Reviews

A review of the latest YA fantasy by Laini Taylor

Elizabeth Knox finds a lot to praise about Laini Taylor’s inventive, lyrical and compelling new novel, Strange the Dreamer. Laini Taylor, author of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, has another series. A duology, the first book of which…

Six rather delicious new picture books

Jack Gabriel gorges on six international picture books from Walker Books and Gecko Press, from France, the UK and the US, finding something to recommend about each and every one. Warning: get your wallet ready. Like any good smorgasbord, this…

Torty and the Soldier, by Jennifer Beck

David Hill reviews Torty and the Soldier, a picture book about the true story of a very old tortoise, by Jennifer Beck and illustrated by Fifi Colston. Children’s writers are accustomed to getting judged both on literary grounds and for…

Three Kiwi chapter books for younger readers

Johanna Knox and her friend, 10-year-old Noah, review Dinosaur Trouble by Kyle Mewburn, Helper and Helper by Joy Cowley, and Tui Street Tales by Anne Kayes. Ten-year-old Noah, from down the road, loves books, so I thought he’d make a…