four stars | Lost in a Good Book

A Kids Book About Being Non-Binary by Hunter Chinn-Raicht

17 Jul 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Non Fiction Tags: a kids book about, four stars, hunter chinn-raicht, junior non fiction, lgbt, LGBTQIA, non fiction

Published: 1st January 2021
Publisher: A Kids Book About, Inc.
Pages: 64
Format: Paperback
Genre: Junior Non-Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

“To be non-binary for me means I am not a girl or a boy, I am somewhere outside of that.”

A glance at what it means to be outside of the gender binary. What does being non-binary mean? For some people, the question and its answer may be new or a little confusing. It’s okay to not know what it means!

That’s where all good conversations start. The journey to understanding starts with an open mind and an open heart.

The book is mainly about Hunter’s story and their journey, but it also lets the reader know that sometimes people are outside the rules of male and female, or pink and blue. And being able to express yourself is great and they deserve to be celebrated.

There is an intro and an outro for the grownups about what the book is for and where they can go from here if they need to. It’s a great, very simple explanation that doesn’t overload the reader with information, simply introduces the idea to the reader that there are a range of people in the world.

It lets readers know there’s freedom in not fitting into the box other people tell you you should fit into. Having the words to describe yourself is great but it’s ok if you can’t find your words yet either.

With a little bit of history thrown in to remind you that there have always been non-binary people, and a quick break down of current society expectations, it remains Hunter’s story and an easy, child friendly way to introduce the term non binary and why a person might use it.

You can purchase A Kids Guide to Being Non-Binary via the following

Dymocks | Booktopia

Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Enough Love? by Maggie Hutchings

27 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Australian Women Writers, LGBTQIA, The Picture Book Corner Tags: aussie books, australian women writers challenge, children's picture book, evie barrow, four stars, lgbt, LGBTQIA, maggie hutchings, picture book

Published: 29th June 2021
Publisher: Affirm Press
Illustrator: Evie Barrow
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Willa had one dad one mum one home and a bird. And that was enough. So when Willa’s parents split up, she’s pretty sad. But at least they are still all hers. Until Dad meets Kevin and Willa’s family starts to grow … and keeps on growing. When will enough be enough? Or is there always room for more love?

This is a great book and I loved how complicated it became. This is a story beyond your basic divorced family, two houses and maybe a step sibling. Hutchings shows us how families can become complicated, big, messy, and how there is always enough love to go around.

The story flows well and with the repetition of one mum, one dad, one home, one bird, it is a creative way to tell a story of change as a family grows. It is also a good reminder that while family can grow, no own is ever taken out even if it changes.

The illustrations are realistic pencil sketches and Barrow makes each person unique while still keeping the family similarities. The call backs to the same scenes as Willa draws her family is great because even if the numbers change, the scene of her drawing her family is consistent.

I don’t want to spoil the end result, but there is a great representation of diversity, LGBTQIA families, as well as step siblings, half siblings, and the array of pets that also make up our family. It’s a great adventure Willa goes on through the years and I loved how the relationship changes never took away from how Willa felt or how she interacted with her parents and the time she spent with them.

Overall this is a story about family but it is also about love and is there such thing as too much love and is change really a bad thing in the end?

Enough Love? appears to be out of print but there may be a copy at your local library and possibly at Dick Smith

Going BiCoastal by Dahlia Adler

10 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: Audiobook, bisexual, contemporary young adult, dahlia adler, four stars, lgbt, LGBTQIA, mara wilson, romance, young adult, young adult romance

Published: 13 June 2023 (print)/13 June 2023 (audio)
Publisher: Wednesday Books / Spotify Audiobooks
Pages: 336/8 hrs and 57 mins
Narrator: Mara Wilson
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult Romance
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4.5 Stars

A queer Sliding Doors YA rom-com in which a girl must choose between summer in NYC with her dad (and the girl she’s always wanted) or LA with her estranged mum (and the guy she never saw coming). In Dahlia Adler’s Going Bicoastal, there’s more than one path to happily ever after. Natalya Fox has twenty-four hours to make the biggest choice of her stay home in NYC for the summer with her dad (and finally screw up the courage to talk to the girl she’s been crushing on), or spend it with her basically estranged mum in LA (knowing this is the best chance she has to fix their relationship, if she even wants to.) (Does she want to?)

How’s a girl supposed to choose? She can’t, and so both summers play out in alternating timelines – one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mum, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the girl she’s always wanted. And one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mum, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the guy she never saw coming.

I have wanted to read this since mid 2023 when it came out and now I finally have access to it and I loved it. I love Sliding Doors and I love seeing two different versions play out based on one single decision. The issue here is both options were good. I loved the natural way each relationship developed and how both had potential and benefits for Natalya.

With her east coast choice, the connection and relationship with Elly felt organic and real. You believed that they may have seen one another visiting the same places over and over again without their meeting and connection be a perfect stars aligning situation. Even though it was classed as a safe choice, it still gave Nat a chance to take chances.

For the west coast, Adam was a great new discovery and a good lesson on her taking risks and changing up her routine. His family and his story was unique and engaging and I loved the ease in which they suited one another.

All characters in both versions were really well developed. I kept forgetting most of them were teenagers, seventeen or eighteen, they felt and sometimes acted a lot older, I often found myself thinking they were in their twenties. But that isn’t a disservice to Adler, I think it’s great to show that people that age can be mature and confident, and can have engaging lives that don’t constantly remind you of being at school. And when the younger kids were hanging out with people older, they never felt like they were missing out, or immature. It was an easy mix and great to read.

I was glad there were more conversations happening that weren’t entirely school related. I enjoyed seeing characters have their attention and plot on something other than school, or having their deep and meaningful summer of change (not that those don’t have a place). This story balances the big decisions of leaving school and having a summer themed book all without making it “the summer that changes their life” profoundness. The casualness was what made it so enjoyable to read.

I loved Nat’s parents and the different relationships and seeing the two storylines overlap was creative and a great way to show off how some things would always have happened, even if you made a different choice. There is also great representation of the Jewish faith and seeing it play a large part in Nat’s life was something I hadn’t seen before in a book. I’ve read stories where being Jewish is mentioned, but not shown to be as intertwines in day to day life as this.

As I said, I loved the Sliding Doors element, I thought there was going to be a way to have it merge together, but Adler makes it a choose your own adventure which puts great power in the readers hands and lets you pick your own ending. I must say I had trouble picking, but based on my enjoyment of each side of the story I did enjoy one a lot more, or I felt was more rewarding I should say. One would have happened anyway, while the other one felt like she was missing out if that hadn’t happened. Cryptic enough? No spoilers? Good-o.

You can purchase Going BiCoastal via the following

Booktopia

Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Jacob’s Missing Book by Ian and Sarah Hoffman

30 May 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: children's picture book, chris case, four stars, ian hoffman, jacob series, picture book, sarah hoffman

Published: 3 September 2024
Publisher: Magination Press
Illustrator: Chris Case
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Jacob–the star of one of the most banned books of the decade–is back in Jacob’s Missing Book, a kid-friendly story about book banning, censorship, and LGBTQIA+ rights.

Noah is confused about Emily’s family, so he asks her―who’s Pop and who’s Dad? Jacob knows just how to explain, but how can he? The penguin book isn’t in the library anymore! As the day goes on, everyone is still talking about the mysterious missing book. Ms. Reeves tries to explain why the book is no longer in the library and what all the fuss is about. In the meantime, Jacob hatches a plan to tell the story about Emily’s family.

I love all the previous Jacob stories and this is a great one about censorship and the effects of censorship. I love how the book in question is referred to as the “penguin book” which between the two famous controversial LGBTQIA picture books there’s Heather’s Two Mummies and And Tango Makes Three. Now of course with more diverse books available there are more books to complain about but that doesn’t stop Tango still being controversial.

Even the illustrations, despite how blurred and abstract they are if you know the cover you know the book in question is And Tango Makes Three. I loved the subtleness while also being very clear about what book is being banned. The way the narrative highlights that it can’t even be talked about in the classroom is depressing but it is also a creative way the authors have tackled talking about censorship without talking about censorship.

The class is made up of familiar faces we’ve met in previous Jacob books and this time we get to learn some more as they learn about each other and their families. How can kids like Emily explore family dynamics like her own – even in a penguin book – without representation? How can people like Noah understand other people’s stories? Sometimes a picture book is a good way to understand different experiences and these kids are being denied that. Jacob’s mum mentions it’s good they have the book at home so it being removed from the library isn’t an issue in terms of access, but it isn’t fair others miss out.

Thankfully censorship isn’t an issue in Australia, book banning isn’t a thing, and while a few small voices have in the past tried, nothing has come of it. I always thought if we reminded people about the idea of censorship, and highlighted what places like the US were doing, it would give them confidence and ideas to try. But I must say, the few times people try and complain about what we have in the library there is a lot of satisfaction shutting them down where they stand.

I loved the different scenarios in which the children imagine how the book was taken from the library, from aliens to penguins they try and work it out. When the teacher explains that people complained it’s sad but also a good reminder of how the effect of book banning affects the people the books are in the library for.

The fact Ms Reeves can’t even discuss it with kids, and Emily’s reaction is a prime example of why representation matters. There are real people who can be affected and made to feel lesser by book bans.

The story is left open to imply that the school and/or parents will fight the book ban and try to get the penguin book back in the library. It is reassuring to see that the community is still empowered the fight back, but I also love that this book isn’t the place to do that. This is a book about how representation matters, and even if people try and deny that representation, kids will find a way and are excellent voices to point out the ludicrousness of it all.

You can purchase Jacob’s Missing Book via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Eleanor Jones is Not a Murderer by Amy Doak

27 May 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge, Australian Women Writers, Mystery, Young Adult Tags: #AussieYAChallenge, amy doak, Audiobook, aussie books, Aussie YA Challenge, australian, australian women writers challenge, four stars, lola bond, loveozya, young adult

Published: 04 September 2023 (print)/28 November 2023 (audio)
Publisher: Penguin Books/Penguin Random House Australia Audio
Pages: 282/5 hrs and 29 mins
Narrator: Lola Bond
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Mystery
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4.25 Stars

Eleanor Jones has just started at her ninth high school. She likes to stay invisible, on the outer. So it’s bad luck that the first person she talks to at school, Angus Marshall, is stabbed and left for dead. And the last message on his phone is from Eleanor.

Eleanor realises the police don’t have all the facts. In trying to understand what happened to Angus, she inadvertently becomes involved with an eclectic group of fellow students – who all have their own reasons to want this mystery solved.

As they slowly unravel Angus’ secrets, Eleanor discovers the true meaning of friendship – and uncovers a danger lurking at the heart of the town…

I will excuse that maybe it’s a QLD thing, but this feels very American. I’m not sure whether Doak wrote it in a way to be broadly appealing outside of Australia, or whether QLD is just like that, but it didn’t completely have that great Aussie feel I love from our YA.

My experience with our schools is we don’t have the hierarchy of popular kids and the losers. I cannot fathom how just because a group of “cool” kids went to a public fish and chip shop other teenagers could never ever walk in there any other time of their life because it was the cool kids hang out. Like, what? And why must we think being studious means you don’t have friends? Ok that’s a character choice this time, but I knew plenty of studious people who had lots of friends. Is this trying to be a US stereotype knock off to appeal? Or is QLD just like this? There is even the overdone cool kid party which is close enough to being the US teen trope too.

What was interesting about Eleanor is she bucks the trends I was expecting. Nine schools in five years I’m surprised she is even open to trying to make friends. I’d’ve figured she’d realise there was no point and know she was moving in a few months so she wasn’t going to get attached to people. I mean, good for her for not doing this, but it’s interesting. Especially in the digital age where it is easier to keep in touch, but being in a place for a few months doesn’t let you make close friends that are work keeping touch with.

To her credit, I was very surprised when the Big Reveal happens, Eleanor was quite sensible. Not entirely, but she knows when to bail and not be a hero. I loved that. It’s stupid, but I shouldn’t be so proud that these kids, while doing their own investigation as is the style, still go to adults, and police, and don’t try and save the day entirely themselves. I shouldn’t be amazed and impressed when they leave it to the adults and pass on messages when someone is on trouble. I love that and I need more of it. I got so cranky in a book because it was too stupid how the teen detective acted, and I just need these detectives, as fun as they are, to also not go so far that things would be stupid and unbelievable and ‘if they’d just told someone’. They even mention the cops may have more info than they let on and surprise surprise and might be able to do something.

I loved the characters and I loved their dynamics. There isn’t a lot of emotional turmoil and drama which keeps it light but there are still deep moments. If A Good Girl’s Guide was a bit too intense this is a great substitute. A good Aussie feel despite the few American vibes and the mystery is still captivating. A great example of small towns and needing outlets and enrichment.

With great pacing and a constant intrigue in the mystery it’s definitely a page turner. It’s a lighter version of these kinds of teen detectives which is perfect for those who want the style without the emotional intensity.

You can purchase Elanor Jones is Not a Murderer via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon Aust | Audible