Troll by Frances Stickley illustrated by Stefano Martinuz

"There beneath the bridge unseen,

he found is easy to be mean.

Disguised beneath the bog and bubbles,

Troll could never get in trouble.

No one even knew his name."

Anyone that comes near his lair is subject to terrible abuse by troll. 

"I'll shove those turnips up your nose." "I'll squash your bun." "I'll spit on you. That bunch of bad weeds stinks like poo."

Then one day a little white rabbit comes along. Troll tries shouting his usual insults but instead of running away the she comes closer. 

"She pointed towards her ears and shook her head. 'I cannot hear, but please repeat the things you said. I'll try to read your lips instead."

Troll feels ashamed. He no longer wants to be mean. He practices being polite and kind and then he sets off to visit all the animals that he previously treated so badly.

You can see inside this book here. And you will want to look for other versions of The Three Billy Goats Gruff or perhaps begin by reading couple of these before you share Troll.

Publisher blurb: In this funny tale, inspired by both internet trolls and The Three Billy Goats Gruff, there is a terrifying troll that lives under a bridge. Unseen, he delights in shouting nasty things to passers-by. But when a d/Deaf bunny unwittingly faces up to him, he realises that it's not so fun to say nasty things to someone's face. Can Troll finally learn to love himself and others?

Troll is on the Empathy Lab list. This is a fabulous resource which will give you some terrific titles to consider for your school library. Read more here. 

The Empathy Lab annotation says: Everyone’s scared of Troll, who revels in being mean. Then a little rabbit asks: ‘you seem so cross. Is something wrong?’ which triggers real change. Troll practices saying kinder things, including to himself. About understanding yourself before you can be kind.

Inspired by internet trolls, cloaked in anonymity, he delights in shouting mean things to passersby, hurting feelings just for fun. That's until a little deaf rabbit unknowingly crosses his path and shows concern for the Troll as he looks so cross. Finally understanding the hurt his words and actions have caused, Troll learns the errors of his ways and realises his behaviour has isolated him and caused so much harm to others. Love Reading4Kids

The Kids Book Curator explains how this book can teach children about tolls and trolling on the internet. 

Thunderhead by Sophie Beer

"The possibly dying part of the surgery didn't scare me. It was the deaf part that scared me. Life without music. Even though music is my life."

Thunderhead is a long way outside my 'reading demographic'. It is a Young Adult title and I mostly read books for ages 5-12; and it is filled with contemporary music references nearly all of which meant nothing to me mainly because I am 'too old' or I missed this experience during my own teenage years. I will say some reviewers (see the end of this post) disagree and I have seen this book recommended for ages 10+ but I think it will have greater appeal to readers aged 12+ in the early years of High School. 

Thunderhead did hold my attention but I think my reading experience was probably only set to about 30% because I could not really relate to the enormous number references to music and also, unlike most reviewers, I did find the angsty teenage friendship trials a little tedious even though I am sure this is probably how most teenagers really do feel as they navigate change and try to work out how to fit in. My own teenage years were agony but I do not want to dwell on or think about events from over fifty years ago. 

Here is the publisher blurb:

Meet Thunderhead: awkward, music-obsessed and a magnet for bad luck. Their favourite things in life are listening to records and hanging out with their best (and only) friend Moonflower. But Thunderhead has a big secret. And when Moonflower moves schools, they're faced with the reality of surviving the wilderness of high school alone. Make new friends? NOTHANKYOUVERYMUCH. As two big life events approach, Thunderhead posts playlists and heartfelt diary entries as an outlet to try to make sense of their changing world, to try to calm the storm brewing in their brain and to try to find the courage to unfurl their heart.

Here are some text quotes which did resonate with me:

"I care so much about what people think of me that it keeps me awake at night, remembering cringe, ridiculous things I've said, twisting myself inside out with embarrassment."

"Get up and speak in front of the class? I would rather eat my own shoe with tomato sauce and a pocket knife."

"Music is one of the only sources of true magic I can think of. You can put a song on and suddenly be engulfed in memories of when you discovered it or what you were doing when you first heard it. Songs are spells, woven with melody and lyrics."

"At first I was scared I was going to die. Which is a pretty heavy thing when you're still as tall as you were in Year Four. I'd like to die having reached the prerequisite height to go on a roller-coaster, thanks very much."

"Mr Dosun (the school counsellor) is a bumbling, good-natured guy who I'm fairly certain is the result of a bad magic spell and is actually a golden retriever in a human's body."

"I get so angry that I have to be a BODY. I wish I were some ethereal spirit, flitting through dimensions and the space-time continuum, not bogged down by being inside a mound of flesh that is falling apart."

"Approximately every seven years, every cell in your body has died and been replaced. ... I met Moonflower seven years ago, when we were in Year Two. In that seven years, every cell inside her body has died and been replaced by another. She is literally not the same person who I first became friends with."

The daughter of one of my friends works for our Australian radio station called Triple J - even though she is way older than the intended audience for Thunderhead I kept thinking she would really enjoy this book so I think I will send her the details. Unlike me, she is sure to know 100% of the music references and her teenage years are recent enough for the trials and tribulations of friendships and the desperate need to 'fit in' to still resonate. 

Readers can find all the songs from this book via a Spotify list but since I don't have an account with this service I was unable to add this layer to my own reading. You can however listen to samples of the tracks. There are over 180 tracks because each entry in Thunderhead opens with a list of five or six tracks that reflect the themes or her feelings as she goes through her complex life journey. 

Thunderhead is sure to be a CBCA 2025 Notable title - hopefully in the Older Readers category.

This is the album Thunderhead really wants to own:

Here is an interview where Sophie Beer talks to Joy Lawn (Paperbark Words). Allen and Unwin list some famous author endorsements for this book on their webpage. 

Click each of these review links for more plot details:

It’s a difficult review to write, without giving away too many of the secrets and twists but I can assure you that this is one fabulous and moving novel. Just so Stories

I loved this book, because it was lovingly and thoughtfully created with personal experience and excellent research. It’s one of those books that I couldn’t put down, and that comes to life vibrantly on the page. It’s full of heart and soul, music and joy, family and friends. It will make you laugh, cry, and cheer, and get into your heart and soul. Feeling seen and understood in the books you read is a powerful thing, and we need to have more awesome disability representation like this. The Book Muse

And music itself is a character in the book. Every chapter begins with a playlist – Playlist for Luck, Playlist for New Friends, Playlist for Staring Big, Awful, Scary Things Right in the Eyes. Beer cleverly establishes Thunderhead’s long term love of music via intergenerational influences to ensure the lists don’t date the book, with everything from Nina Simone, to Taylor Swift, to mxmtoon. Storylinks

Here is the webpage for Sophie Beer where you can see her previous picture books. It is fun to link her new Upper Primary/High School book Thunderhead with her work on the Little People Big Dreams title about Elton John. Sophie Beer did all the art in Thunderhead and at times this gives the book a graphic novel feel. 

Magic Beach by Alison Lester

Magic Beach is now a movie BUT ... begin with the book - then see the movie - you and your young child will really appreciate this experience so much more if you are familiar with the book by Alison Lester.

After reading the iconic book by Alison Lester, nine children and a dog find themselves on the titular Magic Beach. They explore caves, build giant sandcastles, poke around rock pools and converse with sea creatures. This is where their animated imaginations begin… James dives with horses in the waves, sandcastles are built and destroyed in terrible wars, pirates smuggle treasure, and dreamtime serpents fly through the sky and shed their scales. The dreams of these children are limitless and reflect the uninhibited nature of being a child at the beach. The children awake from their animated imaginations to find themselves back in real life, but the beach will be in their heart forever. Movie Insider

One of our local cinemas hosted an event this week to launch the movie of Magic Beach. Sadly the advertising was a little misleading. 

Join Alison Lester, author of the classic children’s book Magic Beach and director Robert Connolly (Paper Planes, The Dry) for a special meet & greet preview screening of the new movie MAGIC BEACH. You’ll have the chance to say hello with your family and hear them introduce the film.

I expected a Q&A session between Alison Lester and the movie director - Robert Connolly. They did talk very briefly but I had so many questions and I left with these unanswered. The event was billed as a 'meet and greet' and I wrongly assumed this meant some sort of chat or interview. Here are my questions:

• Were the movie animators given a choice of which page from this 32 page picture book they would like to explore?
• Did the director have a list of animators or a list of animation styles he wanted to explore for this book? The movie uses many different forms of animation - such as digital, Claymation, and stop motion.
• Were the beach scenes filmed at the real 'Magic Beach' which is in Victoria?
• Apart from the general popularity of the book, which was written over thirty years ago, why did the director or screen writer select this book?
• What were the decisions that had to be made considering this book is not a really a narrative - it is just a set of connected scenes explored with gentle illustrations and a lyrical text.
• What went into the decision making to alter the order of scenes in the book?
• Did the director have to compromise or make changes to his original plans so the movie could be given the all-important G rating?
• Was Bigsy paid for his performance? 

Movie description: Take a trip with the ones you love through a unique mix of live action, entwined with extraordinary animated adventures that bring you to a dreamy seaside world where anything is possible. Featuring timeless characters, MAGIC BEACH is a captivating blend of reality and fantasy that inspires people of all ages to feel the sand beneath their toes and find wonder in the world around them.

In this radio interview Robert Connolly talks about Magic Beach. And also in this ABC television interview.

Alison Lester said: Magic Beach, published in 1990, features 10 children playing by the ocean and their rich imaginary adventures that have them fighting dragons, riding horses through the waves and spying on smugglers. Like all Lester’s children’s books, it leaves plenty of room for readers and listeners to use their own imaginations, which was the same approach she wanted in the movie adaptation. “I think generally we tend to fill our kids’ lives up with stuff so that they don’t have any time to be bored and imagine,” she says. “And it’s such a precious thing to be able to do that, just to take the time to be outside and letting it happen instead of everything just being fed into you.” Sydney Morning Herald

You can view the official trailer here.

Ten animators bring Alison Lester’s beloved children’s book to the screen, crafting a magical mixture of live action and animation that is destined to become a family favourite.

Animators credits

Susan Kim Danta        animator/director: Mermaid's Tale

Pierce Davison            animator/director: Castle V Castle

Jake Duczynski            animator/director: Gilay Gabinya

Emma Kelly                 animator/director: The Horses

Anthony Lucas             animator/director: The Smugglers

Simon Rippingale        animator/director: Henry's Dream

Kathy Sarpi                 animator/director: Tangerine Boat

Susie Shapones            animator/co-director: Princess Belinda

Marieka Walsh            animator/director: Princess Belinda

Eddie White                 animator/director: Kingdom of Fish

Lee Whitmore              animator/director: Doggy Day Dreaming

Animation by Marieka Walsh

Princess Belinda

Anthony Lucas

The Smugglers

Simon Rippingale

Henry's Dream

I discovered the child who plays the part of the pirate who finds a treasure box in a cave is the grandson of Bert and Patti Newton and he is making his movie debut.

It is wonderful that young children can now enjoy this book in three formats - as a book (even as a board book for very young children); as a stage play (by Finegan Kruckemeyer) and now as a movie. I love also really appreciate that the movie allows children to experience so many different forms of animation. And this might be a first movie which is more of an experience or a series of vignettes than an actual continuous story or narrative. 

It was interesting to see the response when the movie director Robert Connolly asked these three questions:

• Who has read the book? Nearly every hand went up.
• If you are an adult who heard the book as a child? 
• If you are a child, put up your hand if this is your first movie experience. Note this is a longer movie than I expected at 76 minutes. I would say it is perfect for children aged 5+.

It was good to view the movie with a huge audience of young children. I think everyone gasped when the real Bigsy appeared on screen - but he is looking so old now. 

Read a review here

Image Source: Storybox Library

You can see a full list of all the books by Alison Lester here.

30th Anniversary edition

Rip to the rescue by Miriam Halahmy

London, 1940. Jack is one of the few kids who is not evacuated from the city. He lives with his dad who has been badly wounded during WWI, his mum who is struggling to keep the family fed and Jack also cares for his grandfather who lives close by. Every night bombs fall onto London. Jack and a friend have signed up to be messenger boys. 

Wikipedia: Police Auxiliary Messengers (PAMS) were operational in the UK during World War 2. Young lads under the age of eighteen with their own bikes were employed by local police forces with the primary role of taking messages during and after air raids if telephone communication was not practicable.  I found this short documentary film made in 1942.

Jack talks about working for the air raid wardens: Often Boy Scouts or Boys' Brigade members aged between 14 and 18 as messengers or runners would take verbal or written messages from air raid wardens and deliver them to either the sector post or the control centre. Bombing would sometimes cut telephone lines and messengers performed an important role in giving the ARP services a fuller picture of events.

Publisher blurb: It’s 1940 and Nazi bombs are raining down on London, but 13-year-old bike messenger Jack has just discovered something unbelievable: a stray dog with a surprising talent. Jack navigates the smoky, ash-covered streets of London amid air raid sirens and falling bombs, dodging shrapnel and listening for cries for help, as a bike messenger for fire crews. When Jack finds a dog, miraculously still alive after the latest Nazi bombing of London, he realises there’s something extra special about the shaggy pup–he can smell people who are trapped under debris. With his new canine companion, nicknamed Rip because of the dog’s torn ear, maybe Jack can do more than just relay messages back-and-forth–he can actually save lives. And if Jack’s friend Paula is right about the impending Nazi invasion, he and Rip will need to do all they can to help Jewish families like hers. There’s just one problem: Jack has to convince his ill-tempered father to let him keep Rip.

Jack himself is deaf in one ear and this gives him a special affinity with his new dog and his torn ear. It also makes him very wary of making new friends because he has been very badly bullied at school but in this time of war and danger new friends are so important. 

Read more plot details here.

I do wish this book had a reference or further reading list. A map of the area in London could be useful too.

This is a gripping story of heroism made all the more interesting because it is based on a real dog called Rip. The relationship between Jack and his dad is harrowing at times because his dad has what we now call PTSD.  I recommend this book for readers aged 10+. 

Strangely I feel that I have read a similar book to Rip to the rescue about a small dog and London in WWII and the rescue of people trapped after the bombings but I simply cannot recall the title. If you have a suggestion I'd love to know - please add it to the comments.

Read more about the Dickin medal which is award to animal heroes. Here is some information about Rip himself. I found an interview with Miriam Halahmy where she talks about her books.  

Companion books:

While the storm rages

The Dog with Seven Names

Saving Hanno

The dogs of Winter

The ANZAC puppy

Walking with Miss Millie by Tamara Bundy

"Out the window I saw a beat-up sign that once said, WELCOME TO RAINBOW, but now with most of the letters faded, it only read, COME RAIN, and that made more sense in this dried-up little town. I remembered Daddy saying that the only good day in Rainbow, Georgia, is the day you leave."

It is 1968 and discrimination against African American citizens is still prevalent especially in the small towns in the south. Miss Millie is a African American lady. She has lived through some really tough times but through the pain of her past she is now able to offer a quiet wisdom to her new neighbour Alice.

Alice, her mum and brother have moved to Rainbow, Georgia. Alice's grandmother has Alzheimer's and she needs help with her daily life. Millie does not want to live in Rainbow. She is desperate to get back to Columbus Ohio. She is also desperate to see her dad. He has left, again. This time he has been gone for six months. Alice 'accidentally' hears a telephone conversation between Miss Millie and another lady from the town. As a penance her mother sends her to visit Miss Millie. A bargain is made. Alice will walk Miss Millie's dog Clarence but Clarence has other ideas. He is suspicious of strangers and so a daily pattern emerges. Alice goes next door each day and sets off with Miss Millie AND Clarence on walks through the town.

As they walk, they talk. Alice hears about Miss Millie's family, the joys and the tragedies. At the end of each walk Miss Millie gives Alice a small treasure. Each item serves as a reminder of a past event. Alice also finds a box of love poems written by her father to her mother when they both grew up in Rainbow. Alice decides to find the setting of each poem and collect treasures for her father ready for his return.

Here is some of the quiet wisdom in this book:

"Alice-girl,' Miss Millie shook her head. 'The world is fulla mean people. But it is also fulla nice people, too. That's the important thing."

"Ah Alice-girl, truth be told, you're never too old to be hurt just a little. But if you're lucky, one day you'll be smart enough to quit putting yourself in situations that hurt ya."

"I learned it's okay to get sad, but after all that gettin' mad and sad, ya gotta get smart. Ya gotta take a step back, away from all your hurtin', and figure out what ya can change and what ya can't."

When Miss Millie talks to Jake about his family she says "it takes a strong plant to come up out of hardened group, 'specially when it ain't given much sunshine.' Jake looked right back into her eyes and smiled a smile that said he knew she wasn't really talking about growing plants."

I would follow Walking with Miss Millie with Kizzy Ann Stamps, Walking to the bus-rider blues, The Crazy Man and, for an older audience, The Watson's go to Birmingham, 1963.

Take a look at the author web site where you can see some of awards given to this book. Tamara explains the background to her story. Small warning you will probably cry at the end of this book - I did.


The summer of 1968 brings huge changes to the lives of a young white girl and an elderly black woman—and cements a beautiful friendship. Kirkus

Tamara Bundy’s beautifully written debut celebrates the wonder and power of friendship: how it can be found when we least expect it and make any place a home. Kids Reads

Hello Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

Infused with humor and hope, this book deftly conveys messages of resilience and self-acceptance through simple acts of everyday courage. Readers will be left inspired to tackle life’s fears head-on. Publisher's Weekly


I really enjoy books with alternating voices.
I really enjoy books where the author makes you gasp out loud.
I really enjoy the satisfaction that comes from 'working hard' to make sense of the story, characters, setting etc.
I really enjoy books where I feel I am safe in the hands of a skilled storyteller. Knowing everything will be alright even though I am so anxious for the characters as they face huge dangers.
I really enjoy books which feel like solving a complex jigsaw with the added satisfaction that all the pieces fit together perfectly at the end.

This is why I loved Hello Universe and I can see why it was a winner!

Here is the blurb:

"Virgil Stalinas is shy and misunderstood. Valencia Somerset is clever and stubborn. Kaori Tanaka tells fortunes and can read the stars. Chet Bullens is the biggest bully in the neighborhood. They aren't friends. They're practically strangers. But when Chet pulls and unthinkable prank on Virgil and his pet guinea pig, Gulliver, these four students are thrown together in incredible and surprising ways."

Hello Universe was the winner of the Newbery Medal in 2017. You can meet the author here.  Here is an audio sample that begins at Chapter Two. Click on the reviews below for more plot details. I highly recommend this book for senior primary students who enjoy complex stories and who are happy to be patient and let the characters slowly reveal their personal stories.

An original and resonant exploration of interconnectedness and friendship. Kirkus

Wait for the last sentence in the book – but don’t peek. The final word will make you feel like you should stand up and cheer!  Nerdy Book Club

Unlikely friendships are formed and heroism abounds as the group of young people try to find their way in the world. Plucky protagonists and a deftly woven story will appeal to anyone who has ever felt a bit lost in the universe. School Library Journal

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Everything about this book is wonderful! All the way through I kept thinking of one of my favourite childhood books – From the mixed up files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler (Newbery winner 1968) and now, when I have finished Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick, I was delighted to read in the acknowledgements that he also loved this book and has actually put in many references to this story by EL Konigsburg so now I need to re-read From the mixed up files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler and then re-read Wonderstruck to find the connections.

A few years ago, I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Caldecott winner 2008) and was swept along by both the written story and the amazing visual images. In Wonderstruck we now have a second outstanding story in words and pictures by the gifted creator Brian Selznick.

Wonderstruck is an innovative dual narrative. There is Ben, a boy living in 1977 in Minnesota. His world has been turned upside down with the death of his mother and the discovery of mysterious details about his unknown father. Alongside this we see the story of Rose who lives in Hoboken, New Jersey fifty years earlier. The story of Rose’s childhood is told through illustrations that move swiftly like a silent film. The idea of silent motion pictures as a way to tell stories is important to the author especially as a way deaf and hearing people in the past were able to enjoy this shared experience.

This is a massive book with over 630 pages but just like The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the two alternating stories speed along. I found myself wanting to slow down my reading so I could make the experience of reading this inspiring book last longer. I also kept hoping there would be a link between Rose and Ben but I am not going to tell you about this beautiful and emotional part of the book.

Working as a Teacher-Librarian I love references to libraries. Here is one I will now treasure: “The next morning, Ben headed to the wolf diorama. He read the sign on the wall over and over again … he wished that he were with his mom in her library, where everything was safe and numbered and organized by the Dewey decimal system. Ben wished the world was organized by the Dewey decimal system. That way you’d be able to find whatever you were looking for, like the meaning of your dream, or our dad.”

This is one of those very, very special books that I can't wait to put into the hands of my students. At times like this I feel very privileged to collect, read and share the reading treasures that abound in our world.

If I ever get to New York I would love to visit all the special places that are included in this story. Here is another detailed review. Here is a very detailed interview.

Finally I gasped out loud when I read the dedication on the last page – "To Maurice Sendak" a perfect way to link these two outstanding talents!