Run by Sarah Armstrong

Cas (short for Casper) has experienced some dreadful things in his short life. He is only twelve. His mum left him and his dad when Casper was just four years old. He has no real memory of her, but he has so many unanswered questions. Did she leave because he did something wrong? Does she miss him? Where does she live now? Cas is left with his dad but that's when life becomes even harder because dad cannot cope. He does not buy food, he has no job and he shows no affection towards his young son. Cas is forced to scavenge for food in dumpsters. If anyone offers him the tiniest touch of affection it almost overwhelms him. Eventually Cas is sent to live with Mel - his father's sister and his aunt. She tries hard and is able to give Cas a stable home but then, unbeknown to Cas, his father wants to resume contact. Mel organises for Cas to spend a day with his father but he absolutely does not want to go. At the last minute Mel is unwell and so she sends Cas with her former partner Kimberley. 

Cas is seething, so when Kimberley's car veers off the road, Cas takes his chance and dives out of the car and runs away. Note the title of this book - run! Cas is now running. He thinks of the way people survive on television series like Alone. Of course, he lacks skills and equipment, and he knows he has put himself into a dangerous situation and then he meets three people - a father and his two daughters. They have been living in the bush for two years but why? And who are these people? Can he trust them? How will he find his way home without them? But then there is a major landslide and it seems he is stuck. 

Waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to keep reading is a sign of a great book. I started Run at about 9pm one night and by the middle of the next day I finished off the whole book. I think this action thriller will greatly appeal to readers aged 10+. It is a survival story but is it also a story about forgiveness and about 'growing up'.

Publisher blurb: Cas thought running away from home would solve all his problems. But he didn’t count on getting hopelessly lost in the tangled Australian bush. Alone and afraid, Cas has given up all hope of rescue when he stumbles upon a strange family hiding out in the wilderness. He won’t survive without their help. But when he discovers they’re also on the run – from something so big, they won’t even talk about it – he realises his problems are just beginning …

This is a fast-paced survival story that also manages to thoughtfully address themes of family and forgiveness. Set in the bush, it’s an exciting read filled with strong, memorable characters. The plot is gripping, yet written with sensitivity and an inclusive approach. Readings Melbourne

Without giving away too much that would spoil the suspense or the story itself, it really has many layers and moral dilemmas entwined throughout and will have you questioning what you would do if you were not only in Cas’ situation, but also that of Mack, Pearl and Viv. And then there are the feelings and emotions that his family and friends are going through, not knowing where Cas is, or if he is even safe. A suspenseful and fast-paced story of survival, with many twists and turns, but also a story of family, friendship, trust and belonging, and is suited to those in lower secondary and also to those in upper primary as well. Lamont

Companion reads:

The Honest Truth

Cop and Robber

Being Jimmy Baxter

The Lovely and the Lost

Sunshine

Pax

A Different Dog

All the Beautiful Things by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Martina Heiduczek

"It feels like all the beautiful things have to be hidden away ... "

"The world is a jigsaw puzzle, every person a unique piece. There's a space for each one, but it must be the space made just for them. And if we leave one piece out, no matter how small, plain, insignificant or odd it may seem, the jigsaw puzzled remains incomplete. 

The picture looks ugly because there is a gap."

In the world of Germany in 1939 to 1945 every child has to be perfect. Anna is perfect - the perfect German girl. She is athletic, clever and has that perfect blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her sister however is not perfect. She has a disability and Mutti and Anna know if little Eva is found she will be taken away. 

"Eva was born with a disability that weakens her body and makes it hard for her to learn new things. Eva didn't walk for a long time and she's still a bit wobbly. Words came much later .... It's unlikely she'll ever learn to read. And she's so very small and thin, more like a toddler than a seven-year-old."

Eva takes delight in making paper dolls. The family have to keep her hidden, but Anna is able to collect tiny treasures - a piece of lace, a ribbon, a small piece of coloured paper - and Anna weaves a magical story for Eva as they work together to create new outfits for dolly. 

"Eva fetches her square biscuit tin and returns to the kitchen table. She opens the lid and gasps with delight even though she knows exactly what's inside - Dolly, a flat cardboard doll with woollen hair and tissue paper underwear, and eight flat dresses. They're all made from scrap paper and other treasures Mutti and I have scrounged from floors, streets, bins, barns. ... Every piece of the dress needs a story."

Anna and her friend Udo work hard to keep Eva a secret but there is danger everywhere. A boy in their neighborhood - Manfred is especially dangerous. "He is fourteen, tall, strong and handsome. He is in the special patrol group, Hitler Youth's very own police." 

Woven into All the Beautiful things we meet Eva Braun, visit the countryside home of Hitler, and in some awful scenes witness the indoctrination of the children in class against anyone who is not perfect - people with disabilities, people who are different and of course Jewish people. In one scene we see brave Anna quietly taking Nazi propaganda posters from her school and at home she burns them.

Luckily Anna and Udo do find friends in their town and one of these is seamstress Fraulein Linz. Little do they know that this lovely woman will be the one to hide little Eva when it becomes too hard to keep her at home and keep her safe. Fraulein Linz is living a double life. The Nazi wives visit to have her make their beautiful clothes and she even appears to be friendly with Eva Braun but this is all just a ruse. 

"How do we tell the monsters and the angels apart?"

This book has 327 pages, and I read it all in one sitting - YES, it is that good. In fact, this book is wonderful! I actually read this book about 3 weeks ago but I just wanted to sit and think and let it settle before penning something here on my blog. I actually feel I am quite inadequate as a blogger and lover of middle grade children's books to even begin to talk about this amazing book. One of the most precious parts of this story is the emotional intelligence of young Eva. 

There are some quite terrifying scenes in this book which I think demonstrates the power of this writing. One that has lingered with me is when Anna is stopped and told to empty her pockets by a member of the Gestapo. They have been watching Udo. He is part of the resistance and their communication is via train tickets. Udo has slipped it into Anna's pocket and now Anna needs to take it to Pastor Almendinger.

"The railway station's a perfect exchange for messages. Always busy. ... I'm there all the time, looking for discarded tickets for Dolly's dresses. In fact, there are four in my pockets right now. ... 'I'd like to see what's in your pockets.' ... I stick my hands into my pockets, grab the lining at the bottoms and turn them inside out. Everything that was inside spills. The tiny folding scissors, bottle tops, acorns and buttons fall into the snow, but the wind grabs the rest and sends it fluttering along the street. Including the very important train ticket for Pastor Almendinger."  

All the Gestapo see is a collection of rubbish.  

Here are a couple of text quotes:

"We're crying for Eva, who is safe, but whose life has grown smaller yet again. How many times must her world darken and shrink? How long can she live this way without the light in her eyes fading, before hugs in her arms slacken?"

"And then I shudder. Not because of Manfred's fanaticism. That's old news. It's just I've never been called a traitor before. I realise that a person can be both a hero and a traitor. It depends on your point of view. To Eva and Mutti, I'm a hero. To Hitler and Manfred, I'm a traitor." 

All the Beautiful Things is certain to be a CBCA Younger Readers Notable, and I am also sure it will be shortlisted. Here are a set of teachers notes from the publisher. I highly recommend All the Beautiful Things for readers aged 11+. 

This is a great read, suffused with love and humour. As usual Nannestad has got the balance just right, presenting the reader with thought provoking situations while keeping them enthralled with suspense, some mystery, and lots of giggles. A must for every school  and home library. Storylinks

All the Beautiful Things is as much a story of resistance as it is about loyalty and family, but also, finding out what it means when the rules you think exist start to crumble, and your world changes in so many ways. It is a book that will make you question prejudices and what we assume disabled people are like, and ponder how we can help people who need it. And I think makes us ask ourselves what we would do if we ever found ourselves in a similar situation. Another wonderful novel from Katrina Nannestad. The Book Muse

History can be tough to understand, especially when it comes to things like war and prejudice. But Nannestad takes the real stories of the past and wraps them up in a way that is both accessible and heartwarming for kids. You’ll not only get to see the struggles of people who lived through WWII, but you’ll also learn about what it was like to be different in a world where difference meant danger. Better Reading

Some things to think about:

• It is interesting that Katrina named Anna's little sister Eva and Anna also meets and 'befriends' the famous Eva Braun. 
• When you read a book like this as a reader you put your trust in the author that there will be a 'happy ending' and that characters you love will be kept safe. What happens if this 'rule' is broken?

In November I attended a terrific 'fireside' chat at Gleebooks Kids with Katrina Nannestad.  Here are some things I discovered:

• Katrina will appear at our Sydney Writer's Festival in May 2025
• Her favourite character from her books so far is Udo (from All the Beautiful Things) and also Sasha from Rabbit Angel Soldier Thief
• Silver Linings is her personal family story and a sequel is planned
• Katrina reads and researches history through personal accounts. She likes to find lesser-known stories of World War II
• She plots her stories and has a clear plan of the way the plot will be structured
• When Katrina is writing one of her novels, she writes every day of the week and often becomes totally absorbed in the journey of her characters. Each book from this series takes 8-9 months to write.
• Her new books - another Lottie Perkins title and a new series about a character named Frances Bloom.

In November Katrina Nannestad ran a competition where people sent in their own paper doll creations. Take a look here.

After reading All the Beautiful Things you will want to read every book by Katrina Nannestad especially her stories set during World War II -   

Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief; Waiting for the Storks; We are Wolves

Here are some other companion books:

The Little Riders

I am reading this one at the moment so I will talk further about it here in the coming weeks. 

Check out the Kirkus review.

Hide me, Kipper! by Mick Inkpen

A small squeaky mouse comes running up to Kipper. He jumps into the 'foldy bit' in the middle of the page. He needs to hide because the cat is after him. The mouse is safe for now but then Kipper suggests hiding in his messy toy box. Kipper cleverly distracts the cat with his Sock Thing which has a mouse-shaped bulge down one end. Next the mouse tries to hide on Kipper's head under his ears but that doesn't work. 

The cat spies the mouse. Kipper holds on to the mouse and runs to the top of Big Hill but unfortunately he drops the little mouse and he ...

"went tumbling all the way back down Big Hill straight into the paws of you know who. 'Gotcha!' said the cat."

Spoiler alert - the cat does not eat the mouse - have you guessed why? Go back and think about the title.

I picked up this Kipper book at a recent charity book sale. It is in mint condition with no markings and only cost $1. That's why I love going to these fairs. This book was published in 2008 but it is still available.  Someone probably bought this as a gift for a child. Hopefully it was read but perhaps only once and then it has sat on a shelf waiting to go to the fair in 2024 and now onto me and from me onto a lucky grandchild.

I am a massive fan of the Kipper books. They have just the right amount of text, very appealing illustrations, a dog character that everyone loves, and they do contain very satisfying stories. This one even has a 'gasp' moment when your young reading companion will think the tiny mouse is sure to be eaten by the cat. This book also cleverly 'breaks the fourth wall.'

Hiding Edith by Kathy Kacer

Book seller blurb: In 1938, Edith and her family joined the many Jewish people forced to leave their homes to escape the Nazis. In a desperate bid for survival, Edith was entrusted to the care of a children's home in Moissac, France, where other Jewish children were hiding. All the people of the town promised to keep the children's identity a secret. Could they possibly succeed? Would Edith ever see her family again? A dramatic and moving account of one girl's experience during World War II.

By coincidence my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything penned a blog post this week about Anne Frank and Samantha Read Smith (more about this young girl in a moment).  I often had students in Grade Five or Six who wanted to read The Diary of Anne Frank but I did not purchase this for my library because I think it is better suited to an older reader aged 13+.  I did have Hiding Edith in my library, but I will confess I had not read it until this week. I picked up my copy at a recent charity book sale. Hiding Edith was published in Canada in 2006 and the Australian edition arrived in 2011. Younger students aged 10+ who are interested in Anne Frank are sure to find the story of Edith Schwalb engrossing. Kathy Kacer interviewed Edith and other children who were saved when they went into hiding in the French village of Moissac so this is a non-fiction biography of a young Jewish girl. She had to cope with leaving her family, living with strangers, and changing her identity.

As unimaginable as it may seem for today’s youngsters to comprehend the experience Edith endured, Kacer has succeeded in allowing the young reader into the apprehensive and troubled mind of this child survivor. Kirkus

Hiding Edith details not only the amazing courage and struggles of one young girl, but the inspiring spirit of the people she met. Second Story Press

Here is a very detailed set of teaching notes from the publisher. You can listen to a five-minute audio sample here from the Introduction to Hiding Edith. 

Here is an alternate cover for Hiding Edith:

Companion books:

Beyond Belief

This is a picture book version based on the famous diary of Anne Frank

Girl 38 Finding a Friend

Let me Whisper you my Story

Now to briefly mention Samantha Reed Smith. Take a minute to read the post above from Kinderbookswitheverything.  I had no idea about this courageous young girl. Samantha was born in 1972 in Maine, USA. She was worried about the Cold War (1947-1991) and so she took some action and wrote a letter to:

"Yuri Andropov, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, expressing her concerns about the possibility of nuclear war. Her sincerity, genuine curiosity, and unshakable belief in the goodness of humanity shone through her words. To everyone’s amazement, Andropov responded to Samantha’s letter with an invitation to visit the Soviet Union." History Captain

She travelled to the USSR in 1983

"Samantha’s message was simple but profound: Peace is not an abstract concept; it’s a shared aspiration of all humanity. Her youthful innocence allowed her to see beyond political rhetoric and to touch the hearts of people who had been taught to see the West as an enemy." History Captain

Read more here:

• The letter sent by Samantha and the reply.
• Kids Britannica
• Kids encyclopedia

I previously talked about another book by Kathy Kacer - To Hope and Back. 

My parents were both survivors of the Holocaust. My mother survived the war by hiding. My father was a survivor of the concentration camps. Their stories of survival were an inspiration to me as I was growing up. As an adult, I was determined to write their stories and pass them on to young readers. In that way, future generations would never forget that time in history. Kathy Kacer

Being Jimmy Baxter by Fiona Lloyd

Jimmy Branthwaite and his mum have moved to a new house. It all seems quite rushed and strange but there are tiny hints in the text that something is wrong with the way dad treats mum. Perhaps Jimmy and his mum have run away?

In the car Mrs Jessop tells Jimmy to put his head down low and stay quiet. Mum is curled up on the back seat too. Mum has a sore arm.

"Mum says 1991's going to be a better year for us. ... Mrs J says we're not allowed a torch ... the moon is a crescent shape, same as the tip of Mum's nails, when they're not all polished how Dad wants them."

"It's a good thing Dad has a new job.  ... Dad reckons the cops had it all wrong when they said he'd had one drink too many to drive the truck. ... I'm happy we'll have fun now he's busy (far away with a new job)."

"She's prettier without her make-up on. With Dad not being here, she can be just how she wants for a change. Same for me too. I'm lighter when he's not around."

Then Dad finds them! After a very abusive scene he leaves so Mum and Jimmy quickly pack a few things, things they can carry, and they head off to catch a bus. This time they land in Mungo Creek. Surely they will be safe here. Mum gets a job in the local grocery store but they decide it might be best to change their name to Baxter - and so now we have Jimmy Baxter. 

The new school is hard. Thank goodness the teacher Miss Anna Smith is wonderful but when the bullies become too violent and mum won't get out of bed Jimmy decides to leave school and get a job or two so at least they can have something to eat. At this point adult readers will need to suspend disbelief that no one questions why Jimmy is not at school and how just how Jimmy gets various jobs including one in a pub when he is way too young and also you might ask why the shop owner doesn't ask many questions when mum no longer comes to work in his shop. 

Out in the countryside Jimmy meets a reclusive man named Mac who offers food, wisdom and friendship. Mac is deeply grieving the loss of his beautiful wife. Jimmy also makes friends with a girl from his class called Debbie and the two of them work on a project about Ned Kelly. Debbie is such a good friend to Jimmy. Things are hard but at least Jimmy and mum are safe until late one night there is a dreadful accident out near Mac's shanty. Has dad found them again?

Some of the vocabulary in this book might be confusing for readers outside Australia. There is a good list in the back of the book which made me happy but here are a few words from the first couple of chapters:

• bonnet - car hood
• yakking - talking
• crikey - wow! or that was unexpected
• lorikeets - colourful native birds
• stoked - pleased, happy
• ripper - that's good

I do like the cover and many of the things coming out of Jimmy's head are found in the story so this might be something to share with a class for a book talk - students could predict the significance of each object - tin foil, wattle, an LP record, a pencil, eggs and yellow Cadillac. 

This is a new book from Penguin Random House (Puffin Books) due for publication in July 2023. I am fairly sure this book will appear on the CBCA 2024 Younger Readers award Notables list. This book is almost my last Advance Reader copy from Beachside Bookshop - I have LOVED reading all the new releases over the last 5 years.  I will desperately miss this opportunity.

If you enjoy books with a very Australian setting and flavour you will enjoy Being Jimmy Baxter. The writing style is very similar to Morris Gleitzman's early books with his main boy character depicted as a naive protagonist in books like Two Weeks with the Queen; Too small to Fail; and Boy Overboard. There is actually an endorsement on the cover of my copy from Morris Gleitzman himself. Companion reads:

Cop and Robber

Dragon Skin

Small as an Elephant

The Secrets we Keep

Waiting for Normal