JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Christmas Pig by J.K Rowling

One boy and his toy are about to change everything…

Jack loves his childhood toy, Dur Pig. DP has always been there for him, through good and bad. Until one Christmas Eve, something terrible happens – DP is lost. But Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life… even toys. And Jack’s newest toy – the Christmas Pig (DP’s annoying replacement) – has a daring plan: Together they’ll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost, and to save the best friend Jack has ever known…

Illustrated by award-winning artist Jim Field, J.K Rowling’s latest children’s fantasy novel The Christmas Pig encapsulates the spirit of the holidays, telling the story of a lost beloved toy and the journey that his heartbroken owner goes on in order to retrieve him.

Whilst magic doesn’t feel as dominant in this one, something J.K Rowling captures well in her children’s novels is a cast of relatable characters who draw empathy from readers. They’re also fast-paced, fun and easily digestible for young eyes.

“All his adventures gave DP his interesting smell, which Jack liked very much. It was a mixture of the places DP had gone on his adventures, along with the warm dark cave under Jack’s blankets, and just a trace of Mum’s perfume…”

I particularly enjoyed J.K Rowling’s depiction of emotions like happiness, power and ambition — the way they can alter a person’s attitude to others and then be easily discarded depending on circumstances and setting.

The Christmas Pig will help children process emotions such as loss, when they lose something or perhaps when something or someone is no longer in their life. It’s nice to imagine a place where toys come alive, and this is certainly not a unique trope in children’s literature. Another aspect of the book that may help children is the family dynamic for our protagonist Jack — his parents are divorced and his mother remarries. He gains a teenage step-sister who is awful to him, and I think many young readers may find elements of their own home life within these pages.

“After that, Jack was shouting and crying too loudly to hear anything anyone said to him. He couldn’t stand feeling the car bearing him away from the place where DP was lying, lost and bewildered and wondering why Jack wasn’t coming back for him.”

Whilst there are some moments in the book that aren’t as digestible, such as the subtle messages around climate change and the somewhat cliche villains we meet towards the end, that’s only noticeable for adult readers — children will love this book. There’s a sense of urgency to the plot that drives the story forward and will keep children entertained. Each chapter is relatively short, encouraging young readers to keep turning.

“Sure enough, within a few seconds Jack was able to see the Christmas Pig again. Like Jack, he was floating downwards. Their surroundings became gradually lighter until Jack realised they were both sinking through their own column of golden light.”

With a gorgeous hardback cover, this is a great stocking filler for the festive season. Recommended for young children, readership skews 8+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Pig
J.K Rowling
October 2021
Hachette Book Publishers

Kitty is Not A Cat: Teddy’s Bear and Lights Out

A warmly funny junior-fiction series about Kitty, a little girl who believes she can be anything she dreams – even a cat. When Kitty arrives on the doorstep of a house full of music-mad felines, their lives are turned upside down as they attempt to teach her how to be human.

Some children hate going to bed. Not Kitty! Kitty falls asleep every night curled up snug as a bug in a bed box. That is, until one spooky night when Kitty’s night-light goes missing and her fear of the dark comes creeping out. The cats, unfamiliar with the concept, try to settle her down but to no avail. In the end, it won’t be a night-light that saves the day.

What could be better that a cuddly teddy bear? How about a real-life grizzly bear! Kitty and the bear spend a fun-filled afternoon together, but it doesn’t take long for Kitty to realise that having a grizzly bear for a playmate may be a little more trouble that she thought.

Teddy’s Bear and Lights Out are the first two books in a new children’s series by Australian author Jess Black. Kitty is not a Cat is a fun, entertaining junior fiction series about a young girl who moves in with a family of stray cats in a rundown old mansion.

In Teddy’s Bear, Kitty’s new family decide to bring home a grizzly bear to keep Kitty company during the winter months. The disgruntled bear wreaks havoc across the house and is quite an unnatural fit in the family dynamic.

In Lights Out, Kitty’s fear of the dark results in the cats coming up with strategies to help her overcome her terror. Many readers will be able to relate to Kitty’s fear of the dark.

“Mr Clean slowly stepped forward. He was a dirty tabby cat, so filthy that nobody — not even Kitty — knew the real colour of his fur under the layers of dirt…Petal and Kitty strained to see what Mr Clean was holding. To Kitty, it looked like it just might be a real teddy bear.”

Humour is littered throughout both stories, as well as heart and hope. The characters form a very dysfunctional family, but Kitty feels most at home when she’s with the cats. Both of these books will teach children the importance of family, self-belief and acceptance, but they’re also incredibly fun and engaging books that young readers will devour.

Visually, the books are a great balance of prose, dialogue and illustrations. The illustrations have been crafted digitally, with a kind of cartoonish feel to them. There’s a lot of orange to make the grey and black artistic elements really pop for the reader. Some of the words or sentences are singled out for illustrations as well — big, loopy, colourful letters that add a nice touch to the story.

“Kitty pulled a face. She wasn’t so sure, but she got back into her bed box anyway. The cats took turns to kiss her goodnight…Left alone in the dark, Kitty squinted around the room fearfully and buried herself under the covers.”

These books are perfect for young readers just starting out in junior fiction. They’re not overly long, and the plots are fairly simplistic, but readers will resonate particularly with the premise of Lights Out, and the illustrations will aid the reader in forging a path through the book. The audience feels like it sways more towards a female readership.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kitty is Not a Cat: Teddy’s Bear & Lights Out
Jess Black
August 2020
Hachette Book Publishers

Two new reads from Ethicool Books

Charlie lives in the city, surrounded by roads and skyscrapers. But when his dad turns out his night light, something amazing begins to happen… 

Charlie’s whisked off on an incredible journey, where vines overtake the tall buildings he knows so well, and a lush river flows underneath his feet. Guided by a wise old owl, Charlie gets well acquainted with the animals, forests and oceans that preceded him, and how they gently lived at one with nature. 

Charlie loves his Rainforest and Ocean Classrooms – and he soon brings his friends along for the ride! 

This wild and adventurous children’s book will help your little ones appreciate that it isn’t just dinosaurs that go extinct. If you’re a nature or animal lover, this one’s for you.

Stuart French’s My Rainforest Classroom is an adventurous children’s picture book about animal extinction — a beautiful, heartwarming story about children, animals, mother nature, and the importance of understanding the beauty of what’s around you.

Today’s review is for two picture books from Ethicool Books, an Australian publishing company that publishes children’s books about some of the world’s biggest issues, such as climate change, pollution, bullying and anxiety.

The Ethicool catalogue follows a very distinct look — bright, lively illustrations with distinct shapes and figures, and excitable young faces. My Rainforest Classroom explores animal extinction, teaching children the importance of preserving animal life and not constricting animals in cages or tanks.

Messages aside, My Rainforest Classroom is a fun, adventurous tale for kids. It feels ‘otherworldy’ because the illustrations take us on a journey that spans forests and oceans. Kids will find themselves immersed in the storyline, the characters, and the pastel artwork.

My Rainforest Classroom
Stuart French
Ethicool Books

***

Join Ella and her sister, Ava, as they discover the joy of caring for a marine creature. Yet it isn’t all joy, as the sisters soon learn. Their beloved fish appear to thrive in only one type of environment … but why are both fish getting bigger? 

This light-hearted and genuinely surprising book will keep you and your little ones on their toes until the very end! Designed to be both humorous and moving, it also teaches an important lesson about personal responsibility.

Whilst it feels like there’s a lot of text on the pages of both these books, the storylines span big topics that need text to convey.

Ella and the Exploding Fish explores the importance of keeping oceans clean from rubbish. There are many things that marine life are not meant to eat, and yet they make their way into our waterways.

I’ll admit, the ending to this picture book took me a little by surprise and I wonder how a child would respond, but it does its job of shocking the reader. It opens up a discussion with children about why shouldn’t litter or toss anything in waterways that isn’t meant to be there.

These two books allow for a seamless, accessible way to discuss these issues with children — sceptics will think that children don’t need these books, but in a world where children are becoming more socially aware and conscious of what’s going on in the world, we can’t afford not to have books like these available to young minds.

Check out the rest of their books at https://ethicoolbooks.com.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me review copies in exchange for an honest review.

Ella and the Exploding Fish
Teigan Margetts
Ethicool Books

The Treehouse Joke Book by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Andy and Terry live in the world’s craziest treehouse. They like making books and telling jokes. And now they’ve made the world’s funniest jokebook!

From bears to birds, penguins to pirates and skeletons to space, there are gags galore. Perfect for fans of the Treehouse series! A bumper book of hilarity and craziness, and the perfect Xmas stocking filler.

Q: What’s grey and powdery?
A: Instant elephant mix.

Clocking in at almost 300 pages, The Treehouse Joke Book by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton is a compilation of hilarious jokes and riddles for children and adults. The Treehouse series may be aimed at children, but this joke book will not just humour kids — adults will find themselves laughing as well.

I’m almost 30 and I have no children and I found this book incredibly enjoyable. I laughed out aloud at many of the jokes, and when I next need to buy a present for a young child, this is what I’ll be getting them.

Here are a select few of my favourite jokes from the book:

Q: Why did Tigger go to the bathroom?
A: He was looking for his friend Pooh.

Q: Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl go to the toilet?
A: Because it has a silent ‘p’

Q: Why do some fish live at the bottom of the ocean?
A: Because they dropped out of school

The book is split up into sections — Bear Jokes, Sheep Jokes, Space Jokes, Food Jokes, Monkey Jokes, etc. There are 26 sections in total. Some jokes I’d heard before, but most of these were completely new to me.

Every single page of the book features some sort of illustration from Terry Denton, and they’re the perfect accompaniment to these jokes. His illustration style is unique and recognisable, that scratchy-looking drawing style that children love to look at.

Many of the illustrations feature further words, jokes or speech bubbles, so a child could spend hours reading this book because there’s so much in these pages for them to browse through. This book is well worth the $12.99 price tag.

Recommended for parents and children.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Treehouse Joke Book
Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton
October 2019
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Sick Bay by Nova Weetman

Meg uses Sick Bay to hide from other kids. She’s struggling with changes at home, wears slippers to school and buries her head in books.

New girl Riley is a type 1 diabetic with an over-protective mother. She’d rather chat with her friends than go to Sick Bay, but sometimes she has no choice.

They think they’ve worked each other out, but what if they’ve got it all wrong?

On the brink of high school, Meg and Riley need a place where they can find the courage to be themselves.

Sick Bay by Nova Weetman is a middle grade novel about friendship, identity and learning how to accept who you are when you’re on the cusp of your teenage years.

Meg and Riley are in grade six and about to finish primary school; they’re both struggling with something that others can’t possibly understand. Meg’s father had died and her mother is in a deep state of depression. Meg’s school shoes don’t fit anymore, so she wears slippers to school because she doesn’t have any money to buy proper shoes. She spends all her time in sick bay because she doesn’t really have any friends and she feels safe in sick bay. She gets attention, care and food.

Riley is a diabetic, and her mum doesn’t let her have any freedom. Her mum won’t teach her how to function with diabetics independently, so she’s forced to rely on her. And she’s starting to grow resentful because she’s adopted by the popular group at school and the girls don’t seem to understand — or care — about Riley’s needs. Riley feels like diabetes is holding her back. She needs to regularly test her glucose levels and log everything that she eats, and she feels embarrassed to do this around her new friends.

“It’s Tuesday afternoon so I leave The Bag at home and carry my dirty clothes, and some of Mum’s, to the laundromat a few blocks away. We do own a washing machine and clothes dryer, although they aren’t exactly operational right now. Dad used to keep everything working in the house, so now he is gone, if things break down they stay broken down. A bit like Mum really.”
MEG

Sick Bay is a dual narrative, switching back and forth between Riley and Meg’s POV. Despite their circumstances being very different, they’re both going through something very similar. They’re both lost, a little unsure of who they are or where they want to go. This is their journey towards understanding themselves and their differences, and embracing them.

At first, Riley and Meg don’t click. They’re very different, and they judge the other on first appearances. But over time, friendship develops. Meg is accepting of Riley, and Riley is understanding of Meg’s situation. And the two girls have to decide what they really want out of their final few weeks in primary school, and who their real friends are.

“Lina beams at me. I smile back but start running scenarios through my head. Maybe I can suddenly get sick the night before the party. Excuse myself that way. It worked last time I was supposed to go into the city with them for an afternoon of shopping.”
RILEY

Sick Bay is emotional and heartfelt — there’s so much depth to this novel, and so many layers to these characters that readers will love. Perfect for readers aged 10-13, Sick Bay is the kind of book that young girls could take guidance from. It’s uplifting and reassuring — validating. It’s the kind of book I would’ve liked to read when I was a young teenager.

This is the perfect book for a young reader who may be struggling with school or friends, or maybe even their family. Sick Bay will remind them that they’re not the only one going through a tough time.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sick Bay
Nova Weetman
June 2019
UQP Publishers