Lost in a Good Book

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon

05 Feb 2018 1 Comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Junior Fiction Tags: four stars, junior fiction, liz pichon, tom gates

Published: 4th April 2011
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Genre: Junior Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

All Tom Gates wants to do is get tickets to see his favourite band when they come to town. It’s not easy when he’s up against Delia, his weirdo big sister. All of his plans seem to get him into major trouble!

I wasn’t expecting this to be such a funny book. I was reading and actually laughed out loud at some of the things Pichon has written. It was such a different experience than Wimpy Kid where I disliked it almost immediately. The premise is the same (young kid, diary, shenanigans) but the reading experience and the content is so much better. It’s a case of English versus American which accounts for the differences and once you realise that you understand the different styles of humour.

I will admit, Tom is a little mean, but it’s childlike and a bit more innocent. The kind of annoying kid in class that make teachers want to retire early and hold back their exasperated sighs. It’s fairly harmless joking and being an annoying younger brother than actually being cruel or deceitful. You believe that Tom is being himself and not really thinking things through, there is no real intended malice in his actions.

He isn’t constantly like this though; for the most part, he is a young kid who is in a band with his friend, he is embarrassed by his dad’s clothes, wants to see his favourite band, and tries to impress a girl at school. When he gets in trouble he learns his lesson and there is a cheekiness about Tom that makes you smile, even when he is in the wrong.

One of the things I loved is that it’s very interactive with the inclusion of the pictures. Tom is a character who doodles in his school books and you experience his days through his drawings on the page as much as the words he’s written. It goes beyond one drawing per page, there are drawings through the text and pages where it is just drawings and a random array of Tom’s thoughts and emotions. It portrays a young boy’s book extremely well and I can’t wait to keep reading the series.

You can purchase The Brilliant World of Tom Gates via the following

QBD | Booktopia

Book Depository | Dymocks

Amazon | Amazon Aust

Audible | Fishpond | Wordery

Meet Alice (#1) by Davina Bell

05 Feb 2018 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Australian Women Writers Tags: #aww2018, australian women writers challenge, aww 2018, davina bell, our australian girl series, three stars

Published: 25th January 2012
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia
Pages: 105
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

It’s 1918…and Alice lives with her big family by the Swan River in Perth, while on the other side of the world, World War I rages. Alice’s deepest wish is to become a ballerina, and when she auditions for a famous dance teacher from London, it seems as if her dreams might come true. But then there’s a terrible accident, and Alice must ask herself whether there are more important things than dancing. Meet Alice and join her adventure in the first of four stories about a gifted girl in a time of war.

This was a quaint little story and the first in a series of four and part of a larger collection of stories called Our Australian Girl where various writers tell the story of young girls at various points in Australia’s history. It’s simple but sweet and it shows you what life was like during this time in Australia’s history. This story is set in a town just outside Perth in the middle of WW1 and depicts the day to day life and the impact of the war. Alice dreams of being a ballerina and has the skill to be great one day, but her responsibilities at home are important as well and the guilt she feels enjoying herself weigh on her mind.

I liked Alice; I liked her friendships and the relationship with her brother Teddy and how she cares for her family while her mother works and their father is at war. There are antagonists, naturally, and a small town mentality, and Bell has incorporated the historical references and circumstances really well making the story feel natural and age appropriate while not holding back facts.

Each story is self-contained but because it’s told through four books there is an ongoing storyline as well. Being the first book we have an introduction to Alice’s family, and an insight into 1918 life and the pressure young boys had to go and fight in the war, lest they be labelled cowards. Bell uses her characters really well in helping demonstrate the different sides of society during this time and despite the relatively simple story, it is a rather intriguing little read.

You can purchase Meet Alice via the following

Publisher | Book Depository

Booktopia | A&R Bookworld

QBD | Fishpond

Australia’s Favourite Authors 2018

01 Feb 2018 2 Comments

by Amy in General

Australia’s Favourite Authors of 2018 have been announced as Booktopia’s yearly hunt for Australia’s favourite author has come to an end. After weeks of voting and round after round knocking out some big names in Australian literature, the final results are in. The usual suspects made the cut but there were a few surprises, both who was left out and who was included. Of course, I wasn’t super surprised at who made it to the number one spot, but the rest of the top ten was quite interesting. I was pleased to see John Marsden in the top ten, I was worried he would end up further up the list but that isn’t the case. I also loved seeing some children’s authors in there like Anh Do and Andy Griffiths, give Morrissey, Winton, and Courtney some competition.

As a side note, I love how the results were laid out this year. There is a short author bio and the books of each author are included too. I’ve listed the Top Ten below but the full list of 50 authors can be found on Booktopia’s website.

Top Ten Authors

1. Mathew Reilly

2. Liane Moriarty

3. Mem Fox

4. Anh Do

5. Tim Winton

6. Bryce Courtney

7. John Marsden

8. Monica McInerney

9. Andy Griffiths

10. Di Morrissey

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

31 Jan 2018 Leave a comment

by Amy in General Tags: hank green, vlogbrothers

You may know Hank Green from his YouTube channel Vlogbrothers which he runs with his brother John Green; or from their podcast Dear Hank and John where they offer up dubious advice. Or you may know Hank from one of the numerous other projects he has created including Project For Awesome, SciShow, or Crash Course. You may not know however, that Hank has written a book.

I have to say, I am so excited for this book. I’m in a very weird “I Don’t Actually Know Hank, But I’m Still Very Proud Of Him” moment. I have been watching the Vlogbrothers videos for years and I have heard Hank mention before that he was working on a book and I am so, so excited that it’s finally here!

The book, entitled An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, was announced in September last year, but preorders have just begun which make it that much more real. It is a story about a girl called April May (which is the best name), an art student from New York City who finds herself at the centre of an international mystery. Hank tweeted about it saying, “It’s about a group of friends who accidentally become the most important people in the world. Or, at least, they would like you to think it was an accident.” It is also about dealing with fame and being an internet celebrity, something Hank knows a lot about. You can preorder from only a few places right now, no doubt some Australian stores will have the chance at preorder as it gets closer to the release date.

What I love about this is it’s an actual fictional novel by a YouTube star, not a memoir or some other book that isn’t all that interesting. Hank is a great reader as well and I always love hearing his recommendations. Many of his YouTube videos have been him discussing books or giving us a tour of his bookshelves. I’ve added Hyperion by Dan Simmons to my TBR list based purely on his enthusiasm in a couple of his videos (where he is so YOUNG !!).

There is no cover design just yet, but hopefully, it’s coming soon. The book is due to be published 25 September 2018.

You can find more information about the book at the following

You can preorder An Absolutely Remarkable Thing via the following

Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iTunes

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Can’t Believe I Read

30 Jan 2018 Leave a comment

by Amy in Top Ten Tags: Top Ten, top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original and weekly meme created by The Broke And The Bookish in 2010 but has since moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in 2018.

Topic: Books I Can’t Believe I Read

I am taking this as both a positive and negative. I am praising myself for reading things long been on my TBR, like LONG time, and for trying new things, but also lamenting that I read some pretty terrible books and can’t believe I had to sit through such nonsense. Granted, this may have turned into a small rant about bad books.

Every Dead Thing by John Connolly

I am not usually into the crime/mystery genre but I love a good thriller, and Connolly’s paranormal aspect can get a bit gory, but I’ve loved his other work and I took the chance. I did enjoy it, and now I just have to catch up on the other dozen or more books in the series!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I had wanted to read this since it came out but the years passed by and it never happened. I finally got around to reading this and the rest of the series and I loved them. It also meant I could watch the movies which were also pretty brilliant.

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

I was so surprised that the entirety of the famous film takes place within the first 13 pages. Then the rest of the novel becomes a strange story about what happens after. From a gripping beginning the rest becomes boring, and it definitely has a boring classic tag attached to it in my mind now.

My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin

This revered classic also had high hopes for me. This was book by the author that has an award named after her so it should be a great read. And yet, it was an incredibly boring book with a whiny character you couldn’t really have any compassion for. It has such promise in parts but doesn’t deliver. It didn’t end fast enough.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

I hated this book so much. I disliked Greg with a passion. He is a terrible character who does terrible things with almost no consequences or remorse. I cannot fathom how this became so popular. I have read some fantastic kids books similar to this that do it so much better with much better characters as role models.

Beside Myself by Ann Morgan

The blurb of the book made this sound very interesting, I wanted to read it for months. When I finally got the chance I hated it. I pushed through but it was an effort. I was disappointed because people had praised it and I had wanted to read it myself for such a long time. Turns out I didn’t need to be so eager.

The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood

I am commending myself for finishing this book when it not only bored me to tears but also grossed me out. I am learning to stay away from the award winning books because so often they are a disappointment. I can’t believe I got through it because it was such a frustrating thing to experience.