The Duck Never Blinks by Alex Latimer

03 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , ,

Published: 11 July 2023Goodreads badge
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Illustrator: Alex Latimer
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★  –3.5 Stars

Do you see that duck over there?
That duck doesn’t blink.
Even if you look away then look back real quick.
Even if you tell it a really funny joke!
Perfect for fans of interactive stories like Do Not Lick This Book and Duck! Rabbit!, The Duck Never Blinks will have kids and adults alike bawling with laughter as they spend time with this one very sly duck.

I like books where the narration addresses the reader, but in a way where the author is trying to tell us about their woes. It’s like Latimer has pulled us aside and said, ‘hey, see that duck? It hasn’t blinked.’ And now we’re being pulled into their situation to help solve it.

In the same vein of the Pigeon series, I like that the story involves studying a creature. The creature in question is a duck, the most seagull looking duck you’ve ever seen, but a duck all the same. The comical design of the duck is great, and it is a design that plays well into the never blinking because despite the basic design, you can feel it staring into your soul.

It is a good book to read aloud and there are fun activities to do to help make the duck blink like shouting, telling jokes, and sad stories. Latimer uses the layout well to show the passing of time and they keep the focus on the duck with no real background or distraction.

It’s a cute story and one that is predictable in a fun way that gives satisfaction to the reader. It’s fun to watch this exasperated narrator try their best to make a duck blink and while you never find out why they need to see it, it’s great to watch them try.

You can purchase The Duck Never Blinks via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

30 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge, Australian Women Writers, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Published: 07 April 2020 (print)/4 Jan 2023 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Flatiron Books/Wavesound from W. F. Howes Ltd
Pages: 272/7 hrs and 19 mins
Narrator: Maddy Withington
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
★   ★   ★ – 3.5 Stars

When her parents announce their impending divorce, Natalie can’t understand why no one is fighting, or at least mildly upset. Then Zach and Lucy, her two best friends, hook up, leaving her feeling slightly miffed and decidedly awkward. She’d always imagined she would end up with Zach one day―in the version of her life that played out like a TV show, with just the right amount of banter, pining, and meaningful looks. Now everything has changed, and nothing is quite making sense. Until an unexpected romance comes along and shakes things up even further.

I always feel a bit bad when I finish a book and my opinion is it was ‘fine’. Perfectly average, decent story and good. Unremarkable but good. Why is that a bad thing? It’s a good book, didn’t need to be amazing or the best thing I’ve ever read. It wasn’t bad. I didn’t hate it. I enjoyed it. Yet I still feel a bit guilty.

There were of course reasons why it’s an average rated book not a highly rated book. In terms of the romance, I felt it comes from nowhere. We aren’t given anything to base it on, Natalie even mentions she’s barely even spoken to Zach’s brother, they hardly acknowledge one another, so the fact he suddenly takes an interest and she reciprocates feelings was a stretch. Also, discovering Alex was only 19 made me feel better, I was thinking he was 20 or 21 so him suddenly having an out of blue interest in Natalie once she’d turned 18 felt weird but we’re all good on that front.

Natalie talks about her body a lot, as well the accompanying anxieties. Because it’s such a key point of the story, I found it hard to believe that someone who has never kissed anyone, has incredible body issues, and spends most of the book talking about her skin insecurities, would let a first kiss go on for as long as it does and be that physically intimate. There are some references down the track about her worries so Kenwood does remember she’s subconscious about it.

There is a good acknowledgment and criticism of societal expectations and people needing a boyfriend (and why not a girlfriend etc) and other out of date ideas which I enjoyed. There are fleeting moments of LGBTQIA+ support but then quickly falls back into the idea that kissing someone is super important and a key experience people need to have around her age. For every step forward there were as many steps back.

One thing that was good was the reminder that even at 18 and 19 these are still teenagers despite being legal adults. There are short tempers, emotional misunderstandings because people are so in their heads, and the nervous and anxious feelings of being around “real adults” and being interrogated can still shrink you down.

Withington is a good narrator. I was never taken out of the story and her expression of the characters was great. Kenwood keeps us in Natalie’s head a lot but we do get to explore the other characters well enough. The unexpected divorce doesn’t come into play as much as you’d think and I did enjoy Natalie’s thought trails as she plans ahead about what she think will happen and is sixteen steps ahead with what she’ll do before anything has even happened. That was fun.

Overall it was…perfectly fine. A good book, decent story. It was different with a main character who had a different set of body issues to contend with, and different anxieties, but Kenwood balances it well so it doesn’t make her intolerable to the reader while still making us understand how debilitating these issues can be.

You can purchase It Sounded Better in My Head via the following

QBD |  Dymocks

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus and Robertson

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli

25 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 2 Stars, Audiobook, LGBTQIA, Novella, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , ,

Published: 30 June 2020 (print)/23 July 2020 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Penguin/Penguin Audio
Pages: 128/2 hrs and 47 mins
Narrator: Michael Crouch, James Fouhey, Kate Rudd, Bahni Turpin
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Romance
★   ★ – 2.5 Stars

A gorgeously romantic new novella set in the world of Becky Albertalli’s bestselling and beloved Simonverse novels- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Upside of Unrequited, and Leah on the Offbeat.

It’s been more than a year since Simon and Blue turned their anonymous online flirtation into an IRL relationship, and just a few months since Abby and Leah’s unforgettable night at senior prom.

Now the Creekwood High crew are first years at different colleges, navigating friendship and romance the way their story began – on email.

I know I can’t complain that a book called Love, Creekwood would be filled with so much romance, but I wasn’t expecting the entire book to be these characters going on and on about how in love they are with each other? Is there no plot? The answer to that is no. There is no plot.

This is the universe from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and even that book, the book of romance and pining, didn’t feel this annoyingly love obsessed. Especially given Simon and Bram are two years into their relationship, there is no reason they should be as distraught at being apart as they are.

These people are a few hours way from one another and they act like they will never see each other again. Which is absurd given how many times they do actually see each other. Some of them are lamenting being separate for three days or two weeks and it is exhausting to try and find a fun plot around the mourning and pining. There is a bit in there about a fun roommate and playing soccer which is never really expanded on but it was something.

I liked the email format, I liked getting snippets of their lives and references to things that have happened or will happen. It succeeds in telling you about their lives outside of the emails and you don’t need full context because the characters are talking to each other in places. The emails aren’t the sole point of information and are fun love letters on the side, even if they do branch into slightly different things as well. Which is sweet, and ties into the Simon origins, I’m just saying a bit more plot would have been nice than an entire book about characters talking about missing touching and smelling one another.

There was a moment of self-awareness when I think it was Leah or Abbey who mention that not seeing your girlfriend for six days is cause for people to bring out the world’s smallest violin and is a classic first world problem; so Albertalli knows the dramatics these people are exhibiting.

I did this as an audiobook which was fun because the multiple different narrators were all those who I’ve heard in other books, a bit of a who’s who in narration. It was quite fun because they are so familiar they reminded me of all the other great books I had heard them in and the different characters they voiced.

I appreciated the audiobook experience but I’d forgotten how rough it can be hearing emails through audio, especially and entire book of them. The downside of social media in books is hearing everyone’s email addresses read out in full every single time, which for group emails was a long wait to get to whatever the email was actually about. When I read books with emails it’s easy to skim and see the to and from, and subject if necessary and get straight into the message. Hearing the fun name at whatever dot com over and over was hard but I understand they can’t chose to abridge that for ease because that goes against what an audiobook is.

For those who loved the original Simon story (which I did to be fair), and the companion Leah on the Offbeat, it is nice to see the next stage of their lives, I’m just a bit bummed it was so focused on the being in love to the point of nothing else side. Even a novella, keeping the lamenting and including a bit more plot would have been nice, but again, goes against the fun of the email format.

You can purchase Love, Creekwood via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Red: A Crayon Story by Michael Hall

19 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , ,

Published: 3 February 2015Goodreads badge
Publisher: Library Binding
Illustrator: Michael Hall
Pages: 40
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Red has a bright red label, but he is, in fact, blue. His teacher tries to help him be red (let’s draw strawberries ), his mother tries to help him be red by sending him out on a playdate with a yellow classmate (go draw a nice orange ), and the scissors try to help him be red by snipping his label so that he has room to breathe. But Red is miserable. He just can’t be red, no matter how hard he tries Finally, a brand-new friend offers a brand-new perspective, and Red discovers what readers have known all along. He’s blue This funny, heartwarming, colorful picture book about finding the courage to be true to your inner self can be read on multiple levels, and it offers something for everyone.

I love Red. When I first read it years ago it was a brilliant way to explain how people can be different on the inside than what their ‘label’ says they should be on the outside.

What is great about this book is its subtleness. It’s an easy metaphor for gender and even neurodivergence, but it is also a story for everyone about trying to be someone you’re not. No matter who you are, you should always be yourself, and not try and fit into the expectations others have put on you. You will feel more comfortable being true to yourself than stressed and worried trying to be someone you’re not.

The people around Red telling him to try harder, to do what he’s are supposed to so based on his label, not to mention the judgements that come when Red inevitably fails is perfect. If you’re expected to be able to do something, or supposed to act a certain way and you don’t it can make you feel like a failure. Hall gives us a story about the feeling of trying and trying but never being able to fit in how you’re supposed to, and maybe that’s ok.

Crayons and colours are a great teaching tool and being blue while looking red on the outside is a wonderful example of despite trying to do what you’re supposed to do, somethings you can’t help it. Red wants to draw strawberries, wants to help draw an orange, but he can’t.

It’s a great example that what’s on the inside is important no matter what someone’s exterior looks like and even if that is different, they still have value and can contribute in their own unique ways.

You can purchase Red: A Crayon’s Story via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler

16 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 2 Stars, Audiobook, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , ,

Published: 11 May 2021 (print)/11 May 2021 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Wednesday Books/Macmillan Audio
Pages: 259/6 hrs and 20 mins
Narrator: Natalie Naudus
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
★   ★ – 2.5 Stars

Lara’s had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school: Chase Harding. He’s tall, strong, sweet, a football star, and frankly, stupid hot. Oh, and he’s talking to her now. On purpose and everything. Maybe…flirting, even? No, wait, he’s definitely flirting, which is pretty much the sum of everything Lara’s wanted out of life.

Except she’s haunted by a memory. A memory of a confusing, romantic, strangely perfect summer spent with a girl named Jasmine. A memory that becomes a confusing, disorienting present when Jasmine herself walks through the front doors of the school to see Lara and Chase chatting it up in front of the lockers.

Lara has everything she ever wanted: a tight-knit group of friends, a job that borders on cool, and Chase, the boy of her literal dreams. But if she’s finally got the guy, why can’t she stop thinking about the girl?

I am so glad this is my second Adler book because I have wanted to read her stuff for years and I’m glad I loved the first one because I’d be disappointed if this was my first introduction, though the sliding doors element of Going Bicoastal might have tempted me past this mediocre read. There is no real plot except Larissa having a crisis over her feelings. The benefit is it’s a fast read because I kept waiting for the plot to start and I realised it was already two thirds of the way through and nothing had actually happened yet.

Instead of having a character look on at the popular kids Adler has written this from the inner circle and perspective from those in that group. The characters are exhausting. The effort they go to to be in their friend group is so much more work than friends need to be with a lot more rules. The US American trope of popular kids is on clear display and they are vacuous and shallow. There are some examples where they show some depth, but they are all still shallow and showing compassion within your shallow and entitled group doesn’t hold much sway. Plus they aren’t given a lot of depth so most of them are easily forgettable. It doesn’t do much to break the stereotypes. I feel bad for Larissa even having these people as friends sometimes. It’s always a fascinating study reading these kinds of books. We didn’t have this in my school, we had groups sure, but not the hierarchy these US high school books always contain. It makes it a strange novelty and a tired trope to see it in these books.

There were some good moments. I enjoyed the stuff with Jasmine, it felt like the only time Larissa was her real self, less performative, which was possibly the point even though it’s never addressed. I did enjoy the casualness of Larissa’s bisexuality. It wasn’t an issue, dealing with it wasn’t the plot (technically), and it was an established thing. I do like it when diverse books can have a character have an identity but not make the entire plot about that identity.

It felt like a novella despite being a full length book, and could easily have been cut down to a short story. No plot would be lost since there isn’t any and with a tighter story it could have been a lot more enjoyable.

You can purchase Cool for the Summer via the following

Booktopia

 Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

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