5 Reasons Why Historical Fiction Books are Good for Kids
Historical fiction has a number of benefits for children, from early readers through to young adults. Stories set against past events and time periods open up reading enjoyment, contextual learning and intergenerational connections – not to mention, learning about history itself! Kids historical fiction provides readers with all of the following: Creates a context for current […]
Looking Forward, Looking Back: Max Booth Future Sleuth
Today, I’m handing over the blog reigns to a group of voracious readers and up-and-coming book reviewers from Years 3 and 4 at Girton Grammar School in Bendigo. Maddi, Jacob, Bronte, Max, Lincoln, William and Sarah recently read Tape Escape and Selfie Search from the Max Booth Future Sleuth series by author, Cameron Macintosh, and […]
All Things Sweet… Well, Almost
Easter seemed like the perfect opportunity to browse our books for series that feature chocolate and sugar! Perhaps not surprisingly, the sweet spot for the baking-themed series is the 8+ age group, which is often the age when interested parties turn their hands to baking. The themes are a balanced recipe of friendship, family and humour […]
Series from Santa!
Can you believe it’s nearly Christmas again, already?! But what to buy for children and teenagers who often seem to have so much? Surely not more plastic and electronics. Okay, you’ve got the right idea – a book – yet how to choose from the sea of books available? Young readers know what they enjoy, […]
The Colourful Appeal of Graphic Novels
What is a graphic novel? Graphic novels are, by the simplest definition, book-length comics. Sometimes they tell a single, continuous narrative from first page to last; sometimes they are collections of shorter stories or individual comic strips. [source] You might be forgiven for thinking that authors and illustrators of this genre would be pleased by […]
Kara’s Holiday Reading Guide
In the southern hemisphere, summer is warming up! Attack your growing pile of ‘been meaning to read’ books, or embark on one of the new children and teen series out this year—Kara’s made it easy for you with her favourites list from 2014. Long, leisurely days stretch out before you like the golden sand on […]
Fairy Tales Reconstructed—Past, Present and Future
Once upon a time, long, long ago…long before there were books written for reluctant readers, books about social issues, or distinct markets such as ‘tween’ or ‘young adult’…long ago, there were just fairy tales. Stories within stories; stories originally told as a way of socialising children, warning them of the perils of trusting strangers, the […]
Reading Every Word
Book 2 in the ‘Every’ Series Today, Cereal Readers talks with YA author, Ellie Marney, about grunge characters, writing romantic scenes, and scouting murder locations for her latest book in the YA crime thriller series, Every. Firstly, let me say how much I enjoyed Every Word. (No pun intended!) The underlying story definitely gained momentum […]
How to Choose Your Own Ever After…
Cereal Readers is pleased to welcome a new Australian series out this month, called Choose Your Own Ever After. The series has been written for girls aged 10-14 years with a focus on realistic situations relating to friendships, family, school and budding romance. As in every day life, dilemmas arise for the main characters – […]
I and Love and You – Colleen Hoover’s ‘Slammed’ Series
Colleen Hoover blends music and poetry, humour and heartache, in her beguiling and romantic ‘Slammed’ series. It’s the story of Layken and Will, mature beyond their years due to the challenges they’ve separately faced, but optimistic when they meet that life is finally giving them a break and a much-needed fresh start. Anxious not to […]