How Do I Know If I’m Upside Down? by Idan Ben-Barak and Zahra Zainal

25 Jul 2025 Leave a comment

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

Published: 1 January 2024Goodreads badge
Publisher: Scholastic Australia
Illustrator: Zahra Zainal
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

This is me. My body can See, Hear, Smell, Taste and Touch. But it also knows if it is Hot or Cold if I am Sideways or Upside Down . and many other things. Come and explore the human (and other) senses with me!

This book is a celebration of the wonderful things the human body can do thanks to nerves and other senses and receptors. From the first page you know it’s going to be an engaging book as our main character invites us to celebrate all the wonderful things their body can do.

The illustrations are comical but educational and simplified to help understanding. The text, pictures, and formatting all work together to create a fun display of information and really highlight the information being told. It’s funny, clever, and creative and it helps digest the information as you can see the process play out on the page.

The personification of the creatures and the parts of the body help demonstrate the information being told such as taste, sound, or the myriad of other activities. Seeing smiling tastes buds when eating ice cream or cells activating shivering when cold are great demonstrations of how our bodies react to different situations.

The examples are all things kids could experience like feeling full, being dizzy, hurting themselves, or relaxing. Being able to compare these things to every day experiences is a great way to help them understand how their body works and why and how certain things are happening.

It also branches out briefly to show that other bodies know different things as well like pigeons knowing where to fly, whales knowing how to sing, and platypus can sense electricity.

I was surprised how detailed the book became while never getting bogged down in detail or science. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting and I loved this joyful exploration of how amazing human bodies (and other animals) are.

You can purchase How Do I Know If I’m Upside Down? via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon Aust

The Quiet and the Loud by Helena Fox

05 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Published: 28 March 2023 (print)/28 March 2023 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Dial Books/Macmillan Australia Audio
Pages: 384/10 hrs and 35 mins
Narrator: Kaiya Jones
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
★   ★   ★ – 3 Stars

George’s life is loud. On the water, though, with everything hushed above and below, she is steady, silent. Then her estranged dad says he needs to talk, and George’s past begins to wake up, looping around her ankles, trying to drag her under.

But there’s no time to sink. George’s best friend, Tess, is about to become, officially, a teen mom, her friend Laz is in despair about the climate crisis, her gramps would literally misplace his teeth if not for her, and her moms fill the house with fuss and chatter. Before long, heat and smoke join the noise as dis­tant wildfires begin to burn.

George tries to stay steady. When her father tells her his news and the memo­ries roar back to life, George turns to Calliope, the girl who has just cartwheeled into her world and shot it through with colors. And it’s here George would stay—quiet and safe—if she could. But then Tess has her baby, and the earth burns hotter, and the past just will not stay put.

A novel about the contours of friendship, family, forgiveness, trauma, and love, and about our hopeless, hopeful world.

Having read an amazing award winner recently, it was clearly an exception to my usual experience of award winners being long and boring because this one fell right back into the long and bit boring track. This book is clearly an award winner, there’s big ideas, poetic words, long drawn out emotional explorations. Which is fine. That’s why these books win awards. But it’s something you have to remember going in. I haven’t done a literary award winner in a while and I had to get used to it again.

The plot was interesting but the slowness takes away from your full enjoyment. Needing to move the plot along faster became my main wish and while I enjoyed the characters and their lives, it was drawn out. I had my audiobook on 1.75x speed and it still seemed to take forever. I thought it was almost over and I still had four hours left.

I enjoyed the environment Georgia explores. Living on the water, going out in the kayak and feeling peace in solitude. Those are wonderful moments of peace and reflection, which Fox does well. The emotional release of art as well as being on the water was a great new approach than what usually happens in books. I love Australian YA because we have these amazing stories that are outside of school settings that are about people’s fascinating and complicated lives outside of school drama.

There are a lot of characters in play which breaks up the long emotional and introspective thoughts and contemplations. Her mum and stepmother Mel are the parents, there’s grandad and his eccentricities, as well as the friendships between Tess, Lars, and Georgia. Not to mention a potential new friend in Calliope.

There are emotional moments and a lot of big issues that come into play. Alcoholism, abandonment, pregnancy and complications, as well as a variety of mental illnesses. It’s a complicated and messy life with complicated and messy characters. Lars is annoying, Tess is annoying, but I kind of enjoyed that in it showed imperfect people and how you can still be friends with them. Not to mention the bonds of childhood friendships and the obligations that entails. It’s also a good example of how as people grow up they change and as their lives go in different directions it’s a big thing for friendship groups.

There is actually a lot of things happening but the focus remains on Georgia so we only get bits and pieces as she interacts with it and the action around it is few and far between. The snippets we learn about of her father, the mystery of her flashbacks and various memories, as well as the drama of Tess’ intentional teen pregnancy added some flare.

The mention of the Black Summer fires hits a bit too close to home, as did the Covid mention. The reminder is always so depressing about that fire season and the anxiety rises to the surface as you relive it. It’s good that it isn’t being forgotten though and it plays into the story well. On the flipside, things are still long and overdone and they counteract good plot by distracting from it and making it feel weighed down.

It’s a good coming of age story that deals with changing relationships, discovering who you are, and how trauma shapes your life whether you realise it or not. I’m glad I read it but I also think it could have worked if it was less literary. But that isn’t how profound internal discovery and life changes happens. It was probably the best format to explore these ideas, it certainly makes them more impactful despite the pacing issue.

You can purchase The Quiet and the Loud via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

As Happy As Here by Jane Godwin

30 Apr 2024 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Aussie YA Challenge, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , ,

Published: 23 July 2019Goodreads badge
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Pages: 273
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult
★   ★   ★   ★   ★ – 5 Stars

A beautiful coming-of-age story about three teenage girls from very different backgrounds who find themselves sharing a hospital ward, for fans of Kate DiCamillo and Fiona Wood

Three teenage girls from very different backgrounds find themselves sharing a hospital ward. When they witness a crime in the park below their window, they bond over trying to solve the crime and each one undergoes a profound change.

A beautiful coming-of-age story about identity, expectation, class, justice, society, fairness, and, above all, kindness.

I did not expect to still be thinking about this book weeks after I had finished it but it will not leave my mind. It isn’t even so much the story, but the characters Godwin has created are so impactful it’s hard not to remember them.

Godwin captures the three different personalities really well. Evie, Lucy, and Jemma overlap in some ways but at the same time their unique selves come through. Lucy is mature, having a lifetime of experience already at a young age, Evie is a young girl on the cusp of growing up and the world moving too fast for her, wanting to stay young but also foolishly lamenting not being older. Jemma is a chaotic force who is acting grown up but at the same time is even younger and more vulnerable than the others. Her strength is to bewilder and bullheadedly push on not worrying about what comes before.

The Jemma she puts on to others is very different to the one you can see is the truth. It’s a loose comparison but she gave me Pippi Longstockings vibes: the neglected kid making up stories and being proud of how unbalanced her life was.

I understood Evie’s frustrations so well. I have been around people like Jemma before and it’s hard to fight against their confidence and their chaotic nature. Their lies and self-assuredness make it hard when you know things aren’t true or are unjust. Trying to find the voice or the energy to do the right thing, or to stop people believing the wrong things about you is hard.

You know Jemma is a lonely little girl, you know she is covering up hurt and trying to be flippant about it, but my god it makes it hard to feel sorry for her. You find yourself hating this poor twelve year old and the irritation and wanting to shake sense into her and tell her to stop acting like that is strong.

I enjoyed the adults in this story as well as the three girls. Their roles are so different, and yet they are also the same. With minimal words Godwin gives full depth to the adults in the girls’ lives. We know the kind of people Evie’s parents are, who Lucy’s dad is, and who the adults in Jemma’s life are. The comparison and the different approaches was a great contrast and even through Evie’s eyes it is a great example of how much kids see.

This is a powerful story about the lives different people have, especially young teens. Having Evie reflect on the differences without being judgemental is incredibly important. Her empathy is wonderful but Godwin never makes her perfect. She is young, learning, timid but wants to do what’s right. She is a wonderful character and a great narrator. That is where Godwin’s story is fantastic. You can have these feelings based on surface events but as the book progresses and we see more of the bond the three girls have, how their lives interact, how each conflict changes them, your own perspective changes with theirs.

For the most part it is a story about unlikely friends and a strange mystery outside the window like Rear Window for the modern age, but then in the final chapters it changes so suddenly it really shocks you. I was not expecting to be hit in the emotional face by the last part of this book but it works so well.

This book does break your heart a little. Even when you have theories and know snippets of information, confirmation and context is still a punch to the heart. Godwin does a great job sprinkling in the heartache.  I had to remind myself that this was not a true story, but even then it is so reminiscent of the real lives kids have out there it’s hard not to think how true these scenarios could be.

I honestly could talk about these characters forever. Godwin has cemented them in my heart and I will be grateful they are not real but at the same time mourn for them for always.

You can purchase As Happy As Here via the following

QBD | Booktopia

Dymocks |  Angus and Robinson

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

AWW Update

13 Oct 2020 3 Comments

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

This update includes all the AWW books I have read so far this year. Ideally I would have broken this up into three posts but so I don’t create too many out of place posts I’ve added them into one. There will still be the last update and final wrap up in December though. Looking at the list I have once again come out of the gate with a bang, then the April-June slump is to be expected but not a bad effort there, and as we head back on track with July-September it is a tad directionless but still some good titles in there. I am hoping I can actively direct my reading back to Aussie women, the last few months have only caught AWW titles around the edges, I’m aiming for some intentional reading for the final quarter.

Reviews obviously are behind but I have a lot of these coming up over the next few weeks so hopefully that will boost my review numbers significantly.

January-March

Fairytales for Feisty Girls by Susannah McFarlane

Growing Up Queer in Australia ed Benjamin Lee – Review

Summer Time by Hilary Bell

Goodwood by Holly Throsby – Review

A Day at the Show by Gwyn Perkins – Review

Just the Way We Are by Jessica Shirvington – Review

Shout out to the Girls – Review

Meerkat Choir by Nicki Greenberg – Review

Celeste the Giraffe Loved to Laugh by Celeste Barber – Review

Charlotte Pass by Lee Christine

Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend

The Mistake by Wendy James

Meet Me at the Intersection ed Rebecca Lim

Welcome to Orphancorp by Marlee Jane Ward

Clancy the Quokka by Lilli Wilkinson – Review

Star Crossed by Minnie Darke – Review

A Trip to the Beach by Gwyn Perkins

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood

Faking It (#2) by Gabrielle Tozer – Review

April-June

The Ex by Nicola Moriarty

Those Other Women Nicola Moriarty

The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil

What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume

The Anzac Bilby by Claire Saxby

The Easter Bunnyroo by Susannah Chambers

Archibald the Naughtiest Elf in the World Causes Trouble for the Easter Bunny by Skye Davidson

Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Before You Forget by Julia Lawrinson – Review

July-September

Queer Stories ed. Maeve Marsden

Ella and the Ocean by Lian Tanner

My Friend Fred by Frances Watts

Blinky Bill: The Quaint Little Australian by Dorothy Wall

Blinky Bill Grows Up by Dorothy Wall

Blinky Bill and Nutsy by Dorothy Wall

AWW20 TOTAL

Read: 35/40

Reviewed: 11/35

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix

22 Apr 2020 4 Comments

by Amy in 4 Stars, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , ,

Published: 26th February 2017Goodreads badge
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 372
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
★   ★   ★   ★ – 4 Stars

The last thing she needs is a prince. The first thing she needs is some magic.

Poor Princess Anya. Forced to live with her evil stepmother’s new husband, her evil stepstepfather. Plagued with an unfortunate ability to break curses with a magic-assisted kiss. And forced to go on the run when her stepstepfather decides to make the kingdom entirely his own.

Aided by a loyal talking dog, a boy thief trapped in the body of a newt, and some extraordinarily mischievous wizards, Anya sets off on a Quest that, if she plays it right, will ultimately free her land—and teach her a thing or two about the use of power, the effectiveness of a well-placed pucker, and the finding of friends in places both high and low.

This is a fairytale through and through. There are talking dogs, princesses and a kingdom to defend and it has so many fabulous and magical moments it is pure delight. I loved how Nix causally throws in comments and lines as if they are perfectly normal sentences when they are not. It is makes reading a lot of fun and adds another layer of humour to enjoy. It is part of the fairytale trope or style I suppose that these things just happen but it was also great having this matter of fact, ‘what are you going to do about it?’ approach as well.

Anya is a great kid, she is thirteen which is hard to remember at times because of the things she achieves, but it is also a great reminder when she is doing these great deeds that she is only a child. There are moments where Anya realises how sheltered her life has been and you see her grow as she comes to understand the imbalance in the world and learn about kindness and the danger of too much power. It is a nice message that works well in the narrative and put in a way kids can appreciate without it being too heavy handed.

The story is filled with small moments and epic Quest moments which balance wonderfully. The individual characters are unique and help make this story feel like a classic fairy tale as well as a new type of story that brings the whole world to life. It is fun and filled with magic, friendships and Nix has established a vivid world that feels new while still cementing itself as a clear fairytale story with a villain, a goal, and a hero.

This is easily an adult or kid book and I think both audiences will have different things to take away from it. Even young kids will love this, it is filled with adventure and Quests, it’s funny but not silly, and Nix knows all the right moves to pull to make a great fairytale story new and exciting whilst also relying on the old and beloved.

You can purchase Frogkisser! via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Angus and Robinson

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

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