Amy | Lost in a Good Book

You Get What You Get and You Don’t Get Upset! by Heath McKenzie

16 May 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: children's picture book, four stars, heath mckenzie, picture book

Published: 2nd January 2024
Publisher: Lake Press
Illustrator: Heath McKenzie
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Everybody at Molly’s kindergarten knows that you don’t always get what you want. Maybe you don’t get your favourite coloured pencil. You might not get the most comfortable cushion. Or maybe you miss out on getting your favourite cup at snack time. That’s just life; you get what you get and you don’t get upset!

Heath McKenzie coming in with another wonderful book. I like his illustrations but I also like when he pens his own books. This is a fun story about teaching readers that sometimes you get what you get and you don’t get upset. Sometimes your favourite chair is being used, sometimes the last chocolate milk is taken and you have to have strawberry. Sometimes someone else got to a toy before you. It’s ok.

I love that in this classroom there is a situation called the yellow cup situation. Specifically there is a fight for a single yellow cup which is a great example that even when you can be calm and diplomatic about some things, there is still a chance to go absolutely buck wild and fight for a single yellow cup because each kid believes it has special significance.

The illustrations are a fun design and are mainly bold black and white designs with smatterings of colour throughout. The kids have cheeky faces and unique expressions, McKenzie beautifully bringing the story to life with simple detail and a lot of fun.

I loved seeing this classroom rule being used in other aspects of these characters lives and how they have a united understanding that this is the way the world is sometimes. It’s a great representation of how people can be taught that sometimes life isn’t fair but not in a disheartening way, more in a way that lets them know that despite not getting exactly what they want, it doesn’t take away from the experience while also acknowledging it can still be a bit disappointing.

It’s a great story that shows how the kids in Molly’s class understand that sometimes you get what you want, sometimes you get something that is just as good even if it’s different, and sometimes you get something you didn’t want. A great lesson that everyone needs to take to heart. We can all learn from Molly’s kindergarten class.

You can purchase You Get What You Get and You Don’t Get Upset via the following

Blackwell’s | Wordery | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Stars Above (#4.5) by Marissa Meyer

13 May 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Fantasy, Young Adult Tags: Audiobook, four stars, marissa meyer, rebecca soler, the lunar chronicles, young adult, young adult fantasy

Published: 2 February 2016 (print)/14 June 2017 (audio)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends/Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
Pages: 400/9 hrs and 28 mins
Narrator: Rebecca Soler
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier, Wolf, transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard, Jacin, realize their destinies?

With six stories—two of which have never before been published— Stars Above is essential for fans of the best-selling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

Meyer gives readers a collection of stories that could easily have been in the main books it felt so familiar. You fall right back into the world and it is like you have never left. Reading these short stories after finishing the entire series was a great way to revisit well known characters and see their origins and learn how they ended up where we find them in the main storyline. Some stories are heartbreaking, well, most are heartbreaking in their own way, while others are a fascinating exploration about details and moments that were once only snippets and moments briefly mentioned that we now get to explore more fully. Meyer has given us a chance to delve deeper and see the full story of how these characters came to be who they are.

My favourite stories would have to be the ones where we see how Cinder ended up with Scarlet’s grandmother and seeing Winter and her life in the palace. Meyer tells such a compelling story I was drawn right into the tension and the drama, fearful for young Scarlet and the secret that was hidden on the farm and loved to see Winter’s life in the palace. These aren’t necessarily stories we do not know, these histories are explained in the main story by various characters, but never at this depth; so while we learn how Cinder was kept safe, being able to read it as it happens through the eyes of Scarlett’s grandmother Michelle Benoit was a different experience entirely.

The final story is one set after the events of the novels. The entire cast come together and we learn what has been happening with everyone since the end of Winter. It was the perfect ending to the series, it wrapped it up without feeling unnecessary or rushed and being able to know the futures of this mix of characters I’d come to know and love was amazing.

This conclusion to the series goes beyond doing it justice. We’re given origin stories, answers, a more in-depth exploration of character back stories all with the same magical and familiar feel of the books. I loved every story in this, including the new stories, it was fabulous to read and work out from the clues which fairytale was being retold. This is perfect for any fan of The Lunar Chronicles and a fantastic farewell to the series.

You can purchase Stars Above via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Long Lost Review: Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

08 May 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, LGBTQIA, Long Lost Reviews, Young Adult Tags: #llr, becky albertalli, contemporary young adult, five stars, lgbt, LGBTQIA, long lost review, Long Lost Reviews, young adult

Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally’s Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that you have no recollection of reading the book at all.

Published: 2 May 2023
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

With humor and insight, #1 New York Times bestseller Becky Albertalli explores the nuances of sexuality, identity, and friendship in this timely new novel.

Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down.

She’s never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There’s Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen’s biases in check. And then there’s Lili—newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.

Imogen’s thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she’s finally visiting Lili on campus, she’s bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen’s all in.

Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.

Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she’s told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero—not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa.

Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .

Sometimes you read too many books too fast and then suddenly what you think you read only last year turns out to have been read in 2023. Where does the time go? But this is a good Long Lost Review because my notes on it are few, the vibes are good, and I think it works based on what I remember about the story. The worst part is, this was in my Top Five of 2023 and it still didn’t get a real review so it’s a shame really to be reduced to a LLR but here we are.

This is a great exploration of identity and is a fantastic story about how being a passionate advocate for queer lives can also be damaging and toxic. Albertalli demonstrates with remarkable skill and grace, even a bit of compassion, that there still exists toxicity in queer spaces and there is always a chance of going too far.

Imogen’s journey of self-discovery is a wonderful reminder that there is no age limit on finding out who you are. Her inner monologue shows how unsettled she feels in herself, while also feeling so sure of who she is at the same time. As this becomes upended as the story goes along we follow this path as Imogen navigates her feelings, her friendships, and the lives of those around her to work out who she really is.

The cast of characters in this book are well rounded and complex. Even with so many characters in play they each get attention and are fully developed. It is easy to fall into their banter and support, as well as experience their ups and downs with them.

Gretchen is a great character in that she is a terrible but she is a perfect representation of what it means to police other people and to try and gate keep and control how other people experience their own lives. The challenge of having a friend like her, while also trying to be supportive and guided by their experiences and not your own, means Imogen tries her best to be an ally but at the same time deals with the problems Gretchen creates.

Being an older YA makes this story sit right at the cusp of leaving school/entering uni which is wonderful representation for anyone feeling like they need to have themselves worked out by the time they are 16 or before, like many queer YA books demonstrate. I enjoyed how it showed there is no time limit on discovering yourself and what makes you happy.

Full of realism and representation, Imogen, Obviously is a sweet and romantic story that deals with current and evergreen issues in the queer community from both inside and out. It’s light-hearted but not without conflict, and highlights the importance of friendship and being true to yourself.

When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left by Marc Colagiovanni

02 May 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: children's picture book, four stars, marc colagiovanni, peter h. reynolds, picture book

Published: 7 March 2023
Publisher: Orchard Books
Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

One day for no particular reason, nothing was going right. Absolutely positively, nothing was going right. So, I decided to go left…

When things aren’t going right — sometimes we simply need to… go left! We all have worries, fears and frustrations. But we also all have a choice: to carry them with us — or to let them go. Told through creative language play, and with depth and whimsy, this picture book reminds readers of their own agency and the power they have to direct their own path.

I really like this idea as a concept. Sometimes things aren’t going right and there’s no real reason why, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. If things are scary or something isn’t going well Colagiovanni tells us you can change it.

I liked the play on words about going right and left. It’s so simple but one that is obvious and eye opening. It’s a fantastic course of action to implement and easy for kids to understand. The little personified voices of the fears and worries were also great, and super fun when you read them out loud.

There is a rhythm to the story without it needing to rhyme. The repetitive actions make it predictable towards the end which actually works well and makes interacting with the story fun since the book already addresses the rhythm a little bit in the layout style.

I loved the illustrations and the colour scheme. I loved the dark colours for the not going right parts, and the brighter colours as we start going left. The gradual shift from darker shades to light was a great visual change of how the light can be at the end of a tunnel and there is a way from the dark, even with little choices like this character makes.

It is a great book about choice and how sometimes you have some agency in how you feel. You can choose to not be scared and try something new, choose to ignore your fears and doubt and leave them behind. I loved there was no given reason for why things weren’t going right and it’s only small changes that start to improve things. Colagiovanni acknowledges that those frustrations and doubts may still be there, you might not get rid of them entirely, but they will be easier to carry, and you’ll have a plan in place if it happens again.

You can purchase When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left via the following

QBD | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

#AussieYAChallenge Update

30 Apr 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in Aussie YA Challenge, Young Adult Tags: #AussieYAChallenge, aussie books, Aussie YA Challenge, clayton zane comber, loveozya, pip henry, reading challenge, shivaun plozza, tobias madden, vikki wakefield

My first update of the year was looking a tad woeful for a while but then I found a few Aussie YA on audio which bumped my numbers a little at the last minute. In the end I did three audio, one ebook, and one physical so that was exciting. The books I read were pretty awesome, all unique, and had that wonderful Australian feel to them.

I’d forgotten how convenient it can be to have an ebook too. It’s really no less convenient to have an audio except you don’t need to worry about headphones or being able to hear the narrator if you’re in a loud area. Granted the reading ones took a long time, but it really helped me savour the story, and I looked forward to coming back to the story when I had a chance to keep reading.

One fun thing about this challenge is it’s making me try any Aussie YA that I come across because it fits my criteria. Which may not be the best approach, and the book still has to sound ok, but I am taking chances on stuff because is a #LoveOzYA title or the author is Australian. I definitely found some beautiful reads this way so far.

The list so far:

All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza

Because of You by Pip Harry

Wrong Answers Only by Tobias Madden

100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze by Clayton Zane Comber

Because of You by Pip Henry was a gorgeous story of a young girl experiencing homelessness and the school girl who volunteers at a shelter she visits.

Tin Heart is an emotional story about a transplant recipient who wants to show her thanks but risks crossing a dangerous barrier of the no contact rule from her donor family.

All I Ever Wanted follows Mim who is living in the suburbs with a criminal family and a need to escape.

Wrong Answers Only was one I’d looked forward to for months and I’m glad it paid off. A story of taking chances and being brave, about expectations and the battles against your body, your mind, and letting go.

100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze had a great voice and was another story about being brave, taking chances, and discovering how small decisions can change your whole life.

Like all books not every one of these were perfect, amazing, or to my exact taste, but I am still glad I read them. I got to see these stories of characters in different situations and experiences. This is what I love about Australian YA, we have these big bold stories, often in very short compact books that are about the teenage experience but aren’t confined to the playground or classroom dynamics.

I already have a few titles in my TBR list and I certainly have a massive stack of physical books piled up at home so I look forward to seeing what the next update brings.

I hope your own Aussie YA Challenge goals are going well and you have discovered some amazing reads yourself. Feel free to shout out in the comments some you have read so far, or even those you are looking forward to reading. If you’re interested in signing up it’s not to late, head over to my info page and declare your goal on social media, your website, or in the comments of this years post.