Book Review: Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat (Middle Grade Anthology)

        An anthology of bedtime stories for all kinds of kids
 
Title: Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat
Author: Various 
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia 
Publication Date: 25th September 2018
RRP: $19.99
Pages: 208
Format Read: Hardback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

Once upon a time, there were 9 beastly bedtime stories.

Stories with vampires and bats, 

and a sleepover of doom; 

of a pirate dance party

and a zoo in a room.

There were bears who were scared,

and three bags of wool.

Kids who ate pasta till their tummies were full.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat features an entertaining collection of stories filled with terrific twists on the traditional and is sure to have kids (and adults) shaking with laughter in their beds!

With illustrations by J. Yi, the stellar line-up of storytellers includes:

Andy Griffiths, Katrina Nannestad, Morris Gleitzman, Judith Rossell, Tim Harris, R. A. Spratt Frances Watts, Tony Wilson, Jaclyn Moriarty.

 

These spooky stories will have your young reader hiding under the blankets, and giggling uncontrollably, well after lights out.

Sleepover of Doom by Andy Griffiths

A choose your own adventure in true Andy Griffiths style. Laugh out loud funny.

Read it over and over, each time a new adventure but be careful what you choose or there may be a deadly outcome. No matter what route you take you are in for lots of laughs.

Pirate Dance Party by Frances Watts

An annoying mosquito, a parrot that thinks it’s a chicken, a cheeky monkey and two dancing pirates makes this a hilarious night of no sleep for Lily.

Dracula by Morris Gleitzman

Corey’s little brother, Will, is sure their sister’s boyfriend is a vampire and Corey has to convince him that Jarrod isn’t a vampire but maybe the convincing goes the other way. This story doesn’t feature any real vampires because we all know that vampires aren’t real........right.

Wool by Jaclyn Moriarty

A twist on the nursery rhyme Baa Baa Black Sheep. Frankie’s dad needs three bags of wool for the knit-a-thon but Gabe has just bought the last three bags of wool. Frankie thinks that Gabe’s reason for wanting the wool doesn’t quite fit and someone may be in danger. Can Frankie work it out before it’s too late?

Things That Go Splat in the Night by Katrina Nannestad

Ruby and Harry don’t believe in ghosts but what happens when they enter Worthington Manor one dark night may quickly change their minds. A surprise filled story that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Zoo in a Room by Tim Harris

Everyone has brought their pet to school for special news day but Clancy had a cold last week, his ears were blocked and he didn’t hear the teacher properly. All the pets are introduced and pandemonium ensues. Can Clancy’s special news save the day?

Dreamo-Machino by Judith Russell

Gran is very inventive and loves making gadgets but her latest dream machine doesn’t make for a pleasant nights sleep.

Yellowhead and the Three Traumatised Bears by R A Spratt

Hear Grandma’s true story of Goldilocks and the three bears. Goldilocks (Yellowhead) wasn’t the cute, innocent little girl we are all led to believe.

St Reginald’s School for Children Who Only Eat Plain Pasta by Tony Wilson

Where do parents send their children that refuse to eat anything but plain pasta with butter? St Reginalds of course! Where every child goes home completely cured.

Well, I couldn’t wait to read this last story to Dot because she qualifies for this school. So does Ditto but I will save this for him when he is a little older.

Dot’s favourite story from the anthology was Pirate Dance Party. We have read this book over and over and she now walks around repeating “I’m a baaaad chicken” in a parrot voice. She thought this story was very funny.

My favourite was Sleepover of Doom. This story was so funny I was laughing all the way through. Andy Griffiths knows how to write a story that is outrageous and ridiculous but still seem to be completely feasible.

This crazy collection of scary, silly and addictive stories by some of Australia’s best known children’s authors would make the perfect Christmas gift.

 Suitable for ages 5 - 14 years and beyond.

My rating 5/5                                   🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

Here is a short list of authors. I won't go into full details of each author or this post will be longer than the book.

Andy Griffiths: author of the bestselling and award-winning Treehouse series.
Katrina Nannestad: award-winning author of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome.
Morris Gleitzman: acclaimed author and Children's Laureate.
Judith Rossell: winner of the Indie Book Award for Withering-By-Sea.
Tim Harris: author of the popular Mr Bambuckles' Remarkables series.
R. A. Spratt: bestselling author of the Friday Barnes books.
Frances Watts: author of the bestselling picture book Kisses for Daddy, and winner of the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Goodnight Mice.
Tony Wilson: author of The Selwood Boys.
Jaclyn Moriarty: award-winning author of The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone.

Featured in the back of the book is a little about each author and their books. Each author is also asked to name their favourite beastly bedtime stories.

Book Review: The Year of the Farmer by Rosalie Ham

Title: The Year of the Farmer
Author: Rosalie Ham
Publisher: Picador Australia 
Publication Date: 25th September 2018
RRP: $32.99
Pages: 336
Format Read: Trade Paperback
Source: Courtesy of Publisher

In a quiet farming town somewhere in country New South Wales, war is brewing.
The last few years have been punishingly dry, especially for the farmers, but otherwise, it's all Neralie Mackintosh's fault. If she'd never left town then her ex, the hapless but extremely eligible Mitchell Bishop, would never have fallen into the clutches of the truly awful Mandy, who now lords it over everyone as if she owns the place.
So, now that Neralie has returned to run the local pub, the whole town is determined to reinstate her to her rightful position in the social order. But Mandy Bishop has other ideas. Meanwhile the head of the local water board - Glenys 'Gravedigger' Dingle - is looking for a way to line her pockets at the expense of hardworking farmers already up to their eyes in debt. And Mandy and Neralie's war may be just the chance she was looking for...
A darkly satirical novel of a small country town battling the elements and one another, from the bestselling author of The Dressmaker.

Mitch’s life has been hell. His crops are failing and his sheep are hungry but he has decided that life is going to turn around and this is going to be his year.

First the rain comes then the love of his life, Neralie, returns home after 5 years in Sydney and it looks like he may get the year he envisaged. The only problem is the rain has come too early and may ruin his crop and he is now married; to the town’s nemesis.

The Year of the Farmer is a cleverly written satire, a dark tragicomedy, that will have you laughing out loud at the overly exaggerated characters all placed neatly in their respective boxes and performing perfectly on cue.

The small town is under threat from the drought and the water authority is doing everything it can to make life more difficult (on the pretense of helping them) for the farmers whilst making a little money on the side for themselves; that retirement fund. But the biggest threat will come from one of their own! A furious wife hell bent on fitting in but letting her hurt fuel her need for revenge.

I loved this story! There are a multitude of characters introduced one straight after the other which I found hard to sort out but as the story progresses everyone fits into their place.

The story brings to light the plight of the farmers and the devastating effect of the drought and the nonsensical stipulations and regulations set by the water authorities.

Ham shows the deep connection that the farmers have with their land and how they have intense feelings of letting their ancestors down when they lose their farm that has been handed down through the generations.

They were a town that stuck together when hearts were broken but even more so when their farms and livelihoods were at stake.

‘Then suddenly, in  groups of two or three, the councillors, irrigators, riparians and townies left the pub and went, united, into the black star-speckled night, the smooth barrels of their loaded guns frosted silver by the moonlight’

I felt quite sorry for Mandy, Mitch’s wife, her only aim in life was to be someone, to fit in, but the whole town despised her and where Mitch’s moments of infidelity were encouraged hers were frowned upon. I’d be very interested to know what other readers thought of Mandy and her actions.

In today’s life where we expect everything, including our reads, to be fast paced and instantly gratifying this slow paced and slightly quirky novel may not appeal to everyone.

My rating 4/5                          🌟🌟🌟🌟

Content: for those that are sensitive to animal deaths; animals die in this story.

The Year of the Farmer is book #30 in the Australian Women Writers challenge

and part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge

 

 

 

Rosalie Ham is the author of three previous books, including her sensational bestseller The Dressmaker, now an award-winning film starring Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Judy Davis and Hugo Weaving.

Rosalie Ham was born, and raised in Jerilderie, NSW, Australia. She completed her secondary education at St Margaret's School, Berwick in 1972. After travelling and working at a variety of jobs (including aged care) for most of her twenties, Rosalie completed a Bachelor of Education majoring in Drama and Literature (Deakin University, 1989), and achieved a Master of Arts, Creative Writing (RMIT, Melbourne) in 2007. Rosalie lives in Brunswick, Melbourne, and when she is not writing, Rosalie teaches literature. Her novels have sold over 50,000 copies. 


 

Book Review: No Place Like Home by Bronwyn Jameson

Title: No Place Like Home
Author: Bronwyn Jameson
Publisher:Mills and Boon
Publication date: 20th August 2018
Pages: 528
Format Read: paperback
Source: Courtesy of author

Zane: The Wild One

Everything Julia Goodwin had ever wanted was right here in the quiet little town of Plenty. At least, that was what she thought, until Zane O'Sullivan came home - and rocked her peaceful world to its foundations...
Yet he wasn't the same black-leather-and-denim bad boy who'd haunted her dreams in high school. This Zane was very much a man. But what would become of their growing love when he learned about the child their out-of-control passion had brought into being?

Quade: The Irresistible One

Chantal Goodwin had always had an unsuspected weakness for Cameron Quade. And now that he was back in town, she discovered a single glance still made her ache like the lovesick schoolgirl she'd once been.
But Chantal was a woman now, one could take what she wanted - and what she wanted was a single shattering night of passion with Cameron. She told herself she could still watch him walk away, but that was before she learned about the consequences of their passionate night...

A Tempting Engagement

The last time Mitch Goodwin had seen Emily Warner, she was crawling out of his bed, and then out of his life. Six months later he was begging her to resume her job as his son's nanny. But what, exactly, had happened that night...?
Seeing Mitch and his little boy again reminded Emily how it felt to want what she couldn't have. But resisting the sexy single dad was impossible. There was only one solution: see if the fantasy lived up to the reality.

No Place Like Home is a Mills and Boon by request release of three of Bronwyn Jameson’s much loved books brought together in one book.

Each story features one of the Goodwin siblings as the main character and is set in their home town of Plenty.

Zane: The Wild One

Proclaimed good-girl Julia Goodwin is back in Plenty after the breakdown of her marriage. Zane, the town’s bad-boy is also back visiting his sister, who also happens to be Julia’s best friend. There is no avoiding each other and they are inexplicably drawn to each other.

I love how Julia urged Zane to show people his good side and told him until he faces his feelings towards the town he will never feel worthy.

Quade: The Irresistible One

Quade has returned to his parents’ property in Plenty. Both his parents have passed and he craves solitude to lick his wounds after his broken engagement to his career focused fiancé. The last thing he wants is his neighbour, lawyer Chantal Goodwin, poking her nose into his life. However Chantal has been in love with Quade since she was a teen.

This story moves straight on from the first story. Quade and Chantal are much more open about their feelings but Chantal still has a hard time getting Quade to open up about his parents and his failed engagement.

A Tempting Engagement

This story is about Mitch Goodwin. We already know a little about Mitch as he has dropped into the first two stories. His wife has left him with their young son, Joshua, so Mitch decides to move back to Plenty to give Joshua some stability. He desperately wants to re-employ Emily as Joshua’s nanny but there is history there and Mitch doesn’t quite know what has happened.

Mitch and Emily’s story is a much more sympathetic read. Each treading lightly around the other’s hurt. There was lots of cute flirting and Emily was a fun character.

I loved this compilation of three books in one as it followed the three Goodwin siblings with each story following straight on from the last. There was plenty of banter between the characters, some of it snarky and some filled with humour. All the characters were likeable and highly capable yet broken and scarred.

There is lots of heartbreak behind each character’s past and plenty of misunderstandings to keep the reader on tenterhooks.

And of course as with all perfect romance reads each story ends with a ‘happily ever after!’

My Rating 4/5           🌟🌟🌟🌟    

No Place Like Home is book #29 in the Australian Women Writers challenge

and part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge

 

Bestselling and award-winning author Bronwyn Jameson grew up on an Australian farm where she developed a lifelong love of animals and the written word. Happily she was able to marry the two working as a rural journalist before a magazine article introduced her to Romance Writers of Australia and the possibility of a new career writing the books she loved to read.

After five years, a handful of contest wins and an equal number of rejections from Harlequin Mills & Boon, Bronwyn received the phone call all aspiring novelists dream of: Leslie Wainger at Silhouette Books wanted to buy the manuscript she'd judged in the Romance Writers of New Zealand Clendon Award.

Silhouette Desire published In Bed With The Boss's Daughter in July 2001. Since then Bronwyn has continued to write take-to-bed romance for Desire, winning contests such as The Aspen Gold, The Write Touch Readers' Award and the Anne Bonney Readers' Choice. In 2006 she was a triple RITA finalist with her Princes of the Outback trilogy and a nominee for the Romantic Times Series Storyteller of the Year.

As well as strong Australian heroes and spirited heroines, her stories feature all kinds of animals including an energetic Border Collie named Mac, a jet black racehorse named Stella, an attack cat named Gizmo, a talking pony nicknamed Mini Ed, a bitzer named Digger, a Russian Blue named Tolstoy…well, you get the picture.

She still loves animals and the written word. Her home is still a farm in the Australian heartland, which she shares with her husband and three sons, a thousand sheep, half a dozen horses, three dogs, an echidna and a wallaby.