We are Wolves by Katrina Nannestad, HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 9780733341229
REVIEWED BY MARGOT, 9, NSW
We Are Wolves is a beautiful war fiction novel by Katrina Nannestad. It will leave you crying, laughing and grieving for the characters, living through WWII.
Liesl and her family have fled from their home in East Prussia at the end of the war. They are scared, confused and hungry but all of that is amplified when the siblings, including their 2-year-old baby sister Mia, get separated from their parents. They must learn to fend for themselves and to realise that family is more important than anything in the world.
We Are Wolves brings out so many emotions, I laughed and cried, sometimes at the same time! I love this book because of the children’s hope, persistence and survival skills. The kids never give up, they eat slugs and frogs but they are grateful that they are not hungry.
I think kids that love the Morris Gleitzman Once series and kids that love sad war stories will love this! This book is best suited for ages 10 to 15 – even my dad enjoyed it.
I give this book 5 stars out of 5 because of the characters’ persistence, hope for finding happiness, and the love they have for each other.
After a long wait, happiness breaks through at last. Crying, laughing, grieving, this book will leave you full with a smile.
We’re pleased to be sharing book reviews by Petersham Public School students, NSW.This is Margot’s first review for Alphabet Soup. To send us YOUR book review, read our submission guidelines. Happy reading!
Astred Hicks is a best-selling illustrator, highly awarded book designer, emerging author and complete bird nerd. She is excited about noticing the world around her and hopes to inspire others to do the same.
Dr Holly Parsons is a bird-loving scientist who spends her days studying the amazing Australian bird life that lives in our towns and cities, and sharing her passion with everyone she meets.
Today we’re thrilled to have Astred and Holly visit Alphabet Soup to talk about their book This Bird: Noticing our Urban Birds.
From the publisher:
What’s so fancy about this bird? What’s so clever about that bird? Perhaps it’s a weightlifter, a marathon flier, an artist, or even a liar. You don’t need to go far to see intriguing birds, even in the city. From colourful parrots to artistic bowerbirds and fancy fairy-wrens, there’s lots to notice in our local backyards, streets and parks. Written by Astred Hicks in collaboration with bird scientist Dr Holly Parsons, and featuring Astred’s distinctive and engaging illustrations, This Bird features fun facts about some remarkable Australian native birds and hints on where (and how) to find them!
CSIRO Publishing provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of this book.
This bird has a sweet tooth: White-plumed honeyeater (from This Bird, illustrations by Astred Hicks).
What first sparked your passion for birds?
Astred: When I was a kid, my mum was an entomologist (insect scientist) and a birdwatcher who encouraged my siblings and me to notice the wriggly, buzzy, flappy world around us. Our unofficial family crest is a cicada shell, and we would proudly wear them as badges whenever we found one – and still do!
When I had a kid of my own who was even more fascinated by the natural world, I spent even more of my time noticing it. Books, zoos, museums, science fairs, nature walks, parks, hikes, you name it, we did it. Through all this, birds became wonderful flying jewels that captured my gaze and left me wondering. I wanted to see more, find out more, and appreciate the unique lives in my neighbourhood.
Holly: When I was growing up, my dad was always pointing out wildlife and encouraging us to keep our eyes open to what was around us. I already loved animals, so that really stuck with me.
Later, when I went to university and studied biology, I discovered I especially loved ecology, learning about how animals live and interact with the world around them. Then a bird research project came along, and I decided to give it a go.
That’s when everything clicked. I realised how much was going on around me that I’d never noticed before. Every bird behaves a bit differently, and I became really curious about what they were doing and why. That curiosity eventually turned into my job!
How did you decide which birds to include in This Bird?
Astred: It wasn’t easy! That’s for sure! When I first came up with the book, I had a list of birds I thought were fascinating and wanted to write about, like the satin bowerbird (this bird is an artist), powerful owl (this bird is strong) and yellow-tailed black cockatoo (this bird is a cruncher). My publishers, CSIRO Publishing, brought on board ornithologist, Holly Parsons, to consult on the book (and basically make sure I wasn’t just faffing on about how much I love birds). Holly sent through a short list of suggestions, like silver eyes (this bird is a tiny traveller) and spotted pardalote (this bird is a digger), and I instantly knew she got it and that this was going to be a brilliant working relationship. And it was!
But getting the list right turned out to be tricky and a lot of fun.
We had a Google spreadsheet to narrow down the list. I called it ‘The Thunder Dome’; two birds entered, only one left. We needed a good mix of small birds, birds of prey, water birds, and night birds because there are so many birds living in urban areas.
When writing the book, many of my content decisions were informed by my years of experience as a book designer. I wanted the book to be read in several ways: cover-to-cover, dipping in and out, or one spread at a time at bedtime. Non-fiction book design is a real art, so being able to build a design-led, guided reading structure into my manuscript before the actual design started was something I was really excited about.
Holly: We had a lot of fun choosing the birds! We started with a big list and then kind of “battled it out,” putting birds head-to-head and asking, which one would kids be more excited to spot?Which one is weirder? It got a bit competitive!
In the end, we mostly chose birds that live in towns and cities, including some that people might not have heard of yet but could still find nearby. We also made sure to include different types of birds from across Australia, so readers get a mix of shapes, sizes, and habitats.
The hardest part was deciding what to leave out. There’s so much to say about every bird, but we focused on the most interesting and noticeable things, like behaviours you can actually see, or clues that help you recognise them. We wanted each page to feel fun and surprising, not overwhelming.
Do you have a favourite Australian urban bird? Why is it your favourite?
Astred: I do! It’s the yellow-tailed black-cockatoo. Their slow, gliding wingbeats, mournful cries, and seasonal appearance make them feel so magical to see in the wild.
Holly: I actually have two favourites for very different reasons! One is the Superb Fairy-wren, which I studied during my PhD (which lets me put Dr in front of my name – a bird nerd Dr!). They might be small, but they have huge personalities. The bright blue males are so colourful and they live as little families with the brown females and young birds, but what I love most is how busy and social they are – you’ll often see them hopping around in these groups, constantly chatting to each other.
My other favourite is the Powerful Owl. They’re Australia’s largest owl, and I find it amazing that such a big, powerful predator is living in some of our east coast cities. In a way, they shouldn’t really be able to survive in urban areas, but they do, and that makes them incredibly special.
What’s one thing you wish all young readers knew about Australian urban birds?
Astred: They are living their lives alongside you, with rich experiences and many things happening. They deserve space and respect as well.
Holly: I’d love young readers to know that birds are sharing our cities with us, and they’re noticing us just as much as we’re noticing them. Once you start paying attention, you realise cities are full of wildlife. Each capital city in Australia has HUNDREDs of different bird species you can spot. And the really exciting part is that people can make a difference. Small actions like planting native plants or keeping cats indoors can help birds thrive. Everyone can do something for the birds that share their spaces.
This bird loves cities: Peregrine Falcon (from This Bird, illustrations by Astred Hicks.)
Do you have a tip for someone who doesn’t know much about our urban birds yet but would like to start noticing/birdwatching?
Astred: Begin by looking up, then look down. It may sound funny, but looking up helps you spot birds like the swallow dipping and diving for insects over the football oval. But looking down can reveal larger birds by their droppings. Tawny frogmouths are difficult to see in trees, but you might find them by spotting white droppings at a tree’s base. Listening for birds and learning their calls can always help you discover the variety of species living nearby.
Holly: Start by slowing down and really looking and listening. You don’t need any special equipment. Pick one bird you see often and watch what it does – where it goes, what it eats, whether it’s alone or in a group.
All these birds are going about their daily lives, just like you are. They are finding food, talking to each other, looking after their families. When you start noticing that, it becomes really fun, almost like you’re watching little stories play out.
Even a really common bird like the Australian Magpie can be fascinating if you take the time to watch it closely. The more you notice, the more interesting it becomes.
This Bird: Noticing our urban birds is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
Claire Saxby is an award-winning author and has lived in many places through Australia and beyond. She writes about nature, about history and more.
You might have read some of her books already, like Tree, Iceberg or Great White Shark. Claire is passionate about encouraging curiosity and wonder. Today we’re chatting to her about Storm, illustrated by Jess Racklyeft.
From the publisher:
A storm is brewing. It begins with a puff. Then another. A flutter, a ripple, a shiver show where the breeze blows … An evocative exploration of the birth of a thunderstorm and the effects of wind and weather on the natural environment. Combining deep scientific research, lyrical language and stunning illustrations, Storm is the next exploration of the natural world from the CBCA award-winning team of Claire Saxby and Jess Racklyeft.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of this book.
Storm features lyrical language and poetic techniques like alliteration, assonance and personification, among others. You are a published poet and author. How do you decide whether a piece of writing works best as a poem or a lyrical picture book?
This is such a great question! Thank you. I feel like poems are a bit like a photograph and picture books are more like a movie. So if there is a single idea or image I’m trying to catch, then it’s likely to be a poem. If there’s a story, if there are twists and turns, escalations and solutions, then it’s likely to be a story. Within Storm, there are written stories, but there are also visual stories. Working with Jess on many books, I know how much space I can leave for her to create her visual narratives and can be sure that my word stories will work with her visual ones. But poem or story, I draft and redraft until I am confident that it’s the right words in the right place, each word working as hard as it can to create word pictures in a reader’s mind.
How did you come to write this book? Is it based on a storm in a place you’ve been to or know well?
Jess and I had worked on three books in this series: Iceberg, Tree and Volcano and we considered them to be showcasing Water, Earth and Fire, so it seemed a natural next to write Storm. I gathered a rockpool from here, an escarpment from there, a sandy beach from another place, and a shallow reef from another beach (the little green fish that appears in Storm is from this reef) and sewed them all together in a single story. After I’d written it, I moved to a beachside town and my closest beach features all of these elements! So it could have been written about my local beach, but I hope that means that readers will recognise elements of their local beach.
Jess Racklyeft has illustrated your work before. Did you and Jess communicate while you were writing Storm? (Did you know there would be fantastic fold out pages in the centre of the book showing the storm at its peak or was it a surprise when you first saw the finished book?)
All of the books in this series have foldout pages, but I never know which part of the story will become doubly wonderful in this way. Jess and I do talk about the general idea for a story, then Jess very generously steps back and lets me write. When I’m done, I step back and let Jess work her magic. It’s a very rewarding way to work, I love it. Of course, there’s a whole, almost silent, publishing team behind the making of these books and the books are the best they can be because of their insight and skilled guidance.
How did you go about editing your drafts before you submitted this manuscript to your publisher? Is it different from the way you edit your poetry?
I call my first draft a ‘0 draft’ because it’s not even good enough to be called a first draft! It’s more a rambling, stop-start-stop again document that I keep working on until I find a possible direction for a story. Then I begin a First Draft … and a Second Draft and … well you get the idea. When I reach a spot where the story could go one way or the other, then I start a new document. That way if it all goes wrong, I can go back to that previous draft and choose a different direction. It is both easier and harder with poetry, because there are even fewer words to make work well and that means adjusting each word, each line, each stanza until it sings. Sometimes I cross out words, put arrows moving words around, cut some out, add more. I do multiple drafts for both, and generally it’s not until draft 3 or 4 that a poem or story really starts to take shape.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
Ooh, okay. I have two books coming out next year, one about a hat-wearing caterpillar (yes it’s a real one) and the other about two explorers and the story is told in parallel. Jess is busy illustrating the explorers, and the caterpillar book is my first with this illustrator and it is BEAUTIFUL! I have two new picture books in research stage – which is the stage BEFORE a 0 draft, so I have no idea really what they will be …
Storm is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
Helen Milroy is a storyteller and artist, and the author and illustrator of many books. She is a descendant of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia, but was born and educated in Perth. Helen has always had a passionate interest in health and wellbeing, especially for children. Today we’re thrilled to be talking to Helen about her book Dingo’s Dream, part of her Tales from the Bush Mob series.
From the publisher:
Dingo dreams that someone is in distress, but who? Dingo checks on everyone in his community, then searches all over the countryside until he stumbles across his homeland he hasn’t visited for many years and is now an empty landscape … There is a strange animal stranded at the bottom of a ravine.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of this book.
In your Tales from the Bush Mob series, each book centres a particular animal. What gave you the idea for the storyline for Dingo’s Dream?
Our dingoes have had a tough time in history and are often cast in a bad light. But dingoes are beautiful animals and share this country with us. Dingoes also have their country just like us but are often pushed away into other areas. I am also fascinated by the mournful howl of the dingoes at sunset and wondered what this was about. This became the stimulus for the story. What happens to country when our dingoes are not there to sing at sunset?
I do think our country calls to us, we are the children of mother earth and we need to hear her call.
This is the sixth book in the series. How do you go about creating your illustrations? Now that you’re up to Book Six, has anything changed about the way you approach the illustrating process?
Because this is a series, I can reuse some of the habitats such as Dingo’s den and other parts of country so it does make it a bit easier. But I also want to include other aspects and different landscapes for kids to see as well as introduce new creatures such as the Tasmanian Devil, so kids get to see the vast array of native animals that live here. I hope I have got a bit better at illustrating but I also don’t want to lose the naivety of the first book.
The colourful illustrations are rich and striking and give a real sense of place. Are your illustrations inspired by a particular place/landscape?
I really try to draw the colours of the landscape, particularly the north-west of WA which is beautiful. If I am flying over country I love to look out the window and see the patterns in the earth. When i am walking in country, I try to capture the experience and richness in the illustrations.
The Bush Mob friends all work together on a rescue and they each have their own strengths they bring to the group. Do you have a favourite animal in the Bush Mob series?
To be fair, I love them all but yes my favourites are dingo and willy wagtail. Dingo is kind, gentle and strong. He looks out for everyone. He reminds me of a big dog I had as a child who was always by my side and I felt like he was a companion but also a guardian. Willy wagtail is a feisty little bird with great courage and I always love watching the willy wagtails in my garden. They really do talk a lot so hence they play such an important role in bringing bush mob together in the first book.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I still have another nine bush mob stories I have written which feature different animals so I really hope I can bring them all to life. I also have a sequel for Lofty the Emu as I think he was a great character to work with. In this story he doesn’t need his paraglider anymore but he does learn some really important game skills from some other members of bush mob, so stay tuned!
Dingo’s Dream is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
The Mountain Wakes is a picture book about persisting until you get what you need. It’s a great story about hope and how the littlest things in life can make a difference to even bigger things.
The illustrations are very detailed and scientifically correct. And the pastel colour palette is really pretty.
I think this book would be enjoyed by kids from Year 1 or 2 onwards, because younger audiences might find it a bit complicated to understand what they’re seeing.
This book is a great inspiration for those who reach for the stars.
If I Could Eat the Stars and Other Poems, chosen by Rebecca M. Newman and Sally Murphy, illustrated by Briony Stewart
If I Could Eat the Stars and Other Poems has just been released by Fremantle Press (in association with our publishing arm, Alphabet Soup Books). It’s perfect for young readers in mid to upper primary school.
With stellar illustrations by Briony Stewart and featuring shape poems, haiku, cinquain and free verse … these are poems to tickle your funny bone, make your belly rumble and keep you up at night!
Defend a goal with Sally Murphy, rocket through space with Amber Moffat or get radioactive with Cristy Burne. Walk the dog with Deb Fitzpatrick and play with your food with James Foley. Then … Barlay! (Watch out!) with Cheryl Kickett-Tucker.
“Humorous poems, evocative poems of the ocean, shape poems, rhyming poems, free verse, haiku, tiny poems and long poems – this has it all, and I gobbled it up like a bag of lollies.” Sue Warren, Just So Stories
“From the lyrical to the laugh out loud, If I Could Eat the Stars and other poems is ideal to dip in and out of. Teachers could even select poems to read as lesson-break rewards. If I Could Eat the Stars showcases a fabulous depth of talent.” Joy Lawn,Paperbark Words
“With its variety and accessibility, this is a text that warrants multiple readings. As a teaching resource, If I Could Eat the Stars lends itself perfectly to modelling, comparison activities and creative writing tasks across the primary years. Illustrations by Briony Stewart add another visual dimension to the text.” Kathryn Beilby, ReadPlus
“If I Could Eat the Stars is a captivating collection of poems for younger readers.” Good Reading Magazine
Ask for If I Could Eat the Stars at your favourite bookshop or library.
Seetha Dodd loves wordplay, humorous rhyme and lyrical prose. Drawing on her Malaysian–Indian heritage, and themes of family, identity and belonging, Seetha writes stories that empower children to challenge stereotypes and to celebrate uniqueness in all forms. She lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with her husband and three children. Today we’re chatting to Seetha about her junior fiction novel: Myra in the Middle, illustrated by Peter Cheong.
From the publisher:
Seven-year-old Myra likes maths, football and things staying the same. She lives with her mum, dad, Muthashi (grandma) and big sister, Anya. Her world flips upside down when her family welcomes a new baby. Myra is now a middle child – and everyone knows middle kids always get forgotten. On top of that, Myra tries out for the school’s soccer team, only to be put in the midfield. She can’t show off her skills when nothing exciting ever happens there! What will it take for Myra to feel marvellous in the middle?
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of this book.
With the arrival of a new baby brother, Myra finds she is now the middle child in her family. Did you have siblings growing up? Are you a middle child yourself?
I am a middle child! I have an older sister and a younger sister. Just like Myra, I was nervous about the arrival of a new baby into the family. But as time went on, I realised how lucky I was. When you’re in the middle, you can learn from your older sibling and then try to be a role model for your younger sibling. It’s a unique position that also teaches you how to be adaptable and to see things from other points of view.
The book highlights the importance of names – the naming of Myra’s baby brother, getting someone’s name right/mixed up, the meaning of people’s names, even the names of the soccer teams Myra plays for and against. How do you go about choosing names for your characters in your writing?
I spend a lot of time naming my characters! I chose the name Myra for a few reasons. I wanted the title to have alliteration, so her name had to start with the letter M. Myra is a name that exists in many cultures, but as an Indian name it means ‘beloved’ – isn’t that beautiful? Then it made sense to have her sister’s name start with the letter A, and her brother’s name start with the letter Z, so even with their names, Myra, with the letter M, is in the middle.
Naming her friends was fun – I try not to make any of my characters’ names too similar, as it might get confusing. For example, I wouldn’t use another M name like Mia or Mariam, to make sure Myra stands out. I love searching for the perfect name – baby naming books are great for ideas.
As Myra points out, ‘names are very important’ and I especially love the part in the book where Myra and Muthashi discuss the meaning of their names.
Myra loves maths and draws pie charts and Venn diagrams to help her to think more deeply about the things that matter to her right now. Her sister Anya loves words and wordplay. Are you more of a words person or a numbers person yourself? Or both?
I have always been a words person first. I like trying to arrange words into a beautiful sentence, or into a funny rhyme. I also love poetry and how the words can have many layers of meaning. But I do also like using logic and mathematics to put things in order and make sense of a problem or a feeling, just like Myra does. Maybe you have done this too – perhaps a list of pros and cons when you’re making a decision, or using probability to discuss whether something is certain or unlikely. Venn diagrams are my favourite – they are the perfect combination of mathematics and language.
Myra’s grandma (Muthashi) prepares special foods for the family, which Myra finds comforting and familiar when she’s feeling lost in the middle of all the recent change. We hear about murukku, coconut candy, omelette, chicken curry, the best way to eat jelly slice … and more! Did you put all your favourite foods into the book? Do you like to cook like Myra and Muthashi?
I love cooking (and eating!) tasty treats. Most of the food in this book is inspired by my grandmother (Muthashi), who had a wonderful appetite for food and for life. She always cooked with love in her heart. I think this was her secret ingredient that made everything taste better.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I have a picture book about dogs and cats coming out in September. It’s a fun, rhyming story with a gentle message about accepting those who are different to us. I am also working on an idea for another junior fiction novel. Right now, it is just a spark (which I suppose is how all ideas start out) but I hope to turn it into a story. I do need to find the perfect name, though!
Myra in the Middle is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan, Penguin UK, ISBN 9780241647523
REVIEWED BY MILAN, 10, NSW
Milan reviewed his own copy of this title.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods is an adventure novel written by Rick Riordan. This story follows the Heroes of Olympus series and is a sequel to the other Percy Jackson books. This novel starts with Percy, Annabeth and Grover who are the protagonists. Being demigods, they complete quests and missions that gods have sent them. One peculiar day, the Greek god Ganymede shows up and makes a demand that they return his special chalice. This cup turns out to be the Chalice of the Gods, which holds great power and one sip can transform any mortal into an immortal god. And so, Percy and his demigod companions embark on this dangerous quest, nervously questioning various Greek gods. Some of these gods include Hebe, the goddess of youth and Iris, goddess of the rainbow. When asking for information from Iris, however, she demands a favour in return.
In this book I especially enjoyed the humour Rick Riordan used from Percy’s perspective during some of the serious scenes. I felt that it made the story engaging and a real page-turner. I also enjoyed the combat battles that the trio fought in. Riordan described the scenes so vividly that I could picture the story clearly.
The names of the chapters bothered me because they gave away what was about to happen. I think that Riordan could have improved on this by naming the chapters more vaguely. The surprise element of books is much more enjoyable and I would have preferred to find out through a more natural progression.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would rate it 4/5 stars. I look forward to reading the rest of the Percy Jackson series. I would recommend this novel to children aged 10–12 years and to those who enjoy action-packed and mythical adventures.
Maddy Mara (Hilary Rogers and Meredith Badger). Photo by Les Hallack.
Maddy Mara is the pen name of Melbourne-based creative duo Hilary Rogers and Meredith Badger. You might have read Maddy Mara’s books in these popular series: Dragon Girls, Forever Fairies, Itty Bitty Kitty and Jet Set Pets! Hilary and Meredith have been collaborating on children’s books for nearly two decades. Hilary is an author and former publishing director; Meredith is the author of countless books for kids and young adults, and teaches English as a foreign language. Today we’re chatting about The Lonely Lunch Club, Maddy Mara’s junior fiction book in the Your Next Read Silver series, with fun illustrations by Laura Stitzel.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a review copy of this book.
From the publisher:
Do you like FRIENDS, SCHOOL and FUNNY STORIES? Then this book is YOUR NEXT READ. One lunchtime, Benji goes to the worst bench in the whole school instead of playing footy. There he meets a girl named Alice and a spider named Mabel. And Mabel needs their help! But can Benji and Alice do it alone?
Maddy Mara is your pen name, and you are two writers creating one story! How do you go about working together on a book?
Yes, people are often surprised to learn that Maddy Mara is actually two people. We are Hilary and Meredith, but we write under the pseudonym (a fancy word for pen name) Maddy Mara. We love working together! For us, it’s like getting paid to do a school project with one of your best friends, who also happens to be smart, hardworking and funny!
When we’re working on a new book, we always start by talking about our ideas. We have a lot of ideas –some of them are terrible and some of them are great – so this is a fun part of the process. Once we’ve agreed on the rough shape of the story (it needs to be something we are super excited to work on), then we think about the characters, and what might happen to them. We also workshop what the story or series might be called – we love bold, catchy names (Dragon Girls! Itty Bitty Kitty! Jet Set Pets! The Lonely Lunch Club!). We then plan out what will happen in each chapter before we get writing (mostly this works, but sometimes we need an emergency meeting with strong coffee if it doesn’t).
It changes from project to project, but usually Meredith goes first, and Hilary goes next. Then we send the story back and forth quite a few times until we love it and can’t quite remember who did which bits. It really is a team effort.
Alice and Benji make friends with an alien butt spider called Mabel. Is an alien butt spider a real spider!? How did you find out about this spider?
It is a real spider! Using the alien butt spider was Meredith’s idea, and we basically chose it because it’s such a cool and funny name for a cool and funny spider. We also we didn’t want to pick a dangerous spider (kids, don’t go looking for spider friends!). The Latin name is Bijoaraneus praesignis which isn’t quite so snappy …
The great thing about the books we write is we have to discover interesting things about the world (like, is a great white shark faster than a killer whale? Or, what spiders have cool names and live in Australia?). But because we write a lot of fantasy, we also get to make things up (like, can a sea dragon roar fire underwater? We say YES!).
How do you add humour to a story? Is it part of the storytelling from the beginning? Or do you go back and add it in after you’ve written the story?
We always like to use humour in our stories, as a treat for our readers and to help them keep reading. We find that humour often comes from characters doing unexpected things (like, an adorable little kitten thinking she’s a brave tiger in Itty Bitty Kitty). The Lonely Lunch Club story starts with Benji doing something unexpected (not playing footy, like he normally does) meeting Alice doing something unexpected (hanging out with a spider, on the worst bench in the school). We then have an unexpected connection between these two kids, who don’t have anything in common except that they want to look after Mabel, the alien butt spider.
But we also rework all our stories to make them funnier as we go along – the final draft is always funnier than the first. A good example of this is when Benji and Alice are discussing what the coolest thing to find in your lunchbox might be. We had a lots of different ideas for this before we picked the one that ended up in the book: a bar of chocolate vs a bar of gold.
How did each of you like to spend your lunchtimes when you were in primary school?
Meredith wasn’t sporty, so she definitely wasn’t playing footy at lunchtime. But she did like doing handstands against the wall, and skipping and playing hopscotch. Hilary did gymnastics when she was a kid, so there was a lot of cartwheeling and backbending going on! But we both loved walking and talking with friends at lunchtime – and all these years later, we still do!
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
We are always working on lots of things at the same time. We love to keep busy! We have just finished writing a second book for the Your Next Read series because writing The Lonely Lunch Club was so awesome. The new one is completely different – it’s set deep under water and (top-secret hint) features an excitable octopus. We also have some new Dragon Girls books that we’re working on (this series is now up to book 22!). And we have a brand new series called Max Beast, which is about a kid who finds a magical amulet that transforms him into a great white shark (and then other creatures in future books). It’s jam-packed with action and humour and lots of animal details. Max Beast is coming out in Australia in June, so look out for it!
The Lonely Lunch Club is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
Fiona Wood is an award-winning writer of books for children and teenagers. Her books have been published in Australia and internationally. Today we’re pleased to be talking to Fiona about her latest novel: The Boy and the Dog Tree.
UQP provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of this book.
From the publisher:
Instead of the whole family moving to a new city, Mitch and his sister are staying with their gran, while their parents have been delayed working on other side of the world. Mitch is struggling to fit in at school, with the resident Grade Five bully picking on him. The one thing that would make his life better is a dog, if only he could persuade his parents. Then Mitch discovers an old oak tree that seems to growl. And one night, a huge, strange dog-like creature emerges from the trunk. His name is Argos. He has been bound in the tree by ‘history, mystery, magic and chance’ …
How did you come to write a story about a dog magically entwined with a tree?
A very helpful tree suggested the story to me. I live near a park that has some long avenues of oak trees, and one of these trees has a gnarled and twisted trunk that reminds me of a dog. I started asking myself why a dog might be bound within a tree. By whose magic had the dog been put there? And for what purpose? How did it happen? When did it happen? Chewing over questions is a great way to start building a story.
When you add magic into the everyday world, how do you make it feel believable for readers?
If you introduce a magical creature into a realistic setting, the first task is to make the world seem real. If it does, then by association everything that happens in that world feels real too.
It’s also important that the main character in that world has a believable initial reaction to the magic. So, Mitch finds it hard to believe when a tree seems to be murmuring or growling, and then calling to him in his sleep, and even harder to believe when Argos, a huge magical dog-like creature emerges from the tree. As improbable as it first seems, Mitch does come to believe what he can see with his own eyes. And ideally the reader will believe Mitch.
Other characters’ reactions also support the believability of the magic. For example, Regi, Mitch’s sister, realises that Mitch can hear what Argos is saying, though she cannot. She also notices Argos’s magical smell.
Finally, the magical creature itself must feel real. The writer’s job is to allow readers to imagine what Argos looks like, how he sounds, what sort of personality he has, and how we might react if an Argos came into our life.
Is the park where Mitch visits the dog tree based on a real park?
It is imaginary, but it has elements of a few parks in Melbourne/Naarm including Hedgeley Dene Gardens, Fitzroy Gardens and Fawkner Park.
Did you have a dog when you were growing up? If you did, was it your idea of the perfect dog?
I did not have a dog when I was growing up, and it was a thorn in my side. My brother and I pleaded and complained to my parents for years to no avail. I was allergic to the pet guinea pig offered in substitution. I truly longed for a dog as Mitch does in the story.
So, I made sure my children had a dog growing up. He was a much-loved family member, very far from perfect, quite naughty in fact, but adored by all of us.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I’m working on a story that has Mitch’s friend Dido as the main character. In The Boy and the Dog Tree, Argos tells Mitch that Dido is a witch, though she doesn’t know it yet. What would it mean to be a witch in a perfectly ordinary family? How does Dido find out that she is a witch and what might she do with this powerful identity? What are the upsides and downsides of having a particular power? More questions to chew over.
The Boy and the Dog Tree is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
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