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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

These are some of the US covers illustrated by Jim Tierney

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

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

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty 

The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars by Jaclyn Moriarty 

The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst by Jaclyn Moriarty

The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere by Jaclyn Moriarty 

The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet  by Jaclyn Moriarty

Astrid and the Accidental Slip Between Worlds by Jaclyn Moriarty

To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer

These two girls, Avery and Bett, do not know each other. They live in different parts of America. They have no reason to ever meet. That is until the summer they are both twelve. Their dads meet, fall in love and decide to travel to China. Avery and Bett are sent to summer camp.  Can two very different girls become friends? Yes if they have a joint project especially one that affects their precious dads, their family life and even their future.

The story is told via emails (mainly), letters and a few txt messages. Mostly we read the communication between Avery Bloom and Bett (short for Betty she's named after her grandmother) Devlin but as the story progresses we hear from Sam Bloom (Avery's Papa); Marlow Devlin (Bett's Daddy); Gaga (Betty Devlin Bett's grandmother); and Kristina Allenberry (actress and birth mother to Avery). This is an interesting format and means the pace of the story never lets up while also allowing each girl to share her back story, hopes and fears.

These two girls are almost polar opposites. Avery is from New York city. She is an anxious girl who is terrified of water and her interests are science and reading. Bett lives in California and she is LOUD and confident and adores outdoor sports especially those involving water.

As is the way with relationships there are lots of ups and downs for Avery and Bett and of course for Sam and Marlow. Just when the girls decide they will be friends, they discover they really like each other, Sam and Marlow break up! Avery and Bett want to be sisters so now they have to hatch a complex plan to get these two guys back together.  Naturally it doesn't quite work out the way they might have expected.

To Night Owl from Dogfish came to me highly recommended by Beachside Bookshop but I must say I resisted reading this book. I actually started it three or four times and gave up. I was sure this was not my style of book.

Yesterday I was traveling for several hours to my volunteer job at Westmead so I decided to take this book along and give it another try. By the end of the day I had read the whole book - it is certainly a page turner and it has almost 300 pages! So yes you might say I did enjoy this book.  I am going to say here that in my view this book is for 11+ (mature readers). I am not sure that I would have purchased this book for my Primary School library - it seems more suitable for junior high.

Click these review quotes for more plot details:

This is a laugh out loud novel with a cast of great characters. Randomly Reading

Strong and vivid characterisation makes us feel we really know Bett, Avery, Grandma Betty and the parents, and relate to their decisions and feelings. BookTrust

Sloan and Wolitzer nicely differentiate their protagonists’ voices, making the emails believable even while the girls are seeing each other every day at camp. Horn Book

You can listen to an audio sample on the Penguin web site.

Lulu is Getting a Sister by Judith Viorst illustrated by Kevin Cornell

a sister

Who WANTS her?

Who NEEDS her?

I have been waiting, waiting, waiting for this newest Lulu book to land on our shores in Australia - why did it take so LONG?

Naturally when my friend (a totally splendid Teacher-Librarian) gave me Lulu is Getting a Sister yesterday I DID NOT WAIT ONE MINUTE. I read it. I devoured it. I loved, loved, LOVED every word.

Have you met little Lulu? I do hope so. This is the fourth book about this feisty, loud and  opinionated only child. Wait a minute did I say 'only child'.  Take another look at the title. Lulu is about to get a baby sister and she is NOT happy. NOT HAPPY!

Mum and Dad know Lulu is bound to be upset so they have a plan. They have found a camp for Lulu called Camp Sisterhood:

"designed to provide a happy sister experience for girls accustomed to being an only child. As sisters-in-training (SITs), they'll work and play and share with younger children, having so much fun with their temporary little "sisters" or little "brothers" that they'll soon want permanent siblings of their own."

Lulu refuses to attend this camp so her parents offer her a set of bribes. Lulu agrees to attend if she can have one of the bribes -  the promised hot air balloon ride BEFORE the camp. What her parents don't realise is that "Lulu could hang around with a thousand little "sisters" and still not want a permanent one of her own. "

There are lots of rules about this camp experience. The "sisters" and "brothers" are aged five to eight. They are not babies - this has something to do with insurance as our narrator explains. Call-me-Debbie the camp director assigns nearly eight year old Mitzi to Lulu. Mitzi is almost as pesky as Lulu herself and she is a scrabble champion. Lulu expects to win every game but of course she doesn't. They play for four hours. The next day "Mitzi" challenges Lulu to a swimming competition. Lulu fails at this too and then she discovers she has been tricked. Mitzi as a twin sister called Fritzi and it is Fritzi who has won every swimming race.

It is against the rules as set by Call-me-Debbie, but Lulu demands a new younger sister. What she gets, though, is a new younger brother. His name is Sebastian and he adores Lulu. Of course Lulu does not adore him!

Kirkus use the term "chatty narrative" - I think this is the perfect description for the writing style used by Judith Viorst.

You can hear chapter 7 as an audio sample here. You can read more on the publisher web site.

For me this is a five out of five or ten out of ten book. I hope one day the publisher might consider selling the Lulu books as a box set. I would grab that box with both hands. This series would make a perfect read aloud for Grades 1-3 and it will also be enjoyed by newly independent readers.

I love the format, size, funny chapter headings - "chapter sixteen and one half" and the delightful illustrations. Kevin Cornell has illustrated book three and four of the Lulu series. Lane Smith did the first two. There are also heaps of funny side comments like this one:

"(Sebastian - I've always liked that name except it's one of those names that it's impossible to find a nickname for. Seb? Sebbie? Bastie? Astie? Tinny? Yinny? What? If anyone out there has a suggestion, please send a postcard to me. Meanwhile Lulu is calling him Sebastian.)" 

You don't NEED to read the Lulu books in order but if you find the three previous titles I do recommend you begin with book one, then book two, book three and finally this latest installment. I wonder if Judith Viorst has plans for another book about her brilliant character - Lulu. I don't mean to be rude but Judith Viorst was born in 1931 which makes her 88. If she has further plans for Lulu she might need to HURRY! Read my thoughts about the first three books by clicking the titles here:

• Book One Lulu and the Brontosaurus
• Book Two Lulu Walks the Dogs
• Book Three Lulu's Mysterious Mission

Rich vocabulary and a relatable theme make this an excellent chapter book for children moving beyond beginning readers and an entertaining selection for a classroom read-aloud. Highly recommended. School Library Journal