Charlie Burr and the Crazy Cockroach Disaster by Sally Morgan, Ambelin, Blaze and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, ill Peter Sheehan

Charlie Burr can’t be blamed when a fun prank goes wrong, can he? Well, it seems he can. Even if his sisters pranked him first. And as if upsetting Mum in her birthday week isn’t enough, it seems that there is no chance of beating the school big-boasting, know-it-all, win-it-all, Tim and his cursing bird

It wasn’t my fault. Honestly, it wasn’t!

The joke was supposed to freak out my teenage twin sisters. Not make Mum go psycho!

Lately Mum’s been bugging me to be nicer to Sharni and Tia, She’s always saying, ‘They’re teenagers, Charlie. Teenagers get upset easily. And you go out of your way to annoy them!’

But Mum doesn’t know the twins played a horrible trick on my yesterday.

They sucked me in with a can of my favourite cooldrink – Orange Fizz.

Charlie Burr can’t be blamed when a fun prank goes wrong, can he? Well, it seems he can. Even if his sisters pranked him first. And as if upsetting Mum in her birthday week isn’t enough, it seems that there is no chance of beating the school big-boasting, know-it-all, win-it-all, Tim and his cursing bird. And there’s nothing Charlie would like more than to wipe the smile from the face of the annoying Tim. Particularly if it gives him an opportunity to make Mum’s birthday special. But every idea Charlie – with and without the assistance of his best friend Johnno – comes up with, seems to make everything worse. This could be one time Charlie’s ‘can-do’ attitude might not help.

Charlie Burr and the Crazy Cockroach Disaster’ is part of a series featuring Charlie and his friend Johnno. They are imaginative and enthusiastic young characters living in a community where there is still plenty of freedom for children to explore their own imagination. Charlie’s adventures could have been cooked-up by many a mid-primary-aged child. Children will relate well to Charlie’s ideas as well as to the things that go wrong. The story occurs over the space of a week, but text is further broken up by wandering bird prints. Text is wide-spaced. Cover art is reminiscent of several popular internationally produced contemporary fiction series and aimed at the same market. Young readers, particularly mid-primary boys will enjoy this realistic romp. Look out for other titles in the same series: Charlie Burr and the Three Stolen dollars and Charlie Burr and the Great Shed Invasion.

Charlie Burr and the Cockroach Disaster (Charlie Burr)

Charlie Burr and the Crazy Cockroach Disaster by Sally Morgan, Ambelin, Blaze and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, ill Peter Sheehan
Little Hare Books 2012
ISBN: 9781921714863

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Gold, Graves and Glory, by Jackie French

For 60,000 years the rest of the world had pretty much left Australia and its Aboriginal nations alone. Then it became a home for Britain’s criminals and poor. Now a con man had found gold and suddenly everyone was heading to Australia: adventurers, revolutionaries, camels…Australia would never be the same.

Gold, Graves and Glory is a humorous yet accurate look at the gold rush days in Australia. Charting the difficulties and hardships faced by the settlers, the impact that they had on the Aboriginal way of life and population, and the development of the colonies. It details the early time of the colony from 1850 through to 1880.

Whilst this is not the first book written on the subject, for children it is certainly the most accessible. The cartoon style illustrations of Peter Sheehan, putting his own funny spin on events, compliments French’s humorous yet honest style which doesn’t gloss over serious events.

This is history which kids can enjoy, even while they are learning plenty about this important part of Australian history. It is the fourth instalment in an eight-part series covering Australian history from prehistoric times to the Centenary of Federation.

Good stuff.

Gold, Graves and Glory, by Jackie French, illustrated by Peter Sheehan
Scholastic Press, 2007

Rotters and Squatters, by Jackie French

Cannibal convicts, murdering squatters, sea captains who kidnapped their crew, poor farmers forced off their land – they had all come to the colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land to make better lives for themselves.

Rotters and Squatters is a wonderful look at the colonial days in Australia, charting the hardships and difficulties faced by the settlers, the impact their arrival had on the Aboriginal way of life and population, and the development of the colonies. It details the early time of the colony from two tiny colonies at the end of the world in 1820 through to 1850.

It is the third installment in an eight-part series covering Australian history from prehistoric times to the Centenary of Federation. This is history which kids can enjoy, even while they are learning plenty about this important part of Australian history.

Whilst this is not the first book written on the subject, for children it is certainly the most accessible. The cartoon style illustrations of Peter Sheehan, putting his own funny spin on events, compliments French’s humorous yet honest style doesn’t gloss over serious events.

Good stuff.

Rotters and Squatters, by Jackie French, illustrated by Peter Sheehan
Scholastic Press, 2007

Peaches of Panic, by Paul Shaw

The illustrious superhero Captain Cat and his young assistant, the Umbrella Kid, have barely had time to recover from their first three adventures when one of their former adversaries, Doctor Daffodil, makes a bold escape from prison. It seems he has had some help from another villain – Percy Peregrine Peecham, also known as The Peach.

The Peach uses Doctor Daffodil’s special skills with plants to plot a bold robbery. He wants to steal a huge peach topaz and, with the help of a range of crooks and villains, he looks set to outwit Captain Cat and capture the giant gem.

Only by using every trick at his disposal will Captain Cat save the day.

This is the fourth in the Captain Cat series. As with previous titles, this one is filled withc orny one-liners, comic-book action and cartoon-style illustrations.

This is not high literature – it is just great fun. Kids will love it.

Captain Cat and the Umbrella Kid: Peaches of Panic, by Paul Shaw, illustrated by Peter Sheehan
Scholastic Press, 2004