Birdy by N West Moss

I need to try and be happier—but I don’t know how

When they told her that her mother had finally died, Birdy lay on the floor of the McGraths’ apartment (they had been next-door neighbors for Birdy’s whole life), sirens wailing outside, and thought the world would stop, but it hadn’t. After a while, she heard noise on the street below: people shouting, taxis honking. The world kept spinning. When the McGraths brought home chocolate ice cream that night, it tasted good, which was surprising. Life moved forward.

Birdy (her real name is May) and her brother Mouse (his real name is Michael) are sent to live with distant, elderly relatives named Mitzie and Shadow. Birdy is told this is temporary until a foster family can be found. She is told she will be able to stay with her precious brother - they won't be separated. But are these things true. What if Birdy and Mouse are separated? What if these strangers don't like her? 

The urgent thing was to stay together. The only thing they carried with them of any value now was one another.

She thought of saying a lot of things, like thank you for taking us and thanks for keeping us together and thank you for coming all the way to New York City even with your husband in the hospital, and for not asking a lot of questions, but Birdy hated saying thank you all the time. It made her feel needy, which she guessed she was. “Okay,” she said again, to fill the quiet of her missing thank-yous.

Birdy wondered why Mitzie and Shadow wanted them. She had thought maybe they were broke and wanted kids there to do chores. Why else would two old people take kids into their house? It didn’t seem like that, though—they didn’t seem broke.

Birdy is on high alert. She has been ever since her mum became ill. Taking care of Mouse is her responsibility. In a way Birdie has never had the chance to be a child - to play, to laugh, to make friends or to have fun. 

She tried not to think about her mom dying all alone in the hospital without the two of them there, coughing a lot probably, no one to hold her hand. The painful thoughts spooled out from Birdy like she was a ball of misery twine. She didn’t want to think about how much she missed her mother, or how mad she was at her for dying, or for being so sad, or for leaving Birdy in charge all the time. She was mad at her mother for having to work so much, and for being impatient.

As is often the way with stories like this there are so many heart-wrenching misunderstandings. These of course give this story so much tension that you will just keep turning pages desperate for that all important, happy ending.

One of the most beautiful (and teary moments) in this story comes when Birdy visits the charity shop. She is looking for new clothes but we know she also loves to read. One of the staff offers her The Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt but Birdy says no (inside my heart I was telling Birdie to say yes). 

“We just got a whole set of the Tillerman Cycle books.” When Birdy didn’t say anything, he said, “They’re old I guess, but my sister loved them. With this kid named Dicey who runs away from home with her brothers and sisters.” That sounded interesting, but Birdy tried to act like she wasn’t listening. ... “I can give you a deal if you want the set.” Birdy waved her hand and hunched over and walked as fast as she could to the register, carrying her clothes in her arms. She didn’t have seven dollars to buy all those books. Forget it. Go away, she thought. GO AWAY. ... “Hey,” he said to Birdy. “We have to make room for new books just coming in, and if you want these you can have the whole set for a dollar.” His voice trailed off. “If you want.” He waited. “I checked with my boss and she said it was fine. A dollar for all seven.” 

I guarantee you will fall in love with the characters in this story and with the kindness offered by Mitzie, Shadow and most of all by the new uncle the kids meet - a guy named Clay. Then there is teenage camp counsellor named Bruce - I just wanted to hug him for his kindness, sensitivity and emotional intelligence.

He was really looking at them, like they were the only people in the world and he was seriously interested in them. He looked at them like he had all the time in the world, like there was nothing better on earth to do than to spend time right there with them in the driveway. So, this was her mother’s brother.

I added this book to my Kindle because Colby Sharp highly recommended it and BOY oh boy he was right. N West Moss is actually Nanette West Moss and this is not her first book but it is her first Middle Grade book.

There's something oddly comforting about this story. Maybe I just want to hang out with Mitzi while she bakes in the kitchen. Ms Yingling

Bookseller blurb: Eleven-year-old Birdy and her younger brother, Mouse, have always looked out for each other. They make the perfect team: Birdy is realistic and practical, while Mouse is affable and trusting. After their mother dies of cancer, Birdy and Mouse are forced to move out of the city to the country with relatives they've never met. Aunt Mitzie and Uncle Shadow's house is full of organized chaos, and it takes Birdy time to adjust to having adults around. But the kitchen is always stocked, and both kids are allowed to play outside as often as they want. There's only one problem: it's all temporary. Their social worker has promised to find them a permanent home by the next school year, whether they want to leave or not. As the summer unfolds, Mouse starts to feel attached to their new life. But Birdy knows better-adults have never been reliable. When Birdy's fears get the best of her, she makes a big mistake that could jeopardize their future.

Here are two more beautiful quotes:

It was peaceful, like they were healing up after a long illness or something. A thought was forming in the back of Birdy’s mind (one she wouldn’t understand completely until later) that maybe sitting with your brother, or whoever loves you most in the world, is how a person grieves. Piling little rocks and leaves and feathers on top of one another can make you start to feel like your chest isn’t collapsing. While she was looking for stuff to pile on top of other stuff, she had a sense of what “better” might feel like and how to steer toward it.

It was a sudden feeling that inflated something in her, like drinking too much soda in one gulp. She didn’t want to like him. She knew that hope was a dangerous thing that could make you feel especially good and then when the truth of things came out, however high up your hope had taken you was how far down you would fall.

Companion books:

Missing May

Same Stuff as Stars

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman

One for the Murphys

The Higher Power of Lucky

Something like Home

Pictures of Hollis Woods

The Keeper of the Octopus by Neridah McMullin

"Every child in the village grew up hearing the tale. It was folklore. A long time ago a shark attacked a Portablow fishing boat as a it sailed up the river with its catch. A giant octopus who lived at the river mouth fought with the shark, saving the fisherfolk and their livelihood. And from then on, an octopus had always lived at the river mouth to protect the fisherfolk from sharks. At least that was the story."

Pippy lives with her elderly great uncle. She desperately misses her mother who has died recently and also longs to talk to her father, but he has headed away to sea and has been gone for nine months. It is clear Uncle Isaac who is caring for her now, is suffering from memory loss. It has begun to feel dangerous to sail with him, but Pippy needs to do this because Uncle Isaac, like all the people in this village, rely on fishing for their income.

The village is near a cove and decades ago there was a problem with shark attacks. Pippy is sure this is not the fault of the sharks but rather a symptom of things being out of balance. There has always been the story about an octopus but surely this is just a folktale. Young Pippy discovers it is her own mother who has been the Keeper of the Octopus but now that her mother is gone destiny determines Pippy herself must now feed, care for, and learn to communicate with Octavia. Uncle Isaac gives Pippy a special talisman, a stone that she wears around her neck. It glows and helps her know when Octavia is near. She also has the diary written by generations of her ancestors which tells her how to care for and recognise the moods of the octopus. 

Then three brothers arrive in the village. They appear at first to be fishermen but then they bring back an enormous catch with all sorts of precious sea creatures - way more than the town could ever need. Pippy knows this is a wrong and dangerous practice and then she hears one of the men talking about Octavia and so she knows this will be a race against time to keep Octavia safe and to convince the town authorities that the Calamary brothers are dangerous. 

As with all great stories there were moments in this book when I gasped, when I cheered, and when I sighed. One special character, apart from young Pippy who is wise beyond her years, is her friend Wally.

"Wally had been born with a deformed foot, a foot that turned inwards and downwards, worsening as he grew older, which meant he couldn't walk very fast nor go very far. Teased at school because of his limp, Wally stuttered a little when he spoke. He never said much. But he was a child who noticed things, small things."

And there is an element of magical realism because Pippy and her uncle live with a family brownie named Ferg. He tends to the house and the cooking. I loved his way of talking he always addresses her by saying - Pippy Cocklebiddy, daughter of Claudine and he uses words like bairn, Mither, orright, and nowt. He reminded me a little of Dobbie from the Harry Potter series. 

Here are a couple of text quotes:

"There were masses of bluefin tuna, black bream, tommy ruff and kingfish; hundreds of snapper, flathead, silver perch, and graylings; and many smaller good eating fish such as garfish, whiting, salmon and trevally. There were even parrot fish, which Pippy thought was odd because everyone knew they were inedible. Portablow fishers always tossed them back into the sea. The brother hauled even more baskets onto the wharf, tipping out dozens of sharks, Bronze whalers, and even a huge basking shark ... It was beautiful but its bright blue eyes quickly faded to a dull grey, dead colour."

"Pippy felt heavy with sadness. Uncle Isaac's memory was getting worse. He'd just put both their lives in terrible danger. It was as if his brain was erasing everything he'd ever known, including her, and that was what hurt the most. She had to do more to help him, more to look after him, but she wasn't sure how much more she could do unless she was with him for every minute of every day."

This book is certain to be a 2026 CBCA Notable title in the Younger Readers category. Here is the web page for Neridah McMullin. Here is a link to some detailed Teachers Notes.  I have previously talked about Eat my Dust; Drover; Tearaway coach; Fabish the horse that braved a Bushfire; and Evie and Rhino. 

Publisher blurb for The Keeper of the Octopus: Since her father sailed away, Uncle Isaac is the only family Pippy has left. Together they spend their days fishing off the coast, until one day Pippy is knocked into the sea and rescued by a gentle, giant creature … Uncle Isaac knows it’s time to tell Pippy the truth. Pippy is the descendent of a long line of Keepers – the Keeper of the Octopus, responsible for the giant octopus who protects the fisherfolk of the village. At first, Pippy is hesitant to meet Octavia, but soon the octopus is sharing her dreams with Pippy and they recognise each other as kindred spirits. But when the Calamary Brothers come to Portablow, she learns of their search for a particular giant octopus. It's up to Pippy - and her rag-tag crew of a cat, a dog, a hobgoblin called Ferg and an albatross – to rescue Octavia from the Calamary’s clutches.

I was enthralled by this book, because it captured a timeless world with a touch of magic, coupled with a commentary on some of the issues we face today: grief, environmental issues, bullying and disability. Wally was such a cool character too, and I loved his friendship with Pippy, and that he believed her without question. This is the mark of a true friendship. It was one that I loved, and one that I think kids need to see more of in the books they read. And it’s another reason I love reading kids’ books, because they feel less judgmental and more accepting. The Book Muse

Companion books:

My Friend the Octopus

Song of a Thousand Seas

The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros

Winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing 2023

Translated from Welsh

Book seller blurb: Dylan was six when The End came, back in 2018; when the electricity went off for good, and the 'normal' 21st century world he knew disappeared. Now he's 14 and he and his mam have survived in their isolated hilltop house above the village of Nebo in north-west Wales, learning new skills, and returning to old ways of living. Despite their close understanding, the relationship between mother and son changes subtly as Dylan must take on adult responsibilities. And they each have their own secrets, which emerge as, in turn, they jot down their thoughts and memories in a found notebook - the Blue Book of Nebo.

A couple of weeks ago I visited the new premises for the famous Melbourne bookshop - The Little Bookroom. I spied a book by an author I did not know - Feathers by Manon Steffan Ros (more about that in a minute). My friends from southern NSW met me at the bookshop which had just opened that day and independently of me my friend found another book by the same author - The Blue Book of Nebo. Once we were home, we both read this book and agreed it was terrific - short and powerful and certainly a page turner. I highly recommend The Blue Book of Nebo for readers aged 15+. 

I especially loved the way the ending is left open and also the way the author holds back right to the end before telling you about Dylan's little sister Mona. Dylan is also a wonderful character because he is so patient with everything they need to do to survive - building shelters to grow food, collecting and storing firewood, and saving seeds. I also liked the way on the day of the catastrophe Rowen, who was working as a hairdresser, has the presence of mind to go to several stores and buy tools and other very useful things - she somehow knows their lives are about the completely change. 

A curiously sweet-tempered novel that finds the upside of global catastrophe. Kirkus

This slim book packs a huge emotional punch and is a thoughtful, grounded look at what life might be like for a child growing up in the wake of a terrible disaster. At the heart of the novel is Dylan's connection with his mother, Rowenna - most of his memories are of the life they've led in the wake of the destruction, whilst hers are of the people, relationships, and experiences from before.  Book Trust

You can read lots more plot details for The Blue Book of Nebo here. I was also unfamiliar with the publisher Firefly Press. The Empathy Lab have some teachers notes for The Blue Book of Nebo. Here is a five minute video where Manon Steffan reads an extract from her book. I would pair this book with  titles by Bren McDibble such as Across the Risen Sea and an old long out of print book - Chance of Safety. 

Here is another book by Manon Steffan Ros written for a younger audience ages 9+.

Huw always pops in to see his nan on the way home from school - she bakes him cakes and never fusses about his homework. So, it's a great shock when, one day, Nan forgets his name and calls him Johnny - the long unmentionable name of her late brother. As Nan slowly slips into the grip of dementia, Huw and his friends go on a quest to learn more about Johnny and what happened to him. Exploring themes of friendship, family bonds and the history of conscientious objection in WW2, Feather is both modern and historical, as well as being relatable, particularly for children who may have grandparents with a similar dementia struggle to Nan. Aimed at ages 9-14, the original Welsh edition, Pluen won the Tir na n-Og Award Wales children's fiction Award in 2017.

Manon Steffan Ros was born in Snowdonia and worked as an actress before becoming a writer. She writes for adults and children and has won the Wales Book of the Year for her adult fiction as well as being four times winner of the Tir na N'Og Welsh children's literature award. She has also won Eisteddfod and National Theatre Wales awards for her drama writing. She lives in north Wales with her sons.

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. 

Charlotte in London by Joan MacPhail Knight illustrated by Melissa Sweet

This book is so charming but it was published in 2008 and so now it is sadly out of print. Charlotte in London one title from the series which includes Charlotte in Givernay, Charlotte in Paris and Charlotte in New York. Charlotte in London is the fourth book in the series. It would be lovely to have a full set of these on your home books shelves. There is quite a bit of text on each page but I think you could share these books each night as a family read aloud especially if you have some travel plans or you are going to an art gallery. 

In this book Melissa Sweet incorporates the art of fifteen famous artists and at the back of the book there is a brief biography of each. Artists such as Claude Monet; John Singer Sargent; and Joseph Turner.  This book is a lovely introduction to art and to the city of London and also into the personal diary of a little girl named Charlotte. 

Bookseller blurb: It’s 1895. Charlotte and her American family came to France three years ago so her father could learn to paint in the French Impressionist style. Now Charlotte and her parents are traveling to London to see if the famous—and very busy—artist John Singer Sargeant will paint Charlotte’s mother’s portrait. In London, Charlotte and her best friend, Lizzy, share a room at the Savoy Hotel, Charlotte decides to help track down Mr. Sargeant and records her many adventures with Lizzy: They watch fireworks on the banks of the Thames, keep an eye out for London’s legendary ghosts, find out why ravens are kept in the Tower of London, and visit Madame Tussaud’s waxworks. Illustrated with stunning museum reproductions and exquisite watercolor paintings, Charlotte in London also includes biographical sketches of the featured painters. This vibrant journal of Charlotte’s exciting journey will make any reader long for lovely, lively London.

Here is the illustration from the title page:

Charlotte’s witty voice, peppered with French phrases, resonates brightly as she relates her tour of England from the Tower of London to the Cotswold countryside and includes interesting tidbits of historical detail for readers to savor. A terrific choice for readers with an interest in art history, this is a strong, appealing story on its own. Kirkus

In this trip to London, Charlotte keeps a diary from April to September of 1895. Opening with a visit to Monet's garden at Giverny, she tells Monsieur Claude her art-loving family are off to Londres with their friends the Fosters. Lizzy Foster is Charlotte's best friend and together they can't wait to explore the British capital. Dotted with photos, illustrations, diagrams and real life paintings from the masters, Charlotte describes her journey with a true artist's eye, pointing out the colours and forms and beauty she sees as she explores the streets and River Thames. Kids' Book Review

As you read this I am about to head into London. Perhaps I will be able to enjoy a delicious meal at The savoy hotel just like Charlotte:

"I love lobster, so I ordered 'Homard Thermidor' and Lizzy had her favourite 'Supremes de Volaille' - chicken with cream sauce. And since we both like potatoes, we shared 'Pommes Anna' - a yummy French potato cake. Then out came dessert - 'crepes Suzette' - thin pancakes with orange sauce. Monsieur Ecoffier served it himself. 'Bon appetit!' he said. Enjoy your dessert! And we did!"

You can see inside this book here and read an interview with Melissa Sweet where she talks about the research she conducted for this book. 

Here are the other three books from this series:

Exit through the gift shop by Maryam Master illustrated by Astred Hicks

"Have you ever been to the zoo? Or a museum? Or any kind of amusement park? If the answer is yes, then you'll know what I'm talking about. The only way out is through the gift shop. Whether you like it or not! ... life kind of works in the same way. When you're on your way out, you are forced to look at gifts you would ordinarily bypass."

My name is Anahita Rosalind Ghorban-Galaszczuk but you can call me Ana. My best friend is Alexander Aaron Afu but everyone calls him Al. By the way by the end of this book you will want to hug Al - he is the bestest best friend ever. 

According to the doctor, Ana has about a year left. She has cancer (non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma). Yes that is a problem but really there's nothing she can do about that and really it is her other problem that is far more pressing - Alyssa Anderson - bully extraordinaire. 

In raw, honest, direct, authentic and often funny revelations, Ana shares with readers her final year of life. Yes I did say funny because Ana adds all of these crazy word definitions into her story. This is truly her story - we are reading it as she writes it. Here are a couple of her definitions to show you what I mean:

Nemesis (nem-uh-sis) Noun

A long-standing rival; an arch enemy, a foe, someone who makes your life so hellish that you'd rather listen to the Frozen soundtrack on loop for the rest of your life than have to deal with her ever again.

Poking the bear Colloquial expression

Doing something that may provoke a negative response from someone. Obviously poling a bear is not a smart move. That beast ain't gonna like it. At best she'll growl in your fact to express her anger and at worst, she'll hunt you down and eat you. She'll start by biting off your head and swallowing it whole, then she'll chow down on your limbs one by one and finish up by using your hair to floss her teeth. My top tip for the day: do not, I repeat, do NOT poke bears. Especially ones with flowing blonde hair and perfect teeth.

I recommend you grab a cup of Persian tea (see page 114) and settle down to read this book. You will most probably want to read the whole thing in one sitting. Please don't worry about being sad. I am someone who cries over nothing and I didn't cry so I am sure you will be fine. I actually predicted the truth about Alyssa but I won't spoil things here by saying more. 

This is a beautifully written book, exploring one young girl’s journey of facing her own death. She does confront her own mortality through the story so whilst it is deep content it is written with so much humour, joy and love, that you will remember this book long after you put it down. It is a truly joyous affirmation to make the most of everyday and to be the best person you can. Lamont Standing Order

Maryam Master has done a wonderful job of capturing not just the hard graft and fear about a terminal cancer diagnosis, but also the love and joy and crazy wonder about living and not giving up, even when facing death. NZ Book Lovers

Ana's voice bursts from the page and the reader has no choice but to be pulled into her world.  Kids' Book Review (note I disagree with ages 8-12)

Ana is very down to earth and philosophical. She has accepted her fate and is ready to make the most of the time that she has. She has quite a sense of humour and her story is written in a dramatic (comedic) way with lots of big bold words and sketches on the pages. Book Girl

My favourite bookseller from Beachside Bookshop gifted me Exit through the gift shop recently when I expressed an interest in reading this book which has a very quirky title. Now that I have finished it I sought out some reviews and once again I am in shock.  No let me say that again I am in SHOCK.  This is a book, my opinion for a mature reader aged 11+ and if asked for a category I would say this is a YA novel. And yet, once again I read that it is recommended (by one well respected reviewer) as suitable for 8-12. I shudder and shake my head. Then I read another reviewer who said 12+  and one of the standing order services here in Australian has put this book into their secondary selection. So much confusion which is concerning when there is no way any book seller can read every book!

Maryam Master was born in Iran and she moved to Australia when she was nine. She is a screenwriter and has worked to adapt three David Walliams stories for the stage. Exit through the gift shop is her first novel. Here are a set of teachers notes. This book has cartoon illustrations and lots of graphic text features by Astred Hicks who works as a book designer. 

Here are some companion reads to go with Exit through the gift shop:

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle

The Honest Truth

Ms Bixby's Last Day

Contagion by Kerry Greenwood

"He told me that this flu is not just an epidemic. It is a pandemic. All over the world, people are dying of it. They have it very badly in America. And in Europe."  Charlotte McKenzie 1918

"The worst thing is that all the people who don't usually get the flu are getting it, and there is no-one to look after them but old people and children" Charlotte McKenzie 1919

"This is a new disease: it burns hot like a bushfire and it'll burn itself out. In the end." Doctor Barnes 1919 quoted by Charlotte McKenzie.

At first glance it seems Kerry Greenwood (author of the Phryne Fisher books) has been busy and very efficient producing a book this year that echoes our times with COVID-19 - a book about the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic. Yes Kerry Greenwood has penned a compelling tale but she didn't write this book in 2020. Contagion was originally published in 2002 under the title A different sort of real - the Diary of Charlotte McKenzie then again in 2012 under the title The Deadly Flu (My Australian story series) and now again in 2020 with an appealing new cover and title - Contagion. So it's really the publisher Scholastic Australia who have seized the moment.

I highly recommend Contagion for readers aged 11+. If you were using this book with a group of students it would be good to talk about the work of cover designers. These three copies of the same book have such very different covers. Here is a set of comprehension questions written to accompany the 2012 edition of this book.

Charlotte begins her diary as World War One ends. Her soldier father has come home but he is suffering from severe shell shock. There are four children in the family and Charlotte's mother is a nurse. She works through the night and much of the care of the younger children falls to Charlotte along with laborious household duties. The process of washing sheets for example, takes a whole day and three women. "It takes both me and Amelia, one on each end, to wring out a sheet over the copper stick ... "

In her diary Charlotte shares her daily life from 16th October, 1918 up to 8th February, 1919. This is a short period in history but a momentous one. The historical notes at the back of Contagion explain - the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919 killed 27 million people world wide. It killed 5,000 people in Victoria and about 13,000 in Australia but Charlotte does not talk about these statistics. Her daily reality is about life and death as she works as a nursing assistant to her neighbour, Doctor Barnes. Travelling from home to home she witnesses shocking poverty, extreme sickness and distress. Charlotte demonstrates her enormous courage, her outstanding work ethic and best of all we can read about her personal life and the compassion she offers her own family and the families of strangers.

I often think about the rhythm of reading. Contagion (my copy was The Deadly Flu) has a definite rhythm to the writing which helps to keep the diary style format moving forward. Charlotte has a strong and compelling voice.

Here are few comparison observations between the times described by Charlotte and our lives in 2020.

Sewing - Charlotte's sister Amelia begins to sew as part of her recovery from the flu which has just claimed the life of her sister Lily. Amelia is sewing shrouds."Doctor saw that she wanted occupation and bought her a great basket of cloth. It's just straight seams with a frill around the neck and she can make them very fast, especially the little ones. She's sewing shrouds. ...  we can't send them naked into the earth, can we?" In 2020 people are sewing and selling masks.

Closures - "They are holding up trains at the border between New South Wales and Victoria." and "The government have closed all the cinemas, pubs, theatres, racetracks and music halls." Charlotte McKenzie tells us in 1919. By the 24th January 1919 the decision is made to close the schools. And in 2020 we have nearly all  the same closures.

Masks - In 1919 Charlotte wears a carbolic mask when she helps the doctor on his daily home visits - Carbolic is a disinfectant and masks were soaked in this liquid as a protection against the flu. In January 1919 the NSW Government made the wearing of masks compulsory. In August 2020 the Victorian Government also did this.

Shopping - "Dad went down to the grocer's shop himself. You have to hand in your list and the grocer puts the bags on the floor, a safe distance away. You put the money in a dish of carbolic on the floor." In 2020 we stand 1.5 metres apart and pay with a tap of a credit card!

Temperatures - Charlotte writes in 1919: "Doctor told the husband to keep giving her asprin and water and he would call in the evening. Her temperature was 105 degrees, almost at the top of the thermometer."  In 2020 I've had my temperature checked in shops, visiting the hospital where I volunteer and at a school reception. Explaining the numbers -  98.6 Fahrenheit is normal or as we measure it now in Australia it's 37 Celsius. 

Treatments for the influenza in 1919 - They use "Carbolic masks, as we think it might be airborne. Cool drinks, soup, cold sponging to bring down fever, aspirin, orange flower water ... fresh air, constant attention. That's all. .. (there is) no cure."

Charlotte McKenzie is an invented character but it is obvious Kerry Greenwood did a huge amount of research for this book. It is sobering to read her thoughts (written in 2002) on the final pages of her book:

"It could happen again. This time it would travel by jet, not by troop ship. The World Health Organisation has a disaster plan should another Spanish Flu come along, because there are a lot more people in the world now, and the flu would move much faster."

The secret Library of Hummingbird House by Julianne Negri

Focus on Tuna

Focus et Fortuna

There is a lot going on for Hattie right now. Mum and Dad have split up and Hattie finds it very hard to manage the new routine of living week about with each parent. Hattie has a little sister called Ivy. Ivy is only five but she is also very odd and often Hattie finds her quirky behaviours very annoying. Then there is school. It is a school filled with rules. The Principal carries the nickname The Enforcer. I lost count but there are more than 200 rules which the kids need to follow at this school. And at school she also has to contend with a bully called Taylor Dellabella.

On the happy side, Hattie lives near a beautiful old house with a splendid Mulberry tree in the garden. This tree is her happy space and every year on her birthday her father ties lollies to the branches of the tree so Hattie has now renamed it the Mullolly Tree.

Dates are important in this story. Hattie finds an intriguing old diary in Hummingbird House. Inside she reads the names for the full moon such as Wolf Moon (January); Harvest Moon (October); Pink Moon (April) and Hunter Moon (October). She also reads a set of dates for the Triple Moon. Two of these dates are very significant. Today is 27th April the next triple moon is scheduled for April 30, 2020. Meanwhile in 1970 there was a triple moon on 4th November.  Two days before the triple moon of 2020 Hattie wakes up in the middle of the night. She decides to visit her tree and Hummingbird House. Inside the house she meets a girl called Hypatia who tells her the date today is 2nd November, 1970 - fifty years in the past.

The Mayor, in collaboration with a corrupt developer, has plans to knock down Hummingbird House so she can build high rise apartments. The race is on. The girls need to discover the truth about Hummingbird House, they need to decipher the meaning of Focus et Fortuna. And, armed with the truth these two girls, separated by time, must find a way to protect this beautiful house and Hattie's special tree?

Some parts of this plot might sound familiar from other time slip stories but I really warmed to Hattie and her drive to stop this demolition. I also loved the final chapters which neatly tied up all the loose threads in a very emotionally satisfying way.

If you are sharing this book with a Primary school group it would be good to discuss the topic of protesting. Hattie makes a list of all the ways she can think to stop this development so she can save her tree and Hypatia's house - posters; petition; graffiti; public speeches; letters to the paper; media attention; sky writing; sit ins; blockades.

The setting for this story is Melbourne with references to trams and Brunswick which makes sense because the author lives in Melbourne and she works at the State Library of Victoria. I can certainly see why Julianne takes such delight in using a rich vocabulary in her story. I was also intrigued to discover there really is a Brunswick Bomber.  Around the suburb where Hattie lives someone has been yarn bombing.  Here are couple of examples so you know what this means:

Image source OurPermaCultureLife

Image source The Conversation

I am sure someone will work on teachers notes to go with The secret Library of Hummingbird House with a special emphasis on all the delicious words Julianne Negri has included.  There are the vocabulary words from Hattie's school and the lost words used by Hypatia.

Hattie's vocabulary words from school (2020):

trepidation

statuesque

mayhem

stealthily

quandary

awry

discombobulated

enthralled

Lost words used by Hypatia (1970):

labscate

dipsopathy

whiffle

erstwhile

epeolatrist

phrontistery

selenology

brontology

forsooth

blatherskiting

No need to worry about the meanings of these - they are beautifully explained in the context of each conversation.

The secret Library of Hummingbird House will be published in July by Affirm Press. One tiny note of caution. My Advance Reader Copy of The Secret Library of Hummingbird House compares this book with Playing Beattie Bow. I have to say this is a very wild claim and one which has no real basis except to say both books involve a time slip.

One more thing - go back and look at the cover. It hints at so much that is revealed in the story - the moon, the tree, the yarn bombing, the girl at the window with a library behind her and the hummingbird.

Other time slip stories:

The Time Tree

The Four seasons of Lucy McKenzie

Cicada summer

I would also pair this book with A good Day for Climbing Trees which is another excellent book about trees and protesting and community activism.

I will predict The secret Library of Hummingbird House will make the 2021 CBCA Notables list for younger readers.

Cloud Boy by Marcia Williams

Harry Christmas (yes that is his name) and Angie Moon build a tree house in the backyard with the help of their fathers. These kids are great friends and almost share a birthday since they were born two days apart.  Angie calls them "almost twins." The new tree house is the perfect place to explore their passions. Harry loves clouds and Angie loves to draw. They name their tree house Artcloud. Angie is not keen on writing but she is given a diary and so much is happening in her life the diary becomes the perfect place to share her roller coaster of emotions.

Harry becomes ill. No one seems to want to tell Angie what is wrong. Harry is taken to hospital and it is clear this is very serious.

"Dear Diary,
I went to see Harry today! He was whiter than the bed sheets, his head was just one big bandage and there were drips and tubes everywhere - it freaked me out. He didn't talk but when I stroked his hand he grabbed by finger, like little Solo."

The relationship and difficult times experienced by Harry and Angie (as told by Angie through her diary) are only half the story, though. Grandma Gertie is staying with Angie and her family following the arrival of a new baby (Solo) and she has also come to see the exhibition of a special quilt. When she was a child Grandma Gertie was taken prisoner in Singapore and sent to Changi. The treatment of the prisoners, including very young children, was utterly terrible but Gertie survived and so did some of the letters she wrote to her cat, a quilt made in the camp by the children and the young boy who she later married when they were reunited as adults. Reading these letters allows Angie and Harry glimpse what Gertie went through during World War II and they are an interesting way to share this period in history with a mature primary school reader.

The making of a quilt is also used as a way to link the stories of past and present. Angie decides to make a quilt for Harry and to fill it with shared memories. The pace of her sewing and her decisions of the images to include match the details we read in the letters written by Gertie as she and the other prisoners work on their quilt. Make sure you watch this video about the making of the quilt.  You can hear Olga Henderson (nee Morris) who was the inspiration for Cloud Boy. Marcia Williams explains how she saw the Changi quilt in the V&A Museum in London.

"I saw the Changi Guide quilt in 2010 ... I was immediately struck by how, after so many years, this quilt is still a powerful symbol of young people's love and endurance."

If you share this book with a mature senior primary reader and they are curious to know more about the fall of Singapore I would recommend reading Lizard's Tale followed by The Happiness Box by Mark Greenwood.

When I read an emotional book I usually cry even when I anticipate the sad ending but in the case of Cloud Boy I didn't and this puzzles me. I did find Cloud Boy a compelling read and I did enjoy the voice of Angie along with the way she honestly expresses her emotions including her anger at Harry for being ill and her confusion about the way all the adults she trusts want to protect her from the truth.

Click on this link to read another review:

This is not an easy read in terms of subject matter, but it is worth acknowledging that not all children’s books can be filled with happy endings – not everything does end happily. However, there are glimpses of hope and optimism, and the possibility of how life continues despite the adversity faced. Minerva Reads

Zoo Boy by Sophie Thompson illustrated by Rebecca Ashdown

Hello, dear reader.
Are you sitting, lying down, standing on your head, eating a jam sandwich comfortably?
Then I'll begin ...

Zoo Boy is one of those little books you might miss in all the flurry of new books arriving in our school library and that would be such a pity because this little book is terrific.  Yes it is a very funny little story of a boy who can talk to the animals in the zoo but it is also a poignant tale about the power of giving and gratitude.  It also contains the most delicious words such as scurrilous, mollycoddled and deplorable.

Zoo boy Vince lives beside a zoo. His dad is the zoo keeper and entry to the zoo is via a special Zoo Keepers' Song.  Today Vince has turned eight so it is time to join his dad in the zoo.

"Vince felt like the king of the castle  But before he had time to gloat and imagine all the ermine on his cloak and how big his crown should be, an enormous badger who smelt of old socks appeared from the scrubby shrubbery."

Vince discovers he has grandad's gift - the gift of understanding the language of animals.  This is thrilling but it is also a huge responsibility as the animals gather around Vince and make their demands.  These demands might surprise you :

Penguin - fish fingers
Flamingo - Battenberg Cake - the pink bits
Pig - free range eggs
Owl - sugar mice
Llama - Sherbet lemons
Goat - clover and denim shorts

Luckily down the road there is an Everything You Could Possibly Want For 99p Unless It's Slightly More Expensive Shop. The owner of the shop is "a ridiculously cheerful man called Leviticus Corkindale Percival Calamine Periwig Candlewick Throooob. But everyone just called him Bob."

I also adore the character names used by Sophie Thompson (an English actress) such as Fenella (flamingo), Horace (the helpful wild badger), Asquith (penguin) and Terry (orangutan).

There is so much to love about this book and I think it would make an excellent read-a-loud title for a Grade One or Two class.   When you pick up this book you might like to begin with pages 85 and 86. Events towards the end of this book are so distressing (dear reader) that the narrator inserts an early ending to spare you any pain.

If I haven't convinced you to read this book think about bunting made from a long string of stolen undies all lit by fireflies. Such fun!

Sophie Scott goes South by Alison Lester

This book is the perfect to introduce the topic of Antarctica to children.  It is personal - as we read of Sophie's experiences, it is factual with details of the climate, landscape, history and daily life of the expeditioners and it has the most fabulous illustrations because Alison Lester has incorporated her own art work with photos and captions and even stamps.

In 2005 Alison Lester travelled to Antarctica.  It was a six week journey and during this time she used email to share her experiences with children around the world.  The children in turn sent Alison their own stories and drawings.  Many of these appear in this book.

Sophie is lucky.  She travels to Antarctica with her dad - Captain Scott.  He is the Captain of the Aurora Australis - an icebreaker ship which is travelling to Antarctica to deliver people and supplies to Mawson station.  "As we head towards Antarctica it feels as though we are entering an icy kingdom and the icebergs are guarding it."

We will use this book in our library this term with Grade 6 as we begin to talk about this fascinating and important continent.  Here is a little video to view before you read Sophie Scott goes South.  This book also has an excellent glossary and the end papers present maps annotated with facts about Antarctica.

Yoko's diary - The life of a young girl in Hiroshima during WWII edited by Paul Ham, translated by Debbie Edwards

Late in the year in Grade six I like to introduce books about WWII. We read books like Rose Blanche and Let the Celebrations begin and then move to the story of Hiroshima by reading My Hiroshima by Junko Morimoto.  My intention is to let students hear the voice of other young children who lived through these times rather than just the bare facts of history.

In My Hiroshima, Junko Morimoto explains how every day, prior to the dropping of the atomic bomb,  they would hear air raid sirens, how everyone has been working to clear older wooden buildings around the city to create fire breaks and there is a struggle to obtain food.  All of these things feature in Yoko's diary too but in more detail and so I am planning to share this book with my students later in the year.

The opening chapters give a background to life in Hiroshima and to Yoko herself.  The diary begins on page 61 starting on 6th April.

"The diary is a class project and bears the stamp of a conscientious little girl who is always trying to do the right thing.  She wants high marks for her work!  She comes across as extremely diligent ... a model child ... The reader might assume she was indeed such a very good girl.  But that assumption should be taken with a grain of salt, given that the diary is a school project."

Having said it is the work of a school girl this book is also very honest.  "It shows the hopes, beliefs and daily life of a young girl in wartime Japan."

Just like The Diary of Anne Frank, and the story of Sadako, Yoko's diary is an important book which does end in tragedy.  There is, however, an important message to take away from all of these books and that is the lesson of peace and hope, the lesson of humanity.

Here is a detailed review.  You might also like to read Hanna's suitcase, To Hope and Back and Sadako and the thousand paper cranes.