The Boy who Said Wow by Todd Boss illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

"A risk" says Mother

"A challenge" says Father

"An adventure" cried Grandfather

Publisher blurb: When Grandfather comes to take his grandson to a concert, Ronan is quiet as they leave the house, quiet in the car, and quiet at the concert hall. But when the performance is over and the beautiful music fades out at last, Ronan opens his mouth…and lets out a great big WOW! Not any old WOW, but Ronan’s very first WOW! That one word fills up the hearts of Ronan’s family, the musicians, the audience, and—when the recording goes viral—the world.

What was the music I hear you ask - 'Masonic Funeral music' by Mozart.

Spending time in a public library last month I spied this book which I had heard of but not read. I enjoy attending classical music concerts in special venues so it made me smile to hear the true story of this little boy who was so moved by the music he heard that in the silence after the final note from the orchestra he said 'wow'! 

This wow is huge partly because it is a beautiful and natural reaction to a special experience but more importantly because this boy was almost nonverbal and yet he used his voice to express his delight. 

I love that he took his dog to the concert, but I can imagine some adults might think this was an odd inclusion in a story that is based on real events.  Add this book to your list of stories to share when you talk about the 2026 CBCA slogan 'A Symphony of Stories'. After or even before sharing this book, I would grab your own favourite piece of classical music and ask your library group to close their eyes and just listen - perhaps one or two of the younger children might have a reaction like Ronan in this story. This is not a video of the actual book it has different illustrations, but it is worth a look because you can hear the music as the story is told. 

The Boy who Said Wow was published in 2024. As I write this post you can buy this book for a really good price here in Australia but I also sure it will be found in many public libraries.

A heartwarming testament to music’s emotional power. Kirkus

The limited colour palette of the illustrations captures the emotions of all the characters and because they are set in a seemingly timeless setting, this enables the reader to identify with the characters more closely and raise questions. Why is Ronan silent? Is it ok to be quiet most of the time? How much do we value silence? Just Imagine

Rashin Kheiriyeh has a master’s degree in graphic design and a doctorate in illustration and has illustrated more than eighty books in half a dozen languages, including Welcome Home by Aimee Reid and Story Boat by Kyo Maclear, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. She was a 2017 Maurice Sendak fellow and is a lecturer at the University of Maryland. She was born in Khorramshahr, Iran, and now lives in Washington.

The Book Tree

Queenie in Seven Moves by Zanni Louise

Let's begin with the title of this book. I thought it would be a book about chess. Yes, that famous game is mentioned, but Queenie is actually the name of the main character and seven moves refers to the way Queenie and her mum keep having to move either to a new house, or a share house and even a run-down caravan.

Homelessness is a VERY serious topic. When we meet Queenie Jean Anderson and her mum we discover they have to leave the home they have rented for many years. Queenie has named this house Peachy but the owner, who is also their neighbour and a friend, has decided to sell it and move on. Mum works in an aged care village and luckily one of the small homes in the village, named Diamonds, will be empty for the next couple of weeks so they can move in there even though this cannot become their home for very long. Once the new owner arrives in the village the mother and daughter move again into a share house with the Elliots.

"The truth is, the Elliots aren't Sarah's friends as such. Sarah's friend's neighbour's cat heard there was a family looking to share for a bit because the dad lost his job during COVID. When I quizzed mum more, she didn't know anything about the Elliots, which seems like a very dicey living arrangement." page 70

The cat heard? I am a bit confused. Also, it turns out the son of the Elliot family is a boy in Queenie's class - why didn't she recognise the surname? It is the end of Year Six so I would expect her to know the names of every student in her class. Queenie is aged eleven or twelve and so is Dory so, sorry to be negative, but I did wonder why her mum would have no concerns about a boy and girl sharing a room? 

"So, I am going from never talking to a guy-who-is- vaguely-good-looking in my life to sharing a bedroom with him."

This arrangement comes to an end quickly when the adults see Dory and Queenie kissing! Next stop - an old run-down caravan.

"Mum jostles the door of Terry's caravan. It takes a few goes, but eventually comes unstuck. True to the description, the caravan is leaky. A stream of water trickles down one wall. A line of mould decorates one of the other walls. The kitchen bench is saggy with moisture ... the place smells of mould and rotting leaf litter."

Remember my comment homelessness is a very serious topic - well I was quite dismayed by the way mum just seemed to accept living in this dreadful caravan. I expected to get some sense of her despair. Especially when all of their possessions are destroyed after the caravan collapses in the wild weather. 

There are a couple more moves after the caravan is wrecked and then finally, we reach the happy ending. I won't spoil this except to say Queenie and her mum do find a proper place to live. Can you count seven moves? Diamonds; Elliots; Caravan; Ruthie's house (the owner of the Caravan); and Dimitri's place equals five. Briefly they move to a tent so Queenie can enter a singing contest - that is move six. Then the happy ending is move seven.

I had a small problem with the Christmas scene in this book. Queenie and her mum head to a market on Christmas Day and there are lots of other people there. Here in Australia Christmas is in the Summer so a market at the beach makes sense but I am fairly sure there are no towns where a market would be held on the 25th December. Yes, there are plenty of Christmas markets, but these happen over the days leading up to big day. I guess you just need to go with the flow - the market does sound like fun with food and rides and Santa. 

"The beachside Christmas market is every year on Christmas Day. It's like an orphans' Christmas, for people who don't have big families to spend Christmas with. There are lots of tourists and young people."

I am not sure I entirely agree with these four reviewers, but I suspect this book might be a CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) 2024 Younger Readers Notable title and so to balance my review comments I am sharing these links. I read Queenie in Seven Moves quite quickly and it did hold my attention, but I cannot give it five or even four stars.

Mother and daughter are enriched by the diversity of the characters they encounter with each of their moves. Their homelessness exposes them to the many definitions of homelessness. Both reassess their understanding of friendship. Queenie in Seven Moves is a compassionate tale filled with images of human kindness, and the acceptance and change that seems to surface frequently in times of crisis. Beautifully written. A great read! Kids' Book Review

Queenie in Seven Moves is such a gorgeous story and twelve-year-old Queenie is a treat with her moods and possessiveness of her mother. It's all so relatable! Little Squirrels Bookshelf

This is a book about resilience, family, friendships and self-belief. Readers will enjoy this modern-day tale of urban adventure and quiet heroism. Georgina Gye

This is a well-paced, engaging and emotionally satisfying book, that hits all the right notes (excuse the pun). But if Zanni ever gets bored with writing books, she could easily move on to song writing. The song lyrics included in the book are a clever reflection of Queenie’s experiences and emotions and add to the tenor of the story (sorry, another pun). Storylinks

Here are some other books that explore this complex topic of homelessness. You can pop each title into my side bar to read more or click this link to a post which refers to nearly all of these:

Here are some picture books about homelessness - I highly recommend you share some of these with your students:

If you are in Australia you are sure to know some of these picture books by Zanni Louise. 

And here is her new junior book series:

I read her website and a few interviews with this author and I had one question - is this her real name?  I now discover her first name is Suzannah but is Louise really her surname?  Here are some interviews with Zanni Louise - I was surprised no one asked her about the name Zanni?

Reading With a Chance of Tacos

Your Kid's Next Read episode 81

Australian Writers Centre episode 169

Positive Parenting

Blended by Sharon M Draper

"When I play the piano, I rock! It would be nice if the rest of my life came together like some kind of magical musical symphony. But, nah, not usually."

"Daddy ... Do you think people think I'm Black or white when they see me? Am I Black? Or white?"

Eleven year old Izzy/Isabella has a lot to cope with in her daily life. Dad is Black, mum is white. Mum and Dad are now divorced. The judge at the court, a man who has never met Izzy, says she must live one week with Dad and one week with Mum. This means Izzy constantly has to juggle her possessions, bedrooms, rules, relationships and even her identity. Dad now lives with Anastasia and her son Darren. Mum now lives with John Mark.  Izzy gets on well with Anastasia and especially well with Darren and she really likes John Mark but Mum and Dad cannot stop fighting especially on change-over day which happens every week.

Her one consolation is music. Isabella has real talent and passion. She is preparing for a big concert and when she practices the problems of every day life disappear. At school, though, the students are faced with some difficult conversations about race and injustice. Izzy experiences aspects of this in her daily life because she is mixed.  

This book packs a wallop right at the end - do not jump ahead but be prepared to stay for the whole ride because even though you might guess something dramatic might happen I guarantee you will not, in a million years, guess this ending.

I loved the honesty of Isabella as she navigates her complex life. I want to thank Darren for the kindness and love he gives to Izzy. And I would love a set of Mum's t-shirts - they sure are fun. If you look at the labels I have assigned this post you will see the way this Middle Grade novel (I would say for ages 10+) explores so many important issues. I do love the cover but don't be fooled into thinking this is a gentle story. 

Most people have probably already seen Blended especially in the US but I had to wait for the paperback copy to arrive here in Australia.  Hardcover US novels are way too expensive ($41!). 

You can hear Sharon M Draper reading a few pages of her book from Chapter One here. Here is the piece Izzy has been preparing for her big concert - Sonatina in C Major, op. 36, no. 1 by Clementi. When Izzy's dad proposes to Anastasia a man in the restaurant comes across with a violin to play this piece by Mendelssohn. Read this review by Ms Yingling for more plot details. Here is an interview with Sharon M Draper about her book. Colby Sharp talks about Blended. 

What begins as the story of a lively young piano player caught between two new families inexorably becomes a piercing interrogation of everyday racism that culminates in a terrifying, all-too-believable confrontation ... Kirkus Star review

I am a huge fan of Sharon M Draper.  Take a look at these books:

Stella by Starlight

Out of my Mind

After reading Blended you might look for The Watson's go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis or One Crazy Summer. 

One Crazy Summer

Mikki and me and the Out-of-tune Tree by Marion Roberts

Alberta is a keen boogie boarder. It is the Summer holidays in her small Australian coastal town. Alberta is looking forward to five weeks of freedom spent in the ocean. But, you knew I was going to say but didn't you, but Alberta, who is known as Birdy, is knocked off her bike and it is not an accident. Her arm is broken so there will be no boogie boarding for Birdy. Six weeks in a plaster cast.

Luckily Mikki Watanabe lives in her street. He has no interest in the ocean. His family, who originally come from Japan, have a beach house at Kingfisher Bay. Mikki and Birdie team up to investigate the forest area nearby and they make an amazing discovery. There is a small grove of towering pine trees. Mikki has a spiritual connection to trees. He is keen to make a video about their discovery and Birdie is equally keen to stand in front of the camera. Then they discover the council have plan to bulldoze this special area. Can their YouTube videos gain enough coverage so that this special place can be saved?

I did like the way Marion Roberts included the video chat and comments into her story along with advice from the book by Birdie's mum - Tammy's Bracken's guide to Modern Manners. I was not quite so interested in or convinced about Tammy's mental health issues and shoplifting. I really liked the community activism and the way Birdie and Mikki navigate the complexities of local government. This harks back to a very old classic Australian book - Battle of the Galah Tress by Christobel Mattingley. I also kept thinking about the television documentary made with Judi Dench "My passion for trees". 

This film follows Judi's experience through the seasons and her mission to understand the role of trees in history and the future. Judi joins tree scientists and historians to unlock the remarkable secret lives of trees and the stories that they cannot tell. With scientific techniques and equipment at her disposal, she is able to truly understand how trees work and gain an insight into their secrets. She meets a designer with a microphone to hear the trees around her, and a scientist with 3D scanning technology reveals her favourite oak in a new light.  BBC One

Marion Roberts mentions this book (for adults) as one that inspired this story:

You might also enjoy A Good Day for Climbing Trees.

This book will be published in April, 2022. Thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy. 

The Piano Recital by Akiko Mitakoshi

When I picked up this book at Gleebooks as a title to include in a talk I am giving for IBBY Australia next week I knew this was a title (of the twenty I am showcasing) that I just HAD to include. Why? Because the little girl, the main character, is named Momo!

It is the day of Momo's first piano recital. She is naturally very nervous. As she stands watching the other children playing on the huge stage, a small mouseling echoes her words "I'll be okay, I'll be okay." The mouseling is part of her own recital. She invites Momo to come and watch.

The tiny mouse leads Momo to a secret space under the theatre. There she sees an audience of mice watching acrobats, magicians, a mouse orchestra, a huge mouse choir, and a beautiful mouse ballerina. 

Finally the mouseling takes to the stage herself. "You'll be okay,' Momo reassures her. 'I'll go with you onstage.' The mouseling's face lights up. Momo's own racing heart and worries are long forgotten."

Momo plays the tiny mouse sized piano while Momo sings. The audience love the performance and they all jump up and begin to dance. As the page turns the scene changes. We see Momo herself on the human stage. She is taking a bow. She isn't at the mouse recital. She has just played her own piece perfectly and the "sound of applause fills the room."

I especially love the page where we see the mouse audience. The mice are eating sweets, reviewing the program, chatting, holding hands, sleeping, and one is even looking through a small pair of binoculars. This scene reminded me of the audience in the Jan Ormerod book The Story of Chicken Licken.

This is a Japanese picture book which was first published in 2012 with the title Piano Happyoukai. 

ピアノはっぴょうかい

The imaginative narrative is woven around the common childhood experience of anxiety, felt by performers but also by every child who faces a new life challenge. Momo serves as a wonderful example to children, using the power of her imagination to understand and work through her feelings. The Ladybug Reads

... the beauty of the mice and their environment is a feast for the eyes. Kirkus

The English language edition was published in 2019 by Kids Can Press. Akiko Matakoshi received a Special mention at the Bologna in 2016. Here are some of her other books: