My father is a far-thinking man. He stands, feet firmly planted on ground, his hand over his eyes blocking the blinding sun. I stand to the left of him, stroking Belle, our gray mule. For what seems like hours, Father stares at the horizon. I can’t imagine what he sees. Not truly. I asked once: “What’re you looking at?” Without looking at me, he answered, “Dirt.” Dirt is all around. Not worth staring at, I think. Near or far, it’s all Texas soil.
And the story continues:
It feels as though Ma and I have a pact. I don’t know what our pact is, but Ma includes me in ways Father never does. She makes sweet treats, tucks me in bed, kisses my forehead, and, sometimes, lets me have a carrot for Belle. She talks to me calm, sensible. Yes, Father is a far-thinking man. Father’s life isn’t here or now. It’s out there, somewhere else, in a future time. I think I’m too close to him, too near to count.
Father works hard on the farm but while it is true he is no longer a slave, most of the profits from his cotton go to the landowner. Father cannot read but he brings home a notice from the market:
Father and Will set off on their long journey of 400 miles with their faithful mule Belle. "Belle will have to pull for eight hours a day for forty days.”
Nearly a month of travel, Father’s body is more relaxed. He still doesn’t talk much, but there’s an ease, a calm about him. The farther we get from Mr. Thompson’s farm, the more the wide-open, remote land stirs him with wonder.
Going back to the title - Will is racing because there is limited land and thousands of people are rushing to claim their share. It is also a race because Father hopes to make a new home for his wife and his own elderly father. Finally it is a race because three armed men are chasing them after a terrible altercation in one of the towns on their journey. Luckily their new friend Caesar, a former slave and soldier, was able to rescue Will during a robbery of their wagon and he has now joined them on the trail, but these three white cowboys are out for revenge.
It is so sweet to read the way old Belle their mule loves Caesar's huge horse Midnight.
Belle loves Midnight. Midnight loves Belle. Standing close to each other, they share water, hay. Belle nudges Midnight’s flank; Midnight rubs his chin against her. Ears flat, Belle is happy. Ears pointed, Midnight scans the surroundings, keeping them safe. No snake or coyote will surprise him. When Midnight is nearby, Belle tugs the wagon with extra energy. It’s like she’s showing off. Resting, like now, they keep close enough to touch.
If you are book talking Will's Race for Home, I suggest reading chapter 22 - the river crossing - it is a dramatic and life-threatening scene which will have your library group on the edge of their seats. (There is also a similar scene in One Big Open Sky but with a more devastating outcome).
Publisher blurb: It's 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on land they don't get to own. So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out on a journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free-if they can get to it fast enough. But the journey isn't easy-the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal, and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger. And then there's the stranger they encounter and befriend: a mysterious soldier named Caesar, whose Union emblem brings more attention-and more trouble-than any of them need. All three are propelled by the promise of something long denied to them: freedom, land ownership, and a place to call home-but is a strong will enough to get them there?
Here is a video of Colby Sharp explaining how much he loved this book. This book is about US History but I am sure readers here in Australia aged 10+ will enjoy this thrilling tale of heroism and the wild west and as a bonus this is a fairly short book which might surprise you because it is filled with action and danger. Listen to an audio sample here. You can see more books by Jewell Parker Rhodes here.
Here is a fabulous character description from this book that you could use as a model with your older students:
Off to the right is the first Black man I’ve seen during the journey. He reminds me of a great-tailed grackle. Long legs, face. His ankle-length coat, like a bird’s tail, sweeps and gleams iridescent—purplish black. His skin is obsidian dark; his clothes duller, more ash. Even his Stetson hat is black. He leans his shoulder against one of the posts outside the Pioneer Saloon. He doesn’t seem to mind the flow of weary travelers and loud drunks passing by. His dark eyes seem to see everything. Even me!
"Oh Theo. You can't spend your life worrying about what might happen ... I think researching your fast facts is making you more anxious, not less.' ... He was wrong. So wrong. My facts were helpful. We were sailing the Pacific Ocean! Thousands of things might happen. We'd already seen jellyfish and rays and a huge octopus. Not to mention the high chance of encountering pirates, or whales, or stormy weather."
Theo (Theodore Boston Bellview) is on a yacht cruise with his dad, stepmother Lyn and stepsister Mozzie (I wonder if this is a short form of a different name?). Theo feels left out and the cruise is very disappointing plus it feels as though his dad is giving all of his attention to Mozzie. He misses their previously close relationship. As this newly blended family journey across the ocean a wild storm hits their boat, and Theo is swept into the sea. Theo is the sort of kid who lives with hundreds of facts and hundreds of worries, so he has bought a survival pack along on the cruise. Luckily his pack is on his back when he falls into the ocean and luckily his stepsister has somehow managed to toss him a life ring. Unluckily the boat sails away and Theo is swept onto a small, presumably deserted tropical island. Surely it will not be very long before Theo is rescued but alas this is not the case. Hunger and more importantly thirst takes over and so Theo feels compelled to walk away even though he knows he should stay put. He desperately needs to find water and eventually he does but even more surprisingly he also finds an older woman who has created a small hut from the rubbish that has washed up on the shore. She has named this Trash Beach.
(She) "wore a filthy lavender-coloured dressing-gown and a tattered sheepskin slipper on one foot and a too-big orange Croc on the other. And (she) lent heaving on a gnarled stick ..."
My first reaction to this book was to laugh at the highly improbable scenario but by the final chapters I was actually enjoying the 'ride' and I did read this book in almost one sitting. You do, however, have to suspend disbelief in this book although I do realise younger readers aged 9+ won't read this tale with my 'cynical eye'.
How lucky that Theo:
has small survival kit containing: a five-piece mini survival pack with screw drivers, a penknife, whistle, compass, a torch and a ferro rod for starting a fire; two small cans of baked beans; a used snake-bite bandage; 3 metres of rope; 3 pencils; a pen and a notepad.
has participated with his local scout's group where he has learned skills such as knot tying.
has a head full of fast facts about all sorts of dangers. (These are interesting but also, at times, very funny).
The issue of the way we have polluted our oceans is one you might want to discuss with your library group - this is vividly presented when we read Professor Staggered has made a fence around her hut using discarded toothbrushes. There is also the moral dilemma of finding and exposing an extinct animal knowing it is sure to be exploited if taken out into the world. I also suggest using page 119 if you plan to book talk The Lost Island with your class or library group - it is the scene where Theo covers his skin with stinging nettles - painful yes but also very funny.
I really appreciated the map of the island:
Huge thanks to UQP for sending me an advance copy of The Lost Island - this book was published earlier this month (August 2026). You will find teachers notes and a book extract here. The teachers notes are very detailed and so I suggest you only select a few of the questions as a way to guide a discussion with your class.
Publisher blurb: Theo thinks there’s nothing worse than being stuck on a Pacific cruise with his dad, new stepmum and annoying stepsister. But when he’s thrown overboard during a storm and washes up on a desert island, he suddenly has much bigger problems. As Theo tackles castaway life – finding food, water and shelter – he discovers the island is full of mysteries: spooky noises, possible ghosts and the strangest birds he’s ever seen. With survival getting tougher by the day and no rescue in sight, Theo is desperate to get back to his family. But to escape the island, he must first unlock its secrets – and reckon with the power of nature.
Once upon a time a little girl named Alice lived in a city by the sea. Her grandfather had come to America on a large sailing ship. He found a job making figureheads for ships and carving Indians for the front of cigar stores. Alice listens to her grandfather's stories and decides she too will travel around the world one day and then eventually come home and live in a cottage by the sea. Her grandfather agrees this will be a fine thing to do but he also gives her the advice above. (Listen here)
Alice does grow up and eventually works in a library in another city but she keeps reading about faraway places. Finally Alice, now called Miss Rumphius, is able to travel. She goes to topical islands, snow covered mountains, jungles and deserts. After a small accident Miss Rumphius returns home to a cottage by the sea. She is happy and does recover but what about that promise to her grandfather? She plants a few seeds in her garden not knowing that this will lead her to the answer. The flowers are lupines and the seeds have blown across the nearby hill. Alice sends for more seeds and she scatters them everywhere.
"The next spring there were lupines everywhere. Fields and hillsides were covered with blue and purple and rose-coloured flowers. They bloomed along the highways and down the lanes. Bright patches lay around the schoolhouse and back of the church."
Miss Rumphius completed her promise.
This is one of those classic American stories that many people will be familiar with. I am sure you will easily find a copy in most libraries. Mine came from a recent charity book sale and this copy has perhaps lingered on a bookshelf in a home for many years because this 1982 picture book is in mint condition and the dust jacket in completely intact which is rare. This edition is still available for over AUS$37 (I paid AUS1.50 at the book fair). Take a look inside Miss Rumphius.
Here is the cover of the paperback which I did have in my former school library:
Bookseller blurb: When Miss Rumphius was little, she would sit on her grandfather's lap and listen to his stories of faraway places-and she would say "When I grow up, I too will go to faraway places, and when I grow old, I too will live beside the sea." However, her grandfather gives her a third charge-to do something that makes the world more beautiful. And Alice grows up to do just that. She takes a job as a librarian far away from the salt air, travels to distant locations, and moves back by the sea. However, she knows she must still do something to make the world more beautiful. After watching the Lupines grow by her house, she has a wonderful idea.
One reviewer said: A picture book full of meaning, the gorgeous paintings capture the very essence of New England by the sea and the many stops of her life along the way.
Here are some things I discovered about Miss Rumphius:
Miss Rumphius was inspired by a real-life "Lupine Lady," Hilda Hamlin, who spread lupine seeds along the Maine coast, as well as Cooney's own experiences traveling the world.
In 2012, it was ranked number 13 among the "Top 100 Picture Books" in a survey published by the School Library Journal.
The book was made into a short film by Western Wood (16 minutes) in 2000.
The Lupine Award of the Maine Library Association is named in honor of the book as is the New Jersey Center for the Book's Miss Rumphius Award given to librarians and teachers who develop creative activities to support literacy education.
The book itself is dedicated with a small illustrated icon to Saint Nicholas, who is the patron saint of children, sailors, and maidens (or unmarried persons).
Many of Miss Rumphius' journeys were inspired by Barbara Cooney's own experiences traveling around the world.
The art for Miss Rumphius has a permanent home in the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
Barbara Coney was born in 1917 and died in 2000 aged 82. Her first book was published in 1940, and her 110th book, Basket Moon, was published in September of 1999.
Miss Cooney twice won the prestigious Caldecott Medal given by the American Library Association for Best Illustrated Book of the Year, first for her retelling of Chaucer's Chanticleer and the Fox, and second, for Ox-cart Man, written by famed New England poet Donald Hall.
Barbara Cooney was honored as the official United States Nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal
"Of all the books I have done," she says, "Miss Rumphius (Viking, 1982), Island Boy (Viking, 1988), and Hattie and the Wild Waves (Viking, 1990), are the closest to my heart. These three are as near as I ever will come to an autobiography."
"They were so brave ... the bravest goats in the world! And I want to be just like them."
Now read the opening sentence of Kid:
"There once was a small goat who lived on a farm, not far from the rugged mountain."
Ask yourself some questions - will this small goat have an adventure? will he travel to the rugged mountain? what will he find there? does he have a good life on the farm? are there any other goats there? does 'not far' mean this story will involve a journey?
Life on the farm is good. There are cows, sheep, pigs and hens. Oh, and of course there is a small goat - a young goat - a kid named Kid.
"He was barely taller than the hens, and not just because he was young. He was a small breed of goat - a miniature - so even when fully grown he would hardly peek over a bale of straw. For now he was still a kid, with gangly legs, ears that stuck out and two bumps on the top of his head. He couldn't see them but he knew they were there, and he dreamt that one day they would grow into big curved horns, strong and majestic."
Kid has dreams - big dreams. And these dreams are linked with the story of his parents. This is the story Audrey, one of the hens, tells him night after night. His parents were Buck and Bess and they heroically saved the farm from a fox but by chasing the fox they jumped over all the fences and "no one ever saw those brave goats again." Bess and Buck left their baby behind in the care of Audrey. "And you've been stuck with me ever since."
Kid has the care and friendship of Audrey and also of Harriet, a whitish-pink pig. So, the story is set. Kid would like to be heroic like his parents. He is sure his parents are living in the nearby mountains. Audrey needs to protect her young charge just as she promised his mother all those years ago and Harriet is keen to experience new tastes in the wild. But of course, there is a problem - well there are lots of problem but the biggest one of all is Farm Law. Note the capital letters.
"Farm Law says that any animal who leaves the farm can never come back ... They'll bring danger to the farm - predators, or sickness from the wild."
"The adventures of Buck and Bess played in his mind. He had loved the stories, so wild and exciting, but he always dreamt that one day they would return to the farm. Now he knew he would never see them again, all because of a big white dog who didn't like goats."
Kid will not be stopped. Ma, the big white farm dog will not stop him. He jumps over the fence and ...
There are some sweet words of wisdom in Kid:
Audrey: "I was scared and I didn't want you to go. But then I asked myself what was more important: to follow the rules or follow your dreams?"
Audrey: "The world hasn't ended. You have a home and friends who love you - even when you're miserable. I didn't raise you to blob around like a snail without a shell. Get up and do something."
Cow: "Gavin (the great hawk) said you will find your family ... on the mountain."
I think I held my breath through the final chapters of this book - I know Peter Carnavas is a trustworthy author and he would give me that all important "happy ending", but I was so worried about little Kid - would Ma let him come back to the farm?
Publisher blurb: This is the story of a small goat called Kid. Ever since his parents chased away a fox and never returned, Kid has stayed with Audrey the hen in the chook yard. Audrey tells him stories of his mum and dad’s daring and bravery. She says they live on the nearby mountain, and Kid longs to leave the farm to find them. And then, one day, he discovers he is big enough to jump the fence … Will a wild adventure up the mountain help Kid find where he belongs?
Here is the trailer - this is sure to make you fall in love with this book:
This book will be published next week - do not wait - run to your independent bookstore or local library and order a copy of Kid by Peter Carnavas. I really wish I lived in Queensland so I could participate in some of the launch events for Kid. Huge thanks to UQP for sending me an advance copy of Kid. I devoured it in one sitting and then went back and read it all again today. There are extensive teachers notes for Kid BUT really my suggestion is just read this book - to your young reading companion, to your class or to your library group. Don't dissect it - just enjoy the writing, the friendships, and the very special voice of young Kid.
In the UK Kid from Pushkin Press has a slightly different cover. I love talking with students about covers - design, appeal, font choices and the way covers can influence our reading choices. The US edition will come from Groundwood Books in 2027! Kid is published in hardcover and the beautiful pastel colours reminded me of my old copy of Heidi (I have put this image at the bottom of this post).
The publisher and Peter Carnavas himself (quite rightly) links Kid with two very famous books:
Peter Carnavas says: After writing my last book, I promised myself I’d take a quiet break from writing,
but then a small goat trotted into my thoughts. I’m not sure where he came from but I remember what I was doing at the time – I was reading Edwina Wyatt’s book Cub and Brown. Edwina’s story has nothing to do with goats but for some reason, halfway through reading, I put down the book, opened my sketchbook and drew a goat. Up until now, my novels have centred around quiet children and relationships, so I wanted to try something different with my goat – I wanted an adventure! I started drafting ideas based on the structure of the hero’s journey: I gave him a call to action, a merry band of accomplices (each with their own strengths), a wise elder, a series of trials and an exciting climax.
I really appreciate having maps in books. The map at the beginning of Kid reminded me of this book:
Kid is published in hardcover and the soft pastel colours used on the cover reminded me of my old copy of Heidi. Just a small observation of mine - Kid doesn't have any actual links with Heidi!
"Sydney and Taylor live in a burrow under Miss Nancy's potting shed."
Bookseller blurb: Sydney is a skunk and Taylor is a hedgehog, but no matter how odd the pairing may seem, their friendship comes naturally. They live happily in their cozy burrow . . . until the day Taylor gets his Big Idea to go see the Whole Wide World. From mountains taller than a hundred hedgehogs, valleys wider than a thousand skunks, to the dangers that lie in the human world, Sydney and Taylor wanted to see it all. With a map and a dream, they bravely set off, soon discovering that the world is much bigger than they realized.
There are eleven chapters in this 79-page book which is published in a sightly larger format than the usual sized paperback. The first book (above) was published in 2021 but I think these books are still available.
Blurb for Book 2 Take a Flying Leap: When Taylor decides he wants to be the World’s First Flying Hedgehog, there is little Sydney can do to stop him. Will Taylor realize his dream? Will he forgive Sydney for not believing in him? And can Sydney keep his spiny friend in one piece? This hilarious story, illustrated with expressive full-color art, highlights the importance of friendship and the need to reach for the sky.
Blurb for Book 3 ... and the Great Friend Expedition: Sydney and Taylor have been best friends since before they can remember. But how does one make new friends? Taylor wants to try, so Sydney does what any best friend would do: accompany him on his biggest adventure yet! When sincere compliments and gifts of friendship don't lead anywhere, Sydney and Taylor may need to look where they least expect . . .
One of the MOST important sections of a school library (and a bookshop) is the space set aside for easy chapter books - those with very satisfying stories - not readers or formulaic series. And these books work best if they have colour illustrations and are from a series with a small number of titles. There are not so many good examples of this that have been published here in Australia in recent years and we rarely do colour illustrations but there are so many terrific junior series and easy chapter books that do come our way from the US and UK and luckily because we speak English our readers can access and enjoy them. There are three books in the Sydney and Taylor series. I am so happy I have discovered these - the stories in books one and three made me smile:
I recently read this comment about books which pair unlikely friends:
"Friendship is an important part of children's lives. And that's precisely why it's such an important part of children's books. Friendship is truly where so much of the drama, as well as the triumph and love happens between children's book characters. This is especially true in stories about unlikely friendships. Whether friendships are unlikely because of personality, character traits, or even species, there is an inherent tension in stories where there is some kind of perceived obstacle to characters becoming friends."
It is fun that many of books that fall into this category contain unlikely friends such as our skunk and hedgehog from the series I mentioned today. Other fantastic junior each chapter books I recommend:
Crow is a street kid. He works for an underground gang called The Reavers. Their leader is a cruel man named Yarrick. As this story opens Crow has been ordered to take an object to a manor house on the edge of the city. When Crow holds the object - an orb - it feels different:
"It flared again as it dropped into Crow's outstretched palm, brighter this time. It was smooth and warm against his skin, but the strangest thing was the way it felt comfortable in his hand."
Crow has no idea that he has magical abilities. At the manor house he meets Victor - he is a Dreamcatcher. Previously Crow had wandered around the rooms in the house and he found this:
"The entire room was filled with row after row of tall wooden stacks ... but ... these shelves didn't hold books. Instead each was filled with glass bottles of varying shapes and sizes. ... There had to be thousands of bottles here. The bottles were filled with coloured liquid in every hue imaginable."
These bottles contain dreams. Over the coming weeks Crow learns that some are simple and harmless others are powerful. Dreams are good but there needs to be a counterbalance - nightmares. Crow is so sensitive to magic that he can hardly bare to enter the room with the nightmares and then Victor tells him about the most powerful and dangerous magic of all. It is called a mara. If you are book talking this story with your students (aged 11+) you could use the scene at end of Chapter 17 which describes what happens when Crow enters the cellar and sees the cabinet that contains the mara.
Victor offers Crow an apprenticeship but his loyalty is to his friends back in the city. Then Yarrick sends the three kids on a dangerous mission and Crow watches as his friends run into a fire - he is sure they have both been killed.
With nowhere else to turn Crow goes back to Victor and his apprenticeship begins. Crow learns how to make dreams using the grimoire in Victor's laboratory.. You are sure to love all exotic sounding ingredients.
"cardamon, four-leaved clover, yarrow, mugwort, willow bark, extract of milk thistle, crystallised raindrops and an eagle's feather." "valerian, quarrix feather, ... venom of a burnished snake, a wishbone stone, birchbark, mountain skullcap, charcoal and moonflower root."
As well as combining ingredients, Crow also learns how to collect dream essence out in the city at night - the essence come from actual dreams. Crow is able to follow a dream trail and then collect the magical energy of the dream.
Meanwhile time is ticking. Each chapter is a countdown to the arrival of the comet named Oros the Changebringer. Crow and his friends Sal and Jonas have a plan to leave the city and escape from The Reavers and Yarrick on All Soul's Eve. In the scheme of things, though, this plan seems impossible and also a huge amount of magical power will come from this comet - power that others plan to exploit.
One of the best features of the writing in this book is the way you will keep trying to guess the motivations of Victor. He is so kind and patient with Crow. He feeds him really delicious food. Cares for him when he is unwell. Provides him with a comfortable bed and brand-new clothes. Is all of this just because he is happy to train Crow as his apprentice or is there a more sinister motive? There are some tiny clues which you need to stay alert to recognise and of course there is that ghost girl who tries to warn Crow. The other mysterious character is Nekima, the cat. She seems to be so wise and protective of Crow, but I kept wondering where her true loyalties lay. Crow is also very tuned into his own senses. He hears music in room filled with Dream bottles; some objects respond to his touch; and there are vivid descriptions of the smells he encounters. The writing in this book is so atmospheric - you will feel you are standing, albeit watching from the outside, of so many scenes. This reminded me of how I felt when I read A Very Unusual Pursuit by Catherine Jinks Book One City of Orphans.
There is also very strong theme or undercurrent in this story relating to the misuse of power.
Crow: Thief of Magic is the first book in a planned series but fortunately nearly everything is resolved by the end of the first book.
Huge thanks to Gleebooks for allowing me to read the Advance Reader Copy of Crow: Thief of Magic. This book will fly off their bookshop shelves and off your library shelves. A perfect magical story with just the right amount of tension and the ever-present possibility of betrayal. This book is due for released on 12th May 2026. Crow Thief of Magic is a debut novel for UK author Fiona Dixon.
With an incredible story, a stunning, richly detailed world, and a wonderful cast of characters, Crow: Thief of Magic is an unputdownable, exciting and hugely ambitious fantasy adventure. Love Reading4Kids
Publisher blurb: Twelve-year-old Crow is a thief. Scraping a living on the winding streets of Starsgard, Crow works for the leader of the criminal underworld, stealing from the city’s wealthy ruling class. But when a routine job takes Crow to the home of a mysterious sorcerer, his whole life is turned upside down – and after a planned heist goes wrong, leaving Crow alone and with nowhere to turn, he finds himself a new position as the sorcerer’s apprentice. Before long, Crow is introduced to the ancient art of dream magic – catching dream essence and using it to create dreams for the rich citizens from whom he once stole. But when Crow learns of an ancient strain of nightmare magic that threatens to unleash devastation on Starsgard, he must make a terrible choice… and decide who he can really trust.
