a longer review with comments about the writing of this book by the author. Here is the web page for Betty Cully - she lives in Maine.