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 Since the death of his mum Otis's dad has withdrawn into his own thoughts.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).

Busted by Dan Gemeinhart

An exuberant joyride. Kirkus

This seamless blend of comedy, adventure, and heart, sprinkled with some “Pearls of Wisdom” from Sunny Days’ residents, hits the mark from every angle. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“Squeeze the orange” of life

YOLO - You only live once

Oscar Aberdeen lives with his grandfather. You are sure to have read about kids in life circumstances like this in previous books. But in this story his grandfather lives in a retirement community called Sunny Days and it is filled with other senior citizens. Oscar has lived there for many years and so he has formed brilliant relationships with many of the residents. His 'normal' life means he joins in with all the seniors' activities from morning teas, to crafting and card playing. Retirement villages and aged care homes always seem to have almost insulting names like Sunny Days because while yes, these people might enjoy some sunny days all of us are destined to end our life journey eventually. In fact, Oscar is a bit of an expert when it comes to funerals and as this story opens that is where we find him - at the funeral of Mr Howell. This is the 49th funeral Oscar has attended. The big problem is Mr Howell has been running Sunny Days Retirement Community and because he has died it will now be taken over by his son. Again, you have probably guessed this will mean BIG changes for the community and the most serious change is a huge hike in the weekly fee. Oscar's grandfather only just gets by on his meagre pension so there is no way he can pay this. Will Oscar and his grandfather have to move away?

One resident that no one really interacts with is Jimmy Deluca. He is loud, he is always swearing, he smokes hideous cigars and drinks (a lot) but he now needs Oscar to help him and in return he offers Oscar a huge amount of money which might mean Oscar and his grandfather can keep their home.

Jimmy has a 'bucket list' of things he needs to achieve. He owns an amazing car (you can see it on the cover of the book) but he needs help to escape from Sunny Days because he is classified as 'monitored and restricted' which means if he goes out through the main building front door alarms will alert the staff. 

Oscar, along with Natasha, (daughter of the new Sunny Days owner) hatch a plan to break Jimmy out of Sunny Days but Oscar has no idea that he will be pulled into a totally wild adventure involving gangsters, cigars, Jimmy's hairless cat Mr Buttercup, breaking into the backyard of a suburban house, playing poker with dangerously high stakes, leaving a restaurant without paying (this is mortifying for Oscar), and even buying a bra!

Here are a couple of text quotes:

"I was in a heckuva pickle. I didn't want to smuggle known lowlife Jimmy Deluca out the door, in plain view of the cameras. Get busted, get in huge trouble, disappoint Pops and all my Sunny Days family. Law-breaking troublemaker? That wasn't me."

"I let out a low whistle. Jimmy Deluca's car was ... well, it was a beaut. A gem. An absolute humdinger. It was baby blue, with a cream coloured top. It had chrome. It had curves. It had white-walled tires. It had style. It was like one of those cars you'd see in a parade, or at a classic car show or something. Yeah, I was impressed."

"I broke Jimmy the Wrench out of a secure facility. Ran out on a restaurant bill. Got punched by a sleazeball. Puked up an entire ravioli dinner. Trespassed on private property. Lied to my grandpa. Got clawed by a hairless cat. Stole a car. Even bought a bra. ... Oh (and) I'm currently wanted by the police."

This book will make you laugh (I laughed a lot); and you will marvel at the clever plot twists which bring together pieces of Oscar's life experiences; and then Dan Gemeinhart will, yes you might have guess this, he will make you cry. This is also one of those 'time is ticking' stories because the staff is due to check on Jimmy is 6.30pm so they only have around four hours to complete Jimmy's list. Speaking of lists - I highly recommend you add this book to your 'to read list' and also to your school library. It will be enjoyed by readers aged 10+. Read the blurb on the publisher page. Listen to an audio book sample. 

This story is also truly FUNNY. I cannot overstate that fact. Finding humorous middle grade books that don’t feature wacky or slapstick humor can be challenging, and sometimes readers just want a different kind of funny. I laughed (out loud) so many times throughout this book and I know kids will be giggling along as they read, too. Reading Middle Grade

Companion books:

Not Nothing

I confess I should have had more faith in Dan Gemeinhart but when I saw this book in a local independent bookstore last month I did not buy it because I really didn't like the cover! I was WRONG, so wrong. Luckily, I read a few reviews. I previously loved Dan's books. 

The honest truth

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

The Midnight Children

I was visiting a small country town in southwestern NSW and I spied Busted on the shelf in their very well stocked newsagent and so as you have guessed I grabbed it AND I read the whole book in one afternoon over Christmas. 

I have been trying to remember a book I read with a boy who also lived in an aged care or retirement home and the residents all taught him different skills but then the school authorities demanded that the boy go to school, and this is all so hard for the boy - adjusting to life with his peers.  (This might be the Gordon Korman book I shared above). 

Here are few other titles I am going to look for that might link well with Busted:

Louder than Hunger by John Schu

What does it feel like to eat without worry? 

Without a voice constantly 

quacking and crying 

inside your head? 

A voice 

pound, pound, pounding

yell, yell, yelling

ALL DAY.

Foreword: What if someone was brave enough to tell you the truth? What if someone dared to reveal their heart to you? The book that you hold in your hands tells a painful truth. It reveals a beautiful, broken heart. Jake’s heart. Jake is thirteen years old, and he has an eating disorder. You and Jake are about to go on a harrowing journey together; by the time you finish this book, you will be friends. Reading Jake’s story will change you. You might find that you want to reveal your heart, tell someone your truth. Telling your story can save your life. It may save someone else’s life, too. Jake knows this. John Schu knows this. That is why he wrote this book. For you. —Kate DiCamillo

Jake is thirteen. He has a voice in his head that is truly awful and it is voice that controls his actions and thought and he cannot seem to 'turn it off' or ignore it. The voice tells him he is ugly and fat and so he stops eating. He wears really baggy clothes to disguise his body and he weighs himself compulsively.

Grandma: You’re too thin. I worry. I see it even when you’re always wearing those baggy sweaters over your overalls. I don’t think you’re eating enough. You’re a growing boy. 

Me: I eat enough. I promise.

Elementary school was good, high school is torture. Jake takes some comfort though, from musicals. Louder than hunger is an autobiographical story. I used to follow John Schu when he was an ambassador for Scholastic and every time he visited a different city he would talk about the musicals he had attended - often seeing the same show many many times. This used to make me smile but now I know why. Visiting his grandmother is also a comfort. They both love musicals and the same television shows. Finally a former teacher who he visits in the nursing home where he goes as a volunteer alerts his mum that Jake is ill and after a visit to the doctor he goes into a mental health facility for adolescents. In The Pines he meet Kella

I love the way John Schu weaves into his story so many fantastic children's books (of course I would have expected him to do this!) such as Sarah, Plain and Tall; Shiloh; The Giver; Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry; and Where the Sidewalk ends. Jake also quotes poems by Emily Dickinson - I recently talked about this picture book for an IBBY Australia presentation:

Some reviewers list this book for readers aged as young as 12 but this book is so raw and distressing, I think it better suits mature readers aged 15+. The scene where Jake is fitted with a feeding tube is absolutely harrowing. My own connection to this story comes from around 1975 when I visited a mental health facility like the one in this book and I saw teens not much younger than me who were suffering like Jake - that moment had a profound impact on me. 

Written in a combination of non-rhyming poetry and prose, this elegant and unique verse-novel is propulsive and compelling. ... This visceral and raw memoir type book instantly draws the reader in and spits us out at the other end – in the best possible way. Kids' Book Review

Here is a podcast (one hour) where you can hear John Talking about his book.  You can read an extract on the Candlewick publisher page. 

John Schu (Schumacher) has made a career out of advocating for the people and things he cares about most: kids, books, and the people that connect them. He was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker for his dynamic interactions with students and his passionate adoption of new technologies as a means of connecting authors, illustrators, books, and readers. He is the children’s librarian for Bookelicious, a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University, and shares his love of reading with countless educators and students around the world. He served as the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs for almost 6 years.

You know that I am not a fan of endorsements but so many very famous authors have said such profound (and true) things about this book:

“Louder Than Hunger is a powerful and important book, giving readers entry into the world of a sensitive teen struggling physically and emotionally with crippling anxiety and anorexia. Through his free verse voice, we accompany Jake into his honest, raw, vulnerable world. I think readers of all ages will empathize with him, worry for him, and root for his journey to understanding, recovery, hope, and joy. Those who know the author, John Schu, and have witnessed his boundless enthusiasm and legendary passion for reading and the transformative power of story will connect on an even deeper level upon learning that Jake’s story parallels John Schu’s own. From troubled teen to author and speaker surging with compassion and joy and willing to share it all with the world—that is John Schu.”   —Newbery Medalist Sharon Creech

I read Louder than Hunger on my Kindle but I wanted to show you the way the verse in this novel is set out - it is so sparce and so very powerful. Louder than hunger has over 500 pages but you can see from this example that you can fly through this book and you do fly through because if you are like me you just wanted Jake to feel well again and for that dread anorexia voice to at least quieten down if not completely turn off:

This is not quite the final page but I hope reading these words from Jake will help you see that he will be okay:

I say to Dr. Parker, Thank you for “forcing” me to share complicated, hard-to-think-about thoughts. You helped me see anorexia nervosa isn’t really about food.

Not Nothing Gayle Forman

Before I start, I want to make it clear. He did something bad. Truly bad. I don’t want you to think I’m sidestepping that, or excusing it, or even forgiving it; it’s not for me to forgive, anyhow. But I’m telling you the story so you understand how he got where he did and how I got where I did and how both of us learned to rise to the occasion of our lives.

Alex, aged 12, has done something truly awful. The judge is giving him one more chance or one more opportunity. Alex hates that word and it's one the adults seem to use way too often. Now he finds himself at the Shady Glen retirement home: The Shady Glen residents were the living waiting to die. Places like Shady Glen are antechambers of death, the last stop where you wait for the Last Stop.

Because, honestly, no one had asked him if he wanted to be here. No one had asked him if he wanted another stupid opportunity. But, remembering what the judge had said about him throwing away chances ...

Alex is assigned work in the care home. He finds the residents weird and scary but even worse there is a young girl named Maya Jade also aged 12 who is working there - not as a community service order but as a volunteer - and she is bossy and opinionated and very annoying. The facility goes into lock down and Alex is sent to deliver meals to the residents. He meets Joseph “Josey” Kravitz aged 107 AND we meet him too because this book uses that appealing plot style of alternating voices so we can hear what Alex thinks and hear Josey. This is lucky in two ways because Josey is nonverbal (at least at the beginning of the book) and Josey is able to share the things he really 'sees' about Alex. Josey also opens up to Alex and over the following months he shares his own story - a harrowing story of love, loss and the holocaust.

Alex is suffering at home. He has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle. They are cold, disinterested and show Alex no love or affection. So 'home' is a misery. 

He lived on a lumpy couch with an aunt and uncle who did not want him. He had a judge who had warned him of last chances. He might go to juvie. And his mom… He hadn’t seen her in almost a year. He didn’t know if or when he would ever see her again. How could it get more permanently bad than this?

And the new school is also terrible. 'They' decide Alex is failing and so he is given special tutoring in maths. Alex is good at maths but he has totally switched off because everything in his life is so broken. He is so angry about the tutoring and the tutor. 

This book was published in 2024 and so here in Australia the hardcover edition is priced way beyond a school library budget. I read my copy on a Kindle but hopefully a paperback will arrive eventually. Not Nothing has won a Banks Street Award - Josette Frank Award 2025.  The Josette Frank Award for a work of fiction of outstanding literary merit for young readers in which children or young people deal in a positive and realistic way with difficulties in their world and grow emotionally and morally.

There is a raw honesty in this story - both in the story from Josey and from Alex. I cannot tell you exactly what Alex did but even though it is dreadful Gayle Forman has crafted a story that builds our empathy. I highly recommend Not Nothing for readers aged 12+.

Best-selling award winner Forman interweaves the tales carefully, with striking language and depth of feeling, allowing readers to understand the characters’ changing perspectives as they learn more about themselves and open up to people around them, many of whom become advocates and friends. Powerful, heartbreaking, and hopeful. Kirkus Star review

Book seller blurb: Alex is twelve, and he did something very, very bad. A judge sentences him to spend his summer volunteering at a retirement home where he's bossed around by an annoying and self-important do-gooder named Maya-Jade. He hasn't seen his mom in a year, his aunt and uncle don't want him, and Shady Glen's geriatric residents seem like zombies to him. Josey is 107 and ready for his life to be over. He has evaded death many times, having survived ghettos, dragnets, and a concentration camp--all thanks to the heroism of a woman named Olka and his own ability to sew. But now he spends his days in room 206 at Shady Glen, refusing to speak and waiting (and waiting and waiting) to die. Until Alex knocks on Josey's door...and Josey begins to tell Alex his story. As Alex comes back again and again to hear more, an unlikely bond grows between them. Soon a new possibility opens up for Alex: Can he rise to the occasion of his life, even if it means confronting the worst thing that he's ever done?

Here are a few text quotes:

For three days the boy cleaned banisters, safety rails, doorknobs, coffee tables, more doorknobs, Rummikub sets, book spines, outdoor tables, indoor tables, outdoor chairs, indoor chairs. The bleach stung his eyes, scraped his throat, and stole his appetite. The baloney sandwich his aunt packed him went uneaten. He would’ve thrown it away except he couldn’t bring himself to throw away food.

But then, as the months dragged on, his mom started to go to one of her bad places. He could recognize the signs as easily as the freckles across the bridge of her nose. He’d wake up in the morning and find her in the same chair she’d been in when he’d gone to bed, the TV on the same channel, the dinner he’d left out for her cold on the table. She didn’t cook any meals or eat the ones he put together.

“You shouldn’t separate them, because they love each other,” he continued in a halting voice. ...  So many people in Shady Glen had lost the people they loved, because their spouses had died or their children had moved away. When the people you loved left, that love remained, floating around, desperate for a place to go. And if it didn’t find a place to go… bad things happened. Love turned into anger, fear, hate. This was something the boy at twelve knew all too well. How did the grown-ups not see this?

“I’ll tell you why!” The words felt like a rocket countdown. Ten, nine, eight… “Because everyone who has promised me an opportunity has just made things worse. When I told the people at my old school about me and my mom, they all congratulated me on doing the right thing. Because now they had an opportunity to get us some help. I thought they meant food.” His voice began to crack, but the rocket was lifting off now, and there was no turning back. “But you know what they did? They made me go live with strangers and dragged my mom to a hospital and told her she’d have to get better if she wanted to be my mom. But if you know my mom like I do, you know she can’t stand to be stuck in one place. It’s why she moved so much. It’s why during the lockdown she got so much worse.”

I have also read this story where an elderly character also shares their holocaust experience. This one is for a slightly young audience - 10+.

Moonboy by Anna Ciddor

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

I was almost the same age as the boy in this story, Keith Arthur Watson, who is living in Australia in 1969. What happened in 1969? The moon landing. I well remember there were all sorts of newspaper booklets to collect and I also vividly remember sitting in a crowded classroom and peering at a small television screen to watch those steps on the moon.

Moonboy is a timeslip story. Charlotte is staying with her grandmother. Her dad tells her to look inside a box in her room. When she opens the box she finds newspaper clippings from 1969 all about the Apollo moon landing and also some other things that belonged to Keith, her grandfather, when he was a boy. A big of marbles, some footy swap cards and an old footy sweater. This sweater is very significant because it is the conduit that takes Charlotte from 2025 back to 1969 and straight into ten-year-old Keith's bedroom and life. 

Sadly, in 2025, Keith (Charlotte's grandfather) is suffering from dementia. He seems to be unable to speak or recognise his wife or granddaughter. But then Charlotte takes some of the newspaper clippings to his aged care home and for a moment or two he seems to 'come back to life'. 

This book covers time from about 9th July to 25th July 1969 and 2025. Keith and Charlotte will both have a birthday on 23rd July. Gran wants it to be special but she also wants to hold it in the Aged Care Home. At first Charlotte finds the state of many of the elderly people quite confronting and upsetting but over the two weeks of her daily visits she comes to see each person as an individual and so her eventual 'moon landing themed' birthday party in the lounge room of Diamond House is, to her surprise, a very happy event. 

Here is a video of the television broadcast watched by Keith in 1969 and again by Charlotte in the aged care home with her grandfather in 2025. 

My only tiny quibble with this story comes from the way Charlotte knows nothing about the moon landing - that's okay - but I kept wondering why she didn't try to research these events either in her school library or on Google. She is filled with worries about every tiny aspect of this momentous event - will they reach the moon; will the astronauts actually walk there; will they get home safely; and worst of all what if Keith's sister Gwen wrecks everything because she has gone to help her aunt at uncle at Honeysuckle Creek. This true aspect of the Australian connection to the moon landing is explained at the back of the book. It's quite a fascinating side story. I was also a little concerned with the way Charlotte was able to change history. She stops Keith setting off some dangerous fireworks and so his fingers are not damaged and yet the grandfather she has always known did have missing fingers and now his hands are fine.

I did enjoy Keith's colloquial sayings: crikey; how the blazes; are you a few crumbs short of a sandwich; strike a light; ridgy didge; holy moly; fair dinkum; and stone the crows.

When Charlotte travels back to Keith's Grade six classroom she writes a terrific poem about the moon landing. Sadly the teacher rejects it because it doesn't rhyme - even in 1969 I hope this would not be the reaction of a teacher. I really like her poem:

I can't believe it!

We've landed on the moon!

Through the window

I can see grey dust

And craters

I can't belive it!

My fee

Will be the first

To ever touch the moon!

Open the door,

I'm ready

Here I come!

This book could be a jumping off point for kids to research more about the moon landing and especially the involvement of Australia. Behind the News could be a good starting point. If you are using this book with a class you could investigate a KidsNews free subscription. The BBC also have some good resources. 

Sensitive readers may find Charlotte's reactions to the elderly people in the aged care home a little confronting. I related to this because my precious little Nan was in an aged care home when I was about the same age as Charlotte. More recently I watched young children visiting elderly relatives in a care home where my mother sadly spent her final years. I suggest you could look for Newpaper Hats which is a picture book by Phil Cummings as a way to talk about the effects of dementia and memory loss. 

Here is a video review from Kid Lit Joy. Anna Ciddor has some background photos that link with this story on her webpage. You could make use of these in a book talk with your library group. Read the blurb and review page from Lamont Books.

Anna Ciddor’s story explores history and family in delicate and emotional ways in this book, getting to the heart of Letty’s relationship with her grandfather, what he means to her and what knowing her in the past meant to him as well. The Book Muse

Thank you to Allen and Unwin for sending me a review copy. Moonboy was released yesterday. 

Companion book:

Footprints on the Moon

Here are some other books by Anna Ciddor. I especially loved one of her very early book - Runestone.

52 Mondays

Mr Mornington's Favourite things by Karen George

Mr Mornington lives next door. Our narrator, a young girl, visits him through a gap in their hedge fence. She knows Mr Mornington likes gardening, cherry cake, his woolly hat and playing his saxophone. The friends share a love of music and when he plays his sweet tunes the little girl thinks of all her own favourite things - her cat, her mum, her friends, special shoes and socks and cherry cupcakes. 

Over time, though, it is clear Mr Mornington is beginning to forget things. He offers to teach the little girl so she can become the second-best saxophone player in the world but then he forgets, and he doesn't even tell them he is leaving. Sadly Mr Mornington has now moved into an aged care home.

Our little girl is not deterred however. She is given a small saxophone and she works hard and practices and when she and her mum go to visit they take cherry cake and music. Mr Mornington is sometimes sad but sometimes, there are glorious days, when he does remember some of the things that make him happy - his wife, his dog, music, cups of tea, his garden and cherry cupcakes. You can see these things and more on the book cover. And the cherry cake recipe is in the back of the book.

Karen George uses colour and white space to express emotion: when everything is great fun there’s not much space on the pages and she uses bright primary colours; when Mr Mornington has left, rather like the use of white space in John Burningham’s ‘Granpa’, the page is almost blank, the plants have shrivelled from lack of care and an empty cup lies upturned on the floor. But when Mr Mornington does occasionally remember his favourite things, there is a riot of flowers, slippers, gardening tools, the dog, his woolly hat, cherry cakes, the radio, a car and, of course, his saxophone. And the colour remains as the girl grows older and remembers her friend when she plays their favourite song for others. Just Imagine

I would pair this with Grace and Mr Milligan. You might also think of Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge. 

I also thought of sharing The Sound of Music song - My favourite things. 

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells, and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver-white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells, and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver-white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

Heart and Soul by Carol Ann Martin illustrated by Tull Suwannakit

Charlie Wintergreen loves to play his trumpet and remember the past when he played in a dance-band. His companion now is a small scruffy dog called Louis that he has rescued from the Dogs' Home. Louis, named perhaps after Louis Armstrong, loves to sing along with Charlie.

One night Charlie becomes quite ill and he is taken away in an ambulance. Louis has lost his best friend. 

"So Louis became a street dog, a scrawny, no-name stray. He learned to scavenge and scrounge for food. He slept in dark corners at night."

Louis keeps looking for Charlie. Then on Christmas Eve he hears a musician. Pete is a busker. He makes a living playing his trumpet out in the street. Louis joins in with his song and soon the pair have a heap of coins in Pete's busker's hat. Pete takes Louis home to his share house and they become partners. This is a small town and word of their music reaches the matron at the Rowantree Nursing Home. Pete and Louis are invited to play for the residents on Christmas Day. You have probably guessed there is an old man in the home "an old man in a wheelchair (who) lifted his trumpet and started to play."

Image Source: Tull Suwannakit

Given the current social situation and the coming together to protect elderly members of our population, this book unknowingly expresses the value we place in our wisest of community members.   Reading Time

I would read this book with some jazz music playing in the background. You might talk to your young reading companion about soul music and the expression to play music with your heart and soul. It might also be good to compare Louis with other "famous" stray dogs in Australian Picture books such as Mutt Dog and Reggie Queen of the Street. I'd also recommend taking a look at the wordless book Stormy. Carol Ann Martin lives in Tasmania and her husband is a jazz musician!

I am gathering books published in 2020 which might be added to the CBCA Notables list which will be announced at the end of February. Fingers crossed Heart and Soul makes the cut.

It is so sad when an elderly person is moved into a care home and I know a children's picture book or novel cannot undo the difficulties or hurt of this situation but books like Heart and Soul and others I have placed here might help a young child explore their emotions and hopefully ask questions if they have an elderly relative in this situation.

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge

Newspaper Hats

A home for Gnomes

A Rabbit named Harris

The ABC with Honora Lee

The Theory of Hummingbirds by Michelle Kadarusman

"I'm sick of having to feel lucky and patient. I just want to feel NORMAL. I don't want to limp. I want to stop being different. And I want to be in the stupid race!"

Alba has been born with a club foot. She is in fourth grade and has endured many surgeries and years of pain. The final surgery is now completed and Alba is about to see her repaired foot for the first time. Alba watches the other girls, especially Miranda Gray. She longs to be as popular and carefree and beautiful as Miranda. Alba has a really good friend. A boy called Levi. He has serious asthma issues and so these friends spend their lunch periods inside the school because Alba feels she cannot play the games enjoyed by the others and Levi because he needs to take care in case he has a serious asthma attack.

Being inside Levi and Alba witness a mystery. Their librarian seems to disappear each day at lunch time. Her office lights are off and the room is empty and then she seems to suddenly appear out of nowhere. Levi is convinced Ms Sharma has discovered a wormhole.

Both Levi and Alba love birds. They have completed a class research assignment on hummingbirds. Alba can see lots of parallels between her own experiences and the life of the hummingbird. 

We meet, very briefly, a very interesting character in this story called Abigail. She offers beautiful heartfelt wisdom to Alba. I do hope Michelle Kadarusman has plans to tell us more about Abigail. The relationship between Alba and her doctor is also very special and there is a hint of a love story between doctor Schofield and Alba's mum.

As is the way with all relationships Alba and Levi have a serious "falling out". Days go by until Alba discovers a note in her room. Someone has sent her a very special story - a legend about the hummingbird - and this story gives her the courage to chase her dream and apologise to her precious friend.

I've seen this book praised on several book lists but I confess I was confused. I seem to have read a few books lately which feature hummingbirds such as The Secret Library of Hummingbird House.  

This book has such a sweet ending. I think it will be enjoyed by readers aged 9+. The cover of the Australian edition of The Theory of Hummingbirds is by Tasmanian illustrator Julie Hunt. I found some other cover designs for The Theory of Hummingbirds.

Here is an interview with Michelle Kadarusman where she shares some hints for writers. And in this interview Michelle talks with Joy Lawn at Paperbark Words. Michelle grew up in Melbourne, lived in Indonesia and she now calls Toronto Canada her home. In this video Megan Daley talks about The Theory of Humming birds and reads the blurb.

Megan Daley: "This is an own voices story."  "It has a real authenticity ... the authenticity and the lightness of this book were the strengths." "An exploration of a really beautiful friendship."

A quick, sweet read. Kirkus

One part of this book that made me smile came when Michelle shared some library wisdom. Naturally I love stories with kind and special teacher-librarians like Ms Sharma:

"Is there a better place to be than two pages into a good book."

"Today's Science Fiction is tomorrow's science fact."