Norman Blue, I’m a Cocky Too by Laura Albulario

15 May 2026 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Australian Women Writers Tags: , , ,

Published: 1 February 2023Goodreads badge
Publisher: Starfish Bay Children’s Books
Illustrator: Abi Fraser
Pages: 44
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

Norman Blue tries hard to fit in with the flock, in this funny, heartwarming story about having the courage to accept yourself. Norman Blue badly wants to fit in, but he has a secret: he doesn’t have a crest like the other cockatoos. He tries to do all the things cockatoos do: screeching when he’d rather sing, preening vainly, munching on houses, and poo-bombing across town. But when he loses his fake crest one day, he meets a unique possum and realises he can have the courage to be who he is, too. In this charmingly illustrated story about difference and bravery, readers will learn the power of self-acceptance.

Norman doesn’t like doing normal cockatoo things, he wants to do his own thing if only he could find the courage. I was briefly confused as to whether Norman actually was a cockatoo or whether he wished he was. I’m still not entirely sure he is a cockatoo given how different he looks to the others, but it could be Main Character Syndrome where he needs to stand out, bald head and all, so we don’t lose him in the story.

The story is about trying to fit in, especially when you come from a flock that look identical it’s hard to stand out, as we see with Norman you feel compelled to go with the crowd. The narrative plays into the cheekiness of cockatoos and their destructive nature, we watch as the birds chew on everything and poo all over town.

The story has a good solid pace and rhyme. The formatting highlights words to help readers see where each rhyme takes place which is an interesting choice. The rhythm flows well as you read, easily a page turner as you flow through the narrative but stops short of being a sing song melodic text.

The illustrations are fun, double page spreads of full colour. Fraser has balanced the cartoon vs real depictions of the animals well, even with the comic and personification of these characters. The pictures are not complicated but there is enough to look at and enjoy before moving on.

I loved Norman’s little hedgehog friend. It’s definitely not an echidna, which is a shame given Albulario is Australian. But they are adorable. They are Norman’s cheer squad, support team, and they often try to help him with his struggles. They are a nice little addition to the reading experience even though they have little to no connection to the actual story.

Overall, it’s a nice story. A great reminder that standing out is ok, and could turn out for the better. You don’t have to be one of the crowd, you can simply be yourself.

You can purchase Norman Blue I’m a Cocky Too via the following

 Blackwell’s | Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Rocking Horse Hill (#1) by Cathryn Hein

12 May 2026 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Australian Women Writers, Fiction, Romance Tags: , , , , , , ,

Published: 26 March 2014 (print)/1st Aug 2024 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Cathryn Hein/Bolinda Audio
Pages: 292/9 hrs and 36 mins
Narrator: Jessica Stanley
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Rural Romance
★   ★   ★ – 3 Stars

An emotional story of family turmoil and second-chance love played out against the dramatic landscape of rural South Australia, from bestselling author Cathryn Hein. 

Who do you trust when a stranger threatens to tear your family apart? 

When Emily Wallace-Jones’s brother Digby arrives home with a secretive new fiancée, no one knows how to react. The Wallace-Jones are old-money rural aristocracy and Felicity Townsend is from a very different side of the tracks. 

But Em is determined not to treat Felicity with the same teenage snobbery that tore apart her relationship with her first love, Josh Sinclair. A man who has now sauntered sexily back into Em’s life and given her a chance for redemption.

As Felicity settles in, suspicions are raised about her intentions toward Em’s beloved Rocking Horse Hill, the historic family property that Digby owns but has promised will be Em’s home for as long as she wishes. Though worried for her future, Em sides with her brother and Felicity, until a near tragedy sets in motion a chain of events that will change the family forever.

This has been sitting on my shelf for so long it’s a small miracle I’ve finally picked it up. But with the desire to read the connected novellas I had to go back to the start and see where it all began.

Unfortunately, while I enjoyed the overall story, I wasn’t convinced of the romance aspect. Josh jumped all over the place with his feelings, he never seemed to trust Emily, but his own issues around that probably manifested in every way. He seemed to flip back and forward a lot on his opinion of her and it was weird. And I know we need some conflict, but it has to be said Josh is being a baby a lot of the time. He is petulant and sulky but I will admit most of the time he is a pretty ok bloke or else we couldn’t accept Emily would like him.

Once again Hein makes the rural landscape its own character. The descriptions and feelings from characters, especially our narrator Emily, highlights their connection to the land and brings you into the story as they describe paddocks, the affinity for Rocking Horse Hill, and the community spirit it’s easy to feel like you’re surrounded by these hills and animals yourself.

With newcomer Felicity into the close knit family she is the centre point of everyone’s attention. The judgement based on family, the reputation and the desire for a fresh start churn away in this story as the hope for love conquering all comes true. The spurn of others and the desire to break free is strong and Hein keeps you guessing about motives, second chances, and true intentions.

To her credit, Emily constantly tries to see the best in Felicity, despite those around her who have other opinions, be it against her, for her, or uncertain. Emily tries to get all the facts before passing judgement and it was refreshing to see this approach from a main character and not a side character who tries to convince our narrator, instead she tries to tell others to keep an open mind.

In terms of twists it’s interesting that what you expect to happen does indeed happen, but it isn’t disappointing having guessed it and the exact details are never clear. Hein brings in a different angle and a lot of heart that through Emily brings compassion mixed with the dramatics. Rather effectively too given the tension and drama towards the end.

The ending is bittersweet, but at the same time there’s a weird satisfaction as well. Everyone is affected by the events in the book, no one is left unscarred by it which is also interesting. This is a Levenham Love Story, and while it is the first one, it doesn’t mean the whole series needs to be read. It is easily a standalone, but with strong and endearing characters it will be good to see what other antics and adventures happen in this small rural town.

You can purchase Rocking Horse Hill via the following

QBD |  Booktopia

  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

10 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge, Australian Women Writers, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Published: 9 March 2021 (print)/11 March 2021 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Wednesday Books/Hodder Children’s Books
Pages: 352/8 hrs and 58 mins
Narrator: Barrie Kreinik
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
★   ★   ★   ★ – 4 Stars

Her advice, spot on. Her love life, way off.

Darcy Phillips:
• Can give you the solution to any of your relationship woes—for a fee.
• Uses her power for good. Most of the time.
• Really cannot stand Alexander Brougham.
• Has maybe not the best judgement when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else.
• Does not appreciate being blackmailed.

However, when Brougham catches her in the act of collecting letters from locker 89—out of which she’s been running her questionably legal, anonymous relationship advice service—that’s exactly what happens. In exchange for keeping her secret, Darcy begrudgingly agrees to become his personal dating coach—at a generous hourly rate, at least. The goal? To help him win his ex-girlfriend back.

Darcy has a good reason to keep her identity secret. If word gets out that she’s behind the locker, some things she’s not proud of will come to light, and there’s a good chance Brooke will never speak to her again.

Okay, so all she has to do is help an entitled, bratty, (annoyingly hot) guy win over a girl who’s already fallen for him once? What could go wrong?

One thing I’ve discovered is I enjoy books set in US high schools if they are written by an Australian. I picked this up for my #AussieYAChallenge but was incredibly confused with the American narrator. But it ended up ok because it’s a good story and does have decent Australian representation in it.

The US school system is a baffling thing anyway but I liked that it didn’t feel so engrained in the school. We get story outside of school a lot which helped balance it. I also enjoyed how even though it followed the US style YA story of having these school wide social media/student organised systems in the form of Darcy’s advice business, it wasn’t weird and unsettling. It was something I had seen with One of Us is Lying, and a few others – a public forum, app, or secrets blog that ruled the school, caused drama, or blackmailed people. This is more like Dear Wendy which technically was university and more public, but the premise was the same: a write in advice service.

The secret locker business was interesting, and the way Darcy explains it was set up is reasonable, as is the eventually outcome of the whole endeavour. Darcy has an interest in helping people and makes sure she does her research and isn’t doing it for gossip or nefarious purposes. But like all things, it’s the invested interest and biases than can get you into trouble.

The hired for advice thing was well played out, and I liked how the relationship between Brougham and Darcy evolved. The blurb is slightly misleading, but from Darcy’s perspective it is not entirely untrue. While there is drama I enjoyed the personal nature of it and it never felt unrealistic. The often overdone, overreaction unreality was missing and it was refreshing to see.

I enjoyed the queer aspect where the bisexual representation was handled well, as well as the exploration of other issues in the school club discussions. It isn’t a side plot per se, Gonzales interweaves everything to be connected somehow, but it’s another aspect of Darcy’s character and it’s a great way to show her growth as well as tie it into the conflicts of the story.

Even with the US setting Gonzales brought the Aussie writing style that made it feel natural. With this also came the benefit of having an Australian character that didn’t sound like a painful stereotype or an American in disguise. Brougham got to actually be a full character and not a background voice of cliché phrases. Gonzales does sneak in a few slang words and some unspoken things which any good Aussie could pick up on, and while it felt a little like a nod to the Aussie reader or a brief education, it still felt ok and within the narrative. I never felt like we stopped the story to have a wedged in “Australian moment”, instead it was a fun meeting of cultures.

Kreinik is a good narrator and the voice of Darcy suited her well. There was no bad Aussie accent either which was so good and a nice change. Overall I was pleasantly surprised considering I was a little reluctant going in.

You can purchase Perfect on Paper via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Room for More by Michelle Kadarusman

14 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Australian Women Writers, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , , , , ,

Published: 14 June 2022Goodreads badge
Publisher: Pajama Press
Illustrator: Maggie Zeng
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Two wombats, two wallabies, a koala, and a tiger snake humorously squeeze into one burrow—and reveal important truths about environmental disasters and the importance of welcoming refugees. 

When afire sweeps through the Australian bush, wombats Dig and Scratch are glad to have a cool, damp burrow to keep them safe. But Dig notices that other animals are not so lucky. When Dig invites a wallaby mother and her joey to shelter with them, Scratch grumbles. When Dig beckons to a koala, Scratch complains. And when Dig welcomes in a tiger snake, Scratch is fit to be tied—but Dig is sure there’s always room for more. And when the rains come to douse the fire and bring a new threat of flooding, a crowd of creatures may turn out to be just what the wombats need.

Inspired by stories of animals sheltering in wombat burrows when her homeland of Australia experienced devastating fires, award-winning author Michelle Kadarusman gets young readers up close and personal with Australian wildlife. Illustrator Maggie Zeng brings the creatures to life with a generous dose of personality as they squeeze together in the burrow and work together aboveground. Extensive back matter includes information about wildfires, a glossary of animals, and age-appropriate context about environmental disasters and the work that is being done—including a renewal of Indigenous land practices—to prevent them.

Unlike the other book which covered this topic, which was sweet but fell a smidge short because it came from a USA perspective, this one is more natural and keeps the animals in their native environments. It also comes from someone who knows what this country goes through with bushfires.

I liked that Scratch and Dig covered two perspectives: one to help, and one to be wary of room and danger. It doesn’t idolise the risks involved but it also helps show that while these are factors, it is still the right thing to do.

The illustrations are gorgeous. The subdued but earthy and natural tones really make this story feel like it’s set in the bushland, especially with the red orange glow of the impending bushfire. Zeng’s art style is full of emotion but still keeps the animals animals. The details on the landscape is subtle but beautifully detailed too. The natural setting really helps bring home what these fires were like and how it impacted on the environment.

The story is one of the many that came out of the Black Summer bushfires and it’s still really hard to read about all these years later. But stories like this give a little light in the tragedy that the previous actions of some animals could help save lives. The authors note acknowledges these burrows may not have been active at the time, but it’s a little light of joy to think there was a wombat or two who tolerated sharing their space.

You can purchase Room for More via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Blackwell’s

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Exit Through the Gift Shop by Maryam Master

11 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Australian Women Writers, Junior Fiction Tags: , , , , ,

Published: 21 July 2021Goodreads badge
Publisher: Pan Australia
Pages: 216
Format: Paperback
Genre: Junior Fiction
★   ★   ★ – 3 Stars

Anahita Rosalind Ghorban-Galaszczuk (yes, that really is her name but you can call her Ana) is discovering that life is absurd. As if dying of cancer at the age of 12.5 isn’t bad enough, she still has to endure daily insults from her nemesis, Alyssa (Queen Mean) Anderson. Ana’s on a wild roller-coaster of life and death, kindness and cruelty, ordinary and extraordinary. And she’s got a few things to do before she exits…

I enjoyed this book but it also got me really invested in some of the bullying aspects so there are some smidge spoilers in here. I tried to be vague but there are some mini spoilers ahead as my impassioned response took over.

Being a book about a child with cancer is going to divide a few readers. I think though that sometimes having a book where it isn’t doom and gloom is a powerful choice. It isn’t about the disease it’s about living life with the disease and Master has chosen that route well. The fact this side plots with a case of severe bullying was a wild decision but again, Master manages to tie into Ana’s life philosophy and really highlights her character and strength, even if I wasn’t pleased with some of the directions the plotline took.

I thought from the blurb this would be a general mean girl taunting situation, not full scale years of targeted horrific abuse. The description of bullying, and the years of emotional and borderline physical abuse this girls suffers is enough to break anybody. If she were a different person she could have taken it to heart and really withdrawn, hurt herself, or worse. It’s only that she’s kept a positive attitude and acknowledges the bad behaviour to make light of it, while still mentioning the dread it causes. ‘Recognise it, but ignore it’ is her approach.

I understand her plan of not saying anything, and not standing up for yourself. It’s hard. But I thought her new plan was brilliant. There are laws now, she found the right law, and she had the evidence. The plan was great, she finally told her parents. The fact she stops because she discovers something about her bully is ludicrous.

What if she never discovered that? What if the bullying got so bad she’d killed herself to escape it? What if she harmed herself because she believed what this girl was saying? I cannot believe after all the great things Master was putting in here that that was the result. There is being the bigger person and there is justifiable consequences for this horrific abuse.

“As horrid as Alyssa had been and continued to be, her life obviously sucked and getting the police involved wasn’t going to help anyone.”

Disagree. It will teach her a lesson and make her realise her behaviour. It might give her some help or support, or some perspective about other people. Tell her there are consequences for her actions and it could stop her doing it to someone weaker than Ana. Disgraceful.

I know we have to teach kids to be nice, but I think there is also an important lesson about teaching them when to avoid someone, tell and adult, and leave each other be. You can’t make someone forgive you or be nice to you after years of singled out, targeted bullying. Especially when it continued after the news came out this twelve year old was dying for goodness sake. If that doesn’t make someone come to their senses nothing will.

I wished there was less ‘make the bullied kid stand up for themselves’ instead of having a teacher and parents address the issue in a one on one situation. Let the adults know about what happens but make the kids deal with it isn’t a great solution.

I will stop going on about it, but it really got up my nose how Master executed this plotline, especially when we came so close to a real solution that could have real world positivity for readers who experience the same thing. Or might change their own behaviour as a result.

Other than that I enjoyed Ana’s approach to her diagnosis and her plan for the last part of her life. There are random references to hospitals and Ana’s weakening state but Master filters these in so well you forget sometimes that there is a physical toll of Ana’s condition. It is sad, but with Ana as our narrator she never makes us feel too depressed, she goes on with life plans and a smile and is taking her life into her hands. Ana’s voice is definitely the tone setter. It is surprisingly light-hearted and funny, she navigates things like family drama and puberty with grace and with as much ease as she gives her terminal diagnosis. She has a time limit on her life but there is still life happening in the meantime.

Her friendship with Al was great, he is a wonderful support for her as well as a distraction and a sounding board for her troubles.

I loved the ending because as readers we’re given no definitive answers. Ana’s philosophy about life is to be lived and how everything matters and nothing matters is a nice message and not having a solid ending leaves readers with hope even with the knowledge of the inevitability of it all.

You can purchase Exit Through the Gift Shop via the following

QBD |  Booktopia | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon Aust | Audible

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