Kathryn's Inbox

New Year's resolutions, spying and punishments that fit the crime are at the heart of the fourteenth Baby-Sitters Little Sister series. It is almost New Year's Eve and Karen is gigundo excited that she and Andrew will be spending the holiday at the Big House and that the Brewer-Thomas household will be having a party. When the family start making New Year's resolutions Karen ends up going a little bit over the top. First, she makes an entire list of resolutions. Then she vows to make sure that her family and friends keep up with their resolutions by keeping a secret notebook where she jots down every infraction. Unsurprisingly, this does not end well, especially when her family and friends decide to get their revenge... This was a funny, short read. Karen is delightfully dramatic and obsessive at every turn and manages to do all of the wrong things and eventually learns a huge lesson. I think the great thing about the character is the way that Ann M Martin managed to create...

Comedian and radio host Tommy Little has penned a picture book? Bring it on! Who Took My Nuts? is the story of Tyril, a very selfish squirrel. All of the other squirrels are planning a party, and not only does Tyril want to put a stop to the party, but he is going to make sure that none of the other squirrels have any nuts to share. He's stolen the lot and marked them property of Tyril! What will the other squirrels do? This was a fun read. Told in verse, it is fun watching Tyril play out his selfish misdeeds before getting his eventual comeuppance. Lucinda Gifford's illustrations really bring the book to life--Tyril looks like such a grumpy, middle aged man ... in squirrel form. There's a great moral about sharing and this looks like a good one for families to read together.  Recommended. 

French Exit is the story of a widow. And her dippy, wet behind the ears son. And their cat, Small Frank, inside whom the dead husband of widow Frances lives. The money has run out (which is mostly Frances' doing,) and the trio are off to France to live in slightly reduced circumstances. But mostly it is a brutal and savage look at human nature. A reviewer from Mail on Sunday branded it 'Pure joy', as per the front cover. Personally, I think that depends on the ability of the reader to find joy in dull and despicable people who are not living their best lives. While parts of French Exit were entertaining, most of it felt as though as I was reading some kind of inside joke that those in the know would find hilarious while I was left completely clueless. I feel that somehow, somewhere I missed the point or perhaps I am just not smart or cultured enough to put it all together.  Not recommended. 

Michelle Botton and Margo Maraggi do an excellent job of visiting the life story of famed twentieth century artist Andy Warhol, shaping it into a near perfect graphic novel. With each chapter focusing on a different point in Warhol's life, it tells of his humble beginnings, move to New York and career that initially shocked and then continued to change and evolve through various mediums until Warhol's passing in 1987. I really enjoyed this one. A graphic novel feels like the perfect medium to tell Warhol's story. Originally published in Italy, this one has been translated into English and the translation flows very well. The illustrations are beautiful and fitting. All of the most controversial points in Warhol's career are covered and there is some interesting speculation as to the ways Warhol was affected after he was famously shot inside his factory by Valarie Solanas.  An excellent Warhol biography. Highly recommended.

Housebroke is a charming, lightweight friends-to-lovers romance that is sure to leave readers with a smile on their face. Hazel Bristow is homeless following a traumatic divorce. She has nothing left but for her car, a mattress, one pot and her five foster dogs. Fortunately her good friends give her permission to stay inside their old, slightly run down house, until it is sold. Then the settlement goes through and the new owner picks up the keys. Linc Kennedy is a man who is insanely wealthy and spends his time flipping houses. When he picks up his keys and enters his latest project house, the last thing he expects is a woman and her five foster dogs to be sleeping in there. Fortunately, Linc is a big hearted guy and he finds a way to turn the situation to their advantage and hires Hazel to help him around the house. But what happens when the pair start to fall in love, and it turns out that Line has been keeping a huge secret from Hazel? This was an entertaining read. The two leads w...

I confess. Despite being utterly obsessed with the Baby-Sitters Club series and its spin-offs in my pre-teen years, I do not remember this particular book at all. I also confess. I like to occasionally read books that are meant for children, especially the ones that remind me of my childhood. So when I found this one on the shelf at the library, I couldn't resist borrowing it for a few days. It turns out this one is a fun read. Thanksgiving is almost here Karen's class at Stoneybrook Academy is going to put on a play. For Karen, who loves to be the star at all times and for her bestie Nancy Dawes who wants to be an actress one day, this sounds ideal. However, things take a turn for the worse when Nancy is cast as a potato, and Karen as the turkey. For some reason, her teacher thinks it is a good idea to give very minor roles (which involve walking across a stage,) to the kids in the costumes that are going to be the most expensive and time consuming for their parents to create...

This may be a Ladybird book, but it most certainly isn't for children. Aimed at grown ups, this one is part of a series that offers a savage satire on the real world. In this instalment the series turns its focus to something that can often be confusing, frustrating and sometimes maddening. The people next door. On the whole, we all want to get along with our neighbours. That, however, does not account for the fact that often we find ourselves thrown together with people who have very different ideas on how to live than us.  This book takes a look at some of the more annoying types of neighbours, such as elderly neighbours who make reports to the police about their neighbours doing things that aren't actually illegal, neighbours with small babies who live in flats and apartments with thin walls and untidy neighbours. Every type of annoying neighbour possible is listed and there are some other funny situations that poke fun at human nature. The prose is clever and brutal and pro...

The Click series is such a winner that it is no wonder that there is now a spin-off series. Jointly written by Click creator Kayla Miller and Jeffrey Canino and illustrated by Kristina Luu, the focus shifts from Olive to her classmates, best friends Chandra and Beth. Chandra wants to prove to her parents that she can be responsible in the hope of one, moving out of the shadow of her talented older sister and two, so that she can adopt a kitten from the shelter. Beth, meanwhile, wants to raise some money to take her mum to a day spa. The opportunity for the pair to work together to make both things happen comes along when they are asked to pet sit and look after the house of a wealthy neighbour. Unfortunately things go wrong when the pair get a little bit too excited about the house and invite a few kids around who aren't real friends. Fortunately, through friendship, innovation and a little help things soon turn right again. This was a fun and well-written spin off. There are a fe...

Everybody's dreams are unique and important. That's the moral of The Little Dreams of Lara Cliffe, another wonderful instalment in The Reading Agency's Quick Read's series. This time around the author is Milly Johnson, and the story takes us between London and Amsterdam. Lara Cliffe is on her Hen's Weekend with her three best friends. Aged thirty-seven, Lara has had her share of disappointments and failed romances, including an engagement that was broken off just three weeks before the wedding. Her luck seems to have turned around now that she has found Freddie, a steady, honest and, ultimately, loyal man who loves her and wants Lara to have the best of everything. A former singer, she now has a good job that she enjoys as an accountant. But, suddenly, Lara's life is turned around. On the ferry to Amsterdam she meets Danny, the fiancé who walked out on there. Danny is a part of the band that is performing on the ferry, and as soon as he spots Lara he wants her ...

Accidentally Kelly Street is a beautiful picture book with a title that should be immediately familiar to many Australians. Yep. Just in case the 'with Tim O'Conner' bit didn't give it away, this is a picture book shaped around a classic Australian song--Accidentaly Kelly Street [ sic ] by Frente!  This was a beautiful read. Every single word in the book is from the song lyrics. The pictures tell of a new story--one of welcome, where a new family moves to Kelly Street. For this family, the move is a big, big change, but as we see first through the friendships of the children and then the adults, everyone in Kelly Street is just waiting to give this family a warm welcome into their multicultural neighbourhood. The illustrations themselves are absolutely beautiful. Overall, Accidentally Kelly Street is a lovely picture book about new starts, welcoming and acceptance. The song lyrics fit with the illustrations carefully and it can probably be enjoyed by those who have nev...

Although relatively short, Frida Style Icon takes a comprehensive look at the life, artwork and most important of all, the fashion choices, of beloved twentieth century artist Frida Kahlo. Charlie Collins details the most well-known parts of her life, which was often dramatic. He details the trolley bus crash that left her spine broken in three different places, and her leg in eleven. (And how, purportedly she ended up being covered in gold powder that was being carried on the bus by another art student.) There is also her infatuation with, and later marriage to, fellow artist Diego Rivera who would cheat on her many times until their divorce. But mostly, it's about the clothes and jewellery, her fashion choices that would not only define her as a person, and give her an identity that fitted perfectly with her unique art, but would inspire and define twentieth century Mexican fashion.  This was such an interesting read. Most of what I knew about Frida Kahlo was through her artwork...

Click was so brilliant that of course author and illustrator Kayla Miller had to create a sequel. Well, actually, there are several sequels and a spin-off series. Camp is first of those many sequels. This time around we find Olive on her way to summer camp. She is excited to be on her way to camp and more so because her friend Willow will be coming with her. Willow meanwhile is more apprehensive. It is her first time away from her family and she does not know anyone at the camp apart from Olive. The girls vow to stick together, but this proves to be much easier said than done. Olive wants to try lots of different sports and activities and makes friends easily with the other kids. Willow, meanwhile, wants to do more creative activities and she is not interested in hanging around the other kids. The inevitable fight happens, which leads to the pair learning some big lessons. This was a great read. It's the kind of graphic novel that will take adult readers back to their childhoods ...

The third book in the fun and fantastic Marry Me Juliet series turns its attention to the two characters that I just love to hate, Lily Fireball and Producer Murray. Except ... it turns out that Lily Fireball wasn't always a reality television wannabe. Once upon a time she was Lily Ong, a show runner for none other than Marry Me Juliet and the best friend of Murray. Together, they created some remarkable game changing reality television. Then Lily's husband passed away, Lily and Murray caved into their feelings for one another that both had been fighting for years at an extremely inopportune time, and now they are estranged ... until one day Lily walks into Murray's life again as Lily Fireball, a ruthless and manipulative contestant on the series that he has been tasked with producing ... alone. Add to the fact that nothing is going right this season, from covid lockdowns to the fact that the contestants are all finding love in the wrong places, and Murray's life is a...

A romance set in the glamorous and high stakes world of Formula One? Bring it on! (Or should that be start your engines?) As soon as I saw a copy of Lauren Asher's Throttled at my local Big W, I was very keen to give this one a chance. What an opportunity this one had for high stakes drama. Sadly, it proved to be an opportunity lost, but good on the author for having a go and taking romance into a near perfect setting. Throttled tells the story of Noah, a three times world champion Formula One driver and Maya, the sister of Noah's former rival and new teammate. Noah is a bit of a party animal and a womaniser who doesn't 'do' relationships. Maya is fairly innocent and when she discovers Noah's dark family secret, she feels compelled to help. But what happens when that help leads to attraction? This one had such a fantastic setting, and I liked the way that the story took the characters to all of the different Grand Prix circuits across the globe. That said, I fo...

Riot Days is a book about protest and freedom. In 2012 Maria Alykhina was convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred in a Russian court. Her crime? She and other members of the band Pussy Riot had performed forty seconds of their song Mother Mary, Banish Putin inside a Russian Orthodox Church. Riot Days is her account of the days leading up to the protest, her life on the run, eventual arrest, conviction and her time inside the Russian prison system. It is a harrowing account of something that we in Australia would take for granted. The right to protest and to criticise government.  This book is not easy reading. Told in short snippets it details the gruelling conditions inside the prisons and the way that prisons are treated and abuses they are subjected to, often because they do not know that they have the right to say no. There are accounts of degrading strip searches, how prisoners are transported and many other things that amount to an astonishing level of abuse o...

Click is a graphic novel about a popular girl who is trying to find her place. Olive is a floater. She has lots of friends--there is the kids from her neighbourhood, the kids she sits with at lunch, the kids she hangs out with at recess. Making friends has never been a problem--Olive clicks with everyone. Then, one day at school, the teacher announces that her grade is going to be taking part in a variety show. All of the other kids are dividing themselves into groups and they're planning their acts for the show ... acts that don't include Olive. Suddenly Olive has no one to talk to, or hang out with anymore. Until she finds, and implements, a clever solution. This was a fun read about friendship. It was interesting to read a story of changing friendships that was from the perspective of a kid who has lots of friends and has never had trouble fitting in before--usually these stories focus on shy, sensitive kids and, consequently, we can forget that other types of kids, even th...

Adelaide author Sophie Gonzales is back with another fun and thought-provoking YA romance. This time around we are introduced to Ivy. Sixteen year old Ivy has the house to herself for a week as her parents are away on a business trip. Although she is a little apprehensive about being on her own, she's looking forward to spending time with her best friend Henry, writing some fan fiction and the opportunity for her and Henry to binge watch their favourite television show. She's also planning to avoid Mack, her former best friend and now sworn enemy, who lives next door and has been asked to keep out an eye. Things get complicated however, when suddenly Ivy finds the main character from her fan fiction in her bedroom. He's perfect, or so it seems, and totally in love with her. But as the week goes on, Ivy finds that Weston is far from perfect and he won't leave her alone. She's going to need some help working this one out and the people best positioned to help her migh...

The Kiss is a story of family, betrayal and, ultimately redemption. When Maddison turns eighteen, she discovers the true identity of her mysterious father--and wealthy and older man who is married with three sons and who had a brief fling with her mother in New York. He has always paid for her upkeep, but when he and Maddison meet up for lunch it is intended to be a brief meeting so that both can acknowledge the other, Maddison can discover her family roots and Robert can go back to his family and get on with his life. Life has other plans and when Robert finds himself getting along well with Maddison, he soon realises that the best way forward is to come clean with his wife and sons. Fortunately, his family all accept the situation and a little way down the track Maddison is invited on a family holiday. It is there that Maddison meets Robert's oldest son Jack, and bit by bit, things start to come unstuck. The pair know that they are getting along a little too well--as does Blythe...

Heart wrenching and uniquely Australian Jasper Jones takes an intimate glimpse at small town life, prejudice and the difference between doing what is expected and doing what is right. The year is 1965. Thirteen year old Charlie Bucktin is woken one night by the mysterious Jasper Jones. A rebellious kid of mixed race, Jasper is an outcast in their small town in Western Australia and often blamed for any wrongdoing or goings on in the town. Intrigued as to why Jasper would want his attention, Charlie follows him to a remote spot out of town where they find a body. Over the course of an unforgiving Australian summer, Charlie finds himself questioning more and more about the town he has grown up in, and the people. He will also face bullying, an abusive parent with a dark secret and witness some terrible racial prejudice. It is a summer that will change him--and his friend Jasper--forever. As I said at the start of my review, this is a heart wrenching book. Every aspect of small town preju...