Inked by Karen Wasson illustrated by Jake A Minton

When I read the title of this book I thought it was about tattoos - I should have looked more closely at the cover - can you see the octopus. His name is Otto and Otto is an opera singer but instead of arriving in Rome ready to perform at the famous opera house he finds himself in Rone. 

He is in the wrong town but also in the wrong place - this is a fish shop and humans eat calamari (octopus). Meanwhile twelve-year-old Sid scores a place in the art school of his dreams but his family have no money and the fish shop is not going well because a rival over the road is offering cheaper meals. 

How can a singing octopus save the day? 

Inked is a madcap adventure told as a graphic novel. It looks like a long book with close to 300 pages but the format means you will read it very quickly and also you will want to read it all in one gulp because, while you know there must be a happy ending, I was desperate to see if my predictions came true (they didn't).

Bookseller blurb: When 12-year-old Sid discovers a talking octopus in his family’s fish shop, he is shocked – and annoyed. Otto the octopus is cheeky, demanding, and won’t leave Sid alone until he helps Otto get to the ocean … roughly 300 kilometres away! But Sid has bigger fish to fry. He has to figure out how to get into the art school of his dreams, or else high school next year will be a nightmare.    Can these frenemies find a way to work together, or will it all end in disaster? Or even worse … will Sid and Otto realise they actually make a pretty great team? Brimming with hilarity, hijinks and plenty of heart, the first graphic novel from author Karen Wasson and CBCA-acclaimed illustrator Jake A Minton sparkles with slapstick humour and fish-out-of-water misunderstandings. With extraordinary full-colour artwork and a bonus 'making of' section at the end, readers of all ages will be surprised and delighted with this stand-out suburban adventure for middle-grade readers. Prepare to get INKED!

You can see more pages inside Inked here

Check out more about Jake A Minton on his Instagram page. I was a CBCA Judge when Jake A Minton's first book was published - it was submitted for the New Illustrator award - "There's no such Book".

Inked is a 2026 CBCA Younger Readers shortlist title. Here are the judges' comments:

If I was introducing or book talking Inked with a group of students (Grade 4 and up) I would begin with the music from this story. It would be fun to involve your school music teacher if you have one. You could just listen to these extracts for a minute or two.

• M'ama, sì, m'ama, lo vedo, lo vedo! from the Donizetti's Opera (video from YouTube) 
• Here is a terrific orchestral version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
• La donna e mobile Verdi (here is Pavarotti)
• Octopus's Garden
• Cry me a river (here is Michael Buble)
• Recitar mentre preso del delirio (video from YouTube)

Here are the teachers notes which oddly do not mention the music. 

A quick summary of the plot makes this book sound completely absurd, but readers will be surprised and delighted by thoughtful character development, witty dialogue, and Jake A. Minton’s warm, polished artwork. Inked is a strangely compelling reading experience with a filmic style and energy. An excellent, wildly entertaining read for ages 9+. Readings Melbourne

Brimming with hilarity, hijinks and plenty of heart, the first graphic novel from author Karen Wasson and CBCA-acclaimed illustrator Jake A Minton sparkles with slapstick humour and fish-out-of-water misunderstandings. With extraordinary full-colour artwork and a bonus 'making of' section at the end, readers of all ages will be surprised and delighted with this stand-out suburban adventure for middle-grade readers. Lamont Books

Nerds vs Aliens by Barry Jonsberg

"Breaking news: it's a book and you're reading it! Good onya. Beats scrolling through your pone and it probably thrills your parents. I have no idea who you are, but I can guess. ... 

(anyway) if you keep reading you'll get to know heaps about me ... "

Even though I am not (impressive term coming up) an omniscient narrator.

The aliens have an important reason for visiting earth. They have noticed the way humans are treating the planet. Who will they tell? Will anyone listen? Is the end of the world coming? How can three nerds possibly help?

This is a story told in two halves. Part One is entitled Broccoli and Part Two is Chocolate mud cake with a possible dollop of icecream.  I was certain for about half the book that all this talk of aliens was just someone playing a trick on Mo because the answer to my first question posed here about communication - well, the answer is via fridge magnets! Yes you did read that correctly - fridge magnets. Mo finds messages on his fridge and he is sure the messages are from aliens who are coming to our earth. I need to say our earth because these aliens also use the term earth when referring to their own home planet - confusing yes.

Mo has a date for the arrival of the aliens and we know this right from the first page so you and your young reading companion, or class or you as a reader of course, are sure to anticipate that this book will follow a countdown. 

"The World will end at ten thirty-six in the morning, on the fourteenth of March this year."

Mo just has to convince his friends Aitch (Harrison Harrison - yes it is a great name) and Ally (do NOT call her Alison. She is a book worm and can be quite touchy) that the aliens are really coming and that they, three kids from Earth are the ones the aliens want to talk to - yes that is wild. (and I have put a hint about why they want to come in the labels for this post).

Ally explains this to Aitch: "Mo believes aliens are on their way ... You think he's crazy and make fun of him, even though this is stuff he obviously understands. It's like an obsession with him. You know nothing about the subject and he's an expert, so how about you get excited for him, rather than making him feel small"

Interspersed through this book are asides and commentary from Aitch himself - these are so funny. That is why I added the label to this post "Breaking the Fourth Wall".

Here is an example:

"I said I'd done some research on how to write a book? Well, it seems a story about aliens might be fun for kids, but a book about being supportive of your mates will definitely thrill teachers and librarians. It's not just similes and metaphors that rock their boats, but also uplifting stories about being nice to each other. So I reckon I've got a couple of bases covered here. Entertaining with a moral. Buy lots of class sets. Just a suggestion."

I think this book could one to read aloud to your Grade 4 or 5 class, but I do need to give a small content warning - there are a few mild swear words so I strongly recommend reading this book yourself first - it won't take long. I read the whole book in just over an hour one afternoon a few weeks ago. Here are a few examples in case you think I am 'making this up'. "rat's bumhole"; "bugger all"; "scare the hell out of you"; and "damn". 

I am not sure if this is important, but the aliens have been studying us using the television show Home and Away. I think kids in Australia will know about this and also kids in the UK but I am not so sure about kids in the US - perhaps that isn't important - this is my attempt at an aside similar to the ones Aitch uses when he is telling this story. Oh and the aliens are big fans of Taylor Swift too! And they know about Bluey and KMart.

More plot details here What Book Next? Listen to Barry Jonsberg reading the first chapter of his book with the Your Kids Next Read team. 

A wild ride that's full of laughs ... Readings Melbourne

Aimed at middle-grade readers, Nerds vs Aliens delights in Pop culture references like Bluey and Kmart, adding to its Aussie appeal without the cringe. Although there is some crude toilet humour that might leave some parents squirming. Despite all the quirky comedic relief, Nerds vs Aliens delves into more serious themes surrounding our planet and its treatment, and the effect on future generations. Jonsberg’s is conscious of being didactic and instead applies a clever and thoughtful response to these matters, resolving with an empowering message and wholesome twist. Story Links

Thanks to Gleebooks kids for sharing the advance copy of Nerds vs Aliens which was published on 31st March 2026. 

The cheeky tone and Science Fiction themes and laugh out loud moments of Nerds vs Aliens made me think of this book which sadly is long out of print (note to any publisher reading this please bring this book back for kids to read today - it is so fantastic);

Halfway across the Galaxy and Turn Left

And this one (for younger readers);

And this one:

The World ends in April

I previously talked about these books by Barry Jonsberg:

Catch me if I fall

The dog that dumped on my doona

My life as an alphabet

I See the Sea by Julia Groves

This book is "a work of art that we can all own" Seven Stories Newcastle, UK.

You might walk past this book if you see it in a bookstore or a library but that would be a huge mistake - please find this book and OPEN IT.  The illustrations are brilliant and the expressive language in the text will give you and your young reading companion a truly rich experience.

The paperback edition of I see the sea was published in 2022 but the good news is - yes - it is still available. In fact Seven Stories, as you saw above, mentioned it on Facebook this morning.

Can you see the die hole on this page - it grows bigger with each page turn.

Here are some text quotes:

"I see a dark shape gliding, majestic and serene." - whale

"I see the knowing grasp, slow and swirling." - octopus

"I see shimmers and flutters clasping tight for safety." - seahorse

"I see bold pigments masking toxic skin." - mandarinfish

There is a very detailed fact page at the back of the book along with all the practical ways we can help protect our endangered oceans. The ocean covers 70.9% of our planet's surface. It is one continuous body of water divided into five main regions - Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern.

"Today the ocean and the creatures that live there face many big challenges: climate change caused by human activity; pollution from plastic waste, noise and chemicals; habitat destruction; overfishing and acidification."

There is so much to see and enjoy in Julia’s illustrations for this ocean foray that truly captures its awesomeness and majesty while her lyrical narrative beginning ‘I SEE’ on each spread evokes the wonders of the diverse marine life and flows beautifully from one spread to the next throughout. Red Reading Hub

Julia Groves shares her book on a video here. You could view this with your library group without the sound. The publisher Child's Play have some teaching ideas for using this book.

Here are some other books by Julia Groves:

Where does Pepper come from? by Brigitte Raab illustrated by Manuela Olten

"Any book that lets kids say, NO so often is bound to be popular" School Library Journal

This book is from 2006 so it is out of print but it might be in your school or local library. I am sure the format of this one will inspire curiosity and give your reading group lots of laughs too. You could use this to write more questions, think of crazy creative answers and then flip the page to read the actual facts.

Where does pepper come from? A pepper mill; a spicy place; the pepper store; a sneezy place; from pepper rocks! Actually, we discover on the next page it comes from the berries of the pepper plant. Most pepper is grown in India, Indonesia, Brazil and Malaysia.

Other questions in this book include; Why do bears hibernate? Why do snail carry houses on their backs?Why are flamingos pink? and Why isn't a whale a fish?

“Why is the sea salty?” “Because a sea captain sprinkled salt on the water”. This humorous picture book asks a series of seven questions and is first given some very creative (but wrong) answers. “Why do snails carry houses on their backs?” “Because they love to go camping!” Readers can then turn the page to see a child saying, No! followed by a concise, correct answer. In a nice twist, the pattern is broken at the end of the book. “Why don't migrating birds get lost when they fly south in the fall?” “Because they have compasses in their beaks!” This seemingly silly answer turns out to be partly true.

The design is playful with cartoon-style illustrations that use soft earth tones combined with subtle humour. This book is a lively and appealing way to encourage children’s curiosity about the natural world. Outside in the World

Where does pepper come from? was originally published in German in 2005 with the title Wo wächst der Pfeffer? 

A book like this could be a terrific addition to your bag of tricks if you are a casual or substitute teacher. Keep your eye out - you might find one in a charity shop.

The library where I volunteer had a display last term of question and answer books. I think my facination with this goes back to books from my childhood like The How and Why Wonder book series and also I had a large format book filled with questions and answers but I have no memory of the title.

Possum Magic Cookbook illustrated by Julie Vivas

First published in 1985 with the title The Grandma Poss Cookbook. 

Betsy Bird and her sister have a podcast where they talk about older picture books. I am a fairly regular listener and I usually enjoy their banter and slightly 'nitpicking' insights into some of my favourite titles. I am sorry to say, however, that the episode about our beloved Possum Magic by Mem Fox did raise my ire. I will explain in a moment. I did, however, learn a new word: Interstitial which means sentences that are brief statements and serve as transitions or interruptions in a larger piece of writing. These types of sentences play a crucial role in guiding the reader through the text and enhancing its overall flow. By inserting interstitial sentences strategically, writers can effectively connect different ideas and maintain the reader’s interest.

I was happy that they both loved the illustrations in Possum Magic by Julie Vivas - she is a national treasure. Hopefully Betsy and her sister might hunt out some of her other books - my favourite is Puffling.

Now check out my previous post from 2012 about the book Possum Magic (1983).

Points I dispute:

Mem Fox is like Dr Seuss - not really. For one thing she uses many different illustrators (she is the author of her books but not the illustrator). Also, her books are generally not as witty as Dr Seuss. In my view the only possible way to relate these two authors would be that they both use rhyming texts. Perhaps Betsy is right that Mem Fox is famous but not nearly as famous as Dr Seuss. And I would not link Mem Fox with Julia Donaldson.

Mem Fox says (in a 2026 Guardian article) talking about reading to her daughter: “When she was little, there were no Aus­tralian pic­ture books,” Fox says. “There were a lot of Eng­lish books, there were a lot of Amer­ican books, but they were not Aus­tralian books.” Here are some 1970's picture books that I still shared with kids decades later: The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek 1974; Aranea 1976; John Brown, Rose and the midnight cat 1978; The lighthouse keeper's lunch 1978; The Oath of Bad Brown Bill 1979; and Sunshine 1982. 

"Put a shrimp on the barbie; a dingo ate my baby" etc sorry Betsy this part of your recording is somewhat offensive. No one speaks like this in Australia. 

It is Grandma POSS not puss. Poss - short for possum. 

Yes we do have different possums - here is a photo of an Australian possum - they eat fruit, flowers and leaves and are often found scavenging in urban areas. I have a few in my area. 

Never heard of lamingtons?  Surely you can just 'Google' this and NO Betsy this is not a dessert - these are small, delicious cakes. In the cookbook featured in this post, Julie Vivas fills the end papers with lamingtons. We even have a Lamington Day here in Australia.

I have read Possum Magic so many times and I have never even noticed the dingo - and please find out how to say the word 'emu'. You do have scary mammals in the US - the wolf and the coyote for example.

Pumpkin Scones are associated with Queensland (but made everywhere) because the wife of a former Premier of that state sort of made them famous as her trademark recipe. Her name was Florence Bjelke-Petersen and this aspect of Australian politics is open to a level of ridicule.

Darwin is a city - it is the capital of the Northern Territory - I am very surprised you had not heard of this place. How lucky Possum Magic has a map at the back along with a glossary of the foods the pair eat.

Here is the recipe (from the Mem Fox web page);

Lamingtons

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of butter
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 and a half cups of sugar (8 oz)
• 3 cups of self-raising flour (12 oz)
4 eggs

Method:

Beat together the butter, sugar and eggs. Add milk, then add the flour and beat well. Bake in a large square cake tin for 45-50 mins at ‘cake temperature’ (gas 180C or 350F; electric 180-200C or 350-400F). When completely cold, cut into 3 inch squares, cover with icing (frosting) and dip in fine coconut. 

Icing:

Sift 1 kilo of icing sugar with 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Work in 250 grams of butter then slowly add half a cup of hot water to make it rather thin. Add half a teaspoon. of vanilla. Place basin containing icing over a bowl of hot water to keep icing sort of runny. With a skewer, hold each piece of cake and ice it all over and then toss it in coconut spread on greaseproof paper. 

This weekend we are focusing on ANZAC day and that means some people will be baking ANZAC biscuits - these are mentioned in Possum Magic by Mem Fox and of course are included in this cookery book.

Anzac Biscuits
Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup plain flour (8 oz)
• 1 cup dessicated (shredded) coconut
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 4oz or 125gms unsalted butter, cubed butter
• 1/4 cup golden syrup (NOT honey)
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• Salt

Method:
Mix dry ingredients, making a well in the centre. Dissolve baking soda in the boiling water. Warm the butter and the syrup in a small pan until the butter is runny, then add the soda & water. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix. If the mixture is too dry add a little more water. Roll out and cut biscuits roughly 3 inches round. Bake in oven for 20 minutes at 180 Centigrade (350 Fahrenheit.)

Here are some other famous Australian picture books written around the same time as Possum Magic: Mr Archimedes Bath 1981; Sunshine 1982; Whistle up the Chimney 1982; A pet for Mrs Arbuckle 1982; Who sank the boat 1983; There's a sea in my bedroom 1984; Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge 1984.

If you would like to read anther book that travels around Australia:

And this one about ANZAC Biscuits.

Best recipes in the Possum Magic cookbook: Minty pea toasties; Twirly Whirlys (small wraps); Honey Crackles (great recipe but I personally don't like these); Frog Jelly; Sparkle Biscuits; and Apple Fizz Drink.

Baby by Patricia MacLachlan

A searching, beautifully written story. Kirkus

Larkin lives with her artist mother, father and grandmother Byrd on an island (perhaps it is Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard). The island is overrun with visitors each summer so the residents really enjoy the quieter times when all the mainlanders have left.

We ate dinner as the sun set; candles on the table, the dinner a yearly celebration that tomorrow the island visitors would leave. The seasons on our island rose and fell in a rhythm like the rise and fall of the tides. Autumn was ours with quick colors, leaves flying until they were gone and we could see the shape of the island. The land rose and fell, too, from the north point where the lighthouse stood, curving down into valleys like hands holding pond water. Soon winter would come, the winds shaking the windows of the house, the sea black. Herring gulls would sit out of the wind on our porch, watching for spring that would come so fast and cold, we would hardly know it was there. Then summer, visitors would come off the ferry again, flooding us, the air heavy with their voices. And again, at summer’s end they would be gone like the tide, leaving behind small signs of themselves: a child’s pail with a broken handle, a tiny white sock by the water’s edge. Bits and pieces of them left like good-byes.

But have the summer visitors all left? At the end of chapter one Patricia MacLachlan hints that change is coming and it is coming tomorrow. The family and Larkin's special friend Lalo return from their tradition of farewelling the final ferry to find a baby on their doorstep.

“I cannot take care of her now, but I know she will be safe with you,” Papa read. “I have watched you. You will be a good family. I will lose her forever if you don’t do this, so please keep her. I will send money for her when I can. I will come back for her one day. I love her.”

Sophie's mother loves her baby but she has had to leave her behind. Papa warns Larkin the baby's mother will return.

“I like Sophie,” I said. “I don’t love her.” “Don’t,” said Papa. “Don’t love her.” He sighed. “I like her too,” he said after a moment. “Mama will love her soon,” I whispered. “If not already,” murmured Papa. “I’m scared,” I said after a while. “For Mama.” There was a silence.

There is a hint of sadness to come on the opening page of this book - it is a quote from a poem:

I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground. So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind: Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned. —from “Dirge Without Music” Edna St. Vincent Millay

This family are carrying a deep sadness. Mama and Papa won't talk to Larkin about her baby brother who only lived for one day. He never had a name and Larkin never saw his little face.

A tiny stone sat there, surrounded by big headstones with angels and flowers and names engraved on them. There was no name on the tiny stone, just the word BABY and a date that showed that the one buried there had only lived for one day.

A great topic for a PhD could be the portrayal of librarians, school librarians and Teacher-Librarians in middle grade books. I adore Ms Minifred she works at Larkin's school. She is a minor but also important character. She loves words, poetry (spoiler alert there is a love story in this book too) and Rebel (who) had come to the island with his Harley-Davidson motorcycle when he was eighteen and had never left. That was fifteen years ago. We had seen pictures of him then, and he hadn’t changed. He was still thin, and his hair stood straight up. He had a mysterious tattoo on his arm that said “Wild Eunice.”

I often think about collecting the opening sentences of books - perhaps using them as a way to share books with readers or even as writing inspiration. Here is the opening sentence of Baby:

In the evenings my father danced.

Here is another beautiful sentence: Byrd lifted Sophie and whirled her around until Sophie laughed. A small island plane flew over our heads and away. And Byrd’s pearls broke, showering Sophie and falling over the meadow grasses like tears.

Publisher blurb: Larkin's family welcomes Sophie into their home, caring for her and teaching her games and new words. They come to love this baby as their own, all the while knowing that eventually Sophie's mother will return one day to take her from them.

The writing in this book is so far above nearly every book I have read over the last few months. I read a huge number of kids books and while many are okay and a few are good, none quite reach the heights of the exquisite writing in this book. It should not have taken me so long to read Baby which was published in 1995. My friend first mentioned it back in 2012 when she read my post about the most famous Patrician MacLachlan book Sarah, Plain and Tall. The label on this post will take you to lots of other Patrician MacLachlan titles. In this post from 2020 I talk about themes in her books such as music, poetry, questions, and family relationships. You might also notice many books include loss. 

Awards for Baby by Patricia MacLachlan:

• WINNER 1994 ALA Best Books for Young Adults
• WINNER 1996 South Carolina Children’s Book Award
• WINNER 1994 Texas Bluebonnet Award

There are only a handful of children's middle grade authors that I put into the category of superb - Patricia Maclachlan; Kate DiCamillo; Sara Pennypacker; Kevin Henkes; Patricia Reilly Giff; Katherine Paterson; Jason Reynolds and Katherine Applegate from the US. Katherine Rundell and Onjali Q Rauf from the UK. And Zana Fraillon, Judith Rossell, Deb Abela, Tristan Bancks and Shirley Marr from Australia.

Companion books:

The Naming of Tishkin Silk

The Summer we found the baby

Foxlight

Here is the full poem by Edna St Vincent Millay:

“I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground. 

So it is and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind: 

Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned 

With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned. 

Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you. 

Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust. 

A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew, 

A formula, a phrase remains, - but the best is lost. 

The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love, - 

They are gone. They are gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled 

Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve. 

More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world. 

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave 

Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind; 

Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave. I know. 

But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.”

Say Hi to Hedgehogs by Jane McGuiness

Follow this lovely little creature through the year and learn what hedgehogs like to eat, how they hunt for their food, where they build their nests, the time it takes for them grow from tiny hoglets into healthy adults and, as the seasons turn, 

how they prepare for hibernation.

You are right - we do not have hedgehogs here in Australia but that does not stop my fascination. Several years ago I visited a family in Sussex and they were delighted to show me a baby hedgehog and they also explained how people in their rural village or hamlet were anxious to create safe spaces for these tiny creatures. In the USA this book has a different cover and title - Prickly Hedgehogs. Say hi to Hedgehogs is a title from the Nature Story Book (or formerly called Read and Wonder) book series published by Walker Books (Candlewick in the US).  Click the label at the bottom of this post to find more books from this fabulous series. 

You can see just how sweet they look in this glorious illustration by Brian Wildsmith from his book Wild Animals:

Here are a couple of my favourite hedgehog books:

I'm Not Scared by Britta Teckentrup

The Hodgeheg by Dick King Smith

Find more book ideas here - 2nd February 2019 Hedgehog Day (Kinderbookswitheverything); and 2nd February 2023 Hedgehog Day (Kinderbookswitheverything). 

Jane McGuinness is also the illustrator of this terrific book that you MUST add to your library:

We are the Wibbly