Dim's Write Stuff

We're doubling down on reptilians today, both of which continue to create rapturous wonder in young hearts and minds. Dinosaur In My Pocket by Ashleigh Barton & Blithe Fielden In a clever incongruous coincidence, James loves two things beyond all else: dinosaurs and miniatures. His collection of both is vast and impressive but lacking a Triceratops. So, when on his school excursion to the museum the perfect Triceratops is spotted, James is besotted. Except, he can’t afford it. After a little light-fingered acquisitioning, the wee dinosaur is escorted back to school in James’ pocket, then home then into his bedroom. Only, dino is not so wee after all. With each passing moment, the dinosaur grows as does James’ shame and guilt. The beautiful thing about this tale is how the crime is uncovered simply because it can no longer be concealed or confined. Lies, guilt, misdemeanours; all have a way of amplifying if left unchecked. When James’ parents discover his dinosaur, they d...

Katrina Nannestad has well and truly cemented her position as one of Australia’s most accomplished historical fiction writers with her latest novel, Silver Linings . Most of us are aware that clouds have them, silver linings that is, but what exactly do they mean and do they really exist? Nettie Sweeney sure thinks so. Nettie’s story, set in the 1950s, reads as a middle grade novel yet champions Nettie Sweeney as the young protagonist who has just started primary school. Nettie’s tender years, beguiling naivety and childlike foibles are neatly offset however by the fact that she is the fourth daughter of a farming family with the ability to write and think beyond her years. Couple this with the assured determination of a person set on visiting the moon and you’ve got a character exploding with charm, wit and wonder. In short, Nettie is larger-than-life adorbs! Nettie’s singular desire is for a mother to love and cuddle having lost hers at birth. Her dreams come true in the shape o...

The alluring title and intricate cover design of this novel provides instant grab but it’s the immediate saturation of raw authentic atmosphere that really pulls you into Salama’s story. Debut author Zoulfa Katouh pours her heart and soul into Salama but does so with enough measured restraint and humour to ensure this exposé of Syria’s present day atrocities appeals not only to adult readers but also its intended YA audience. And, it’s an allure that lingers all the way to the heart touching end. Salama is a young Syrian girl living in Homs, a city located on the Orontes River in western Syria. A city razed to the ground by Syria’s ugly ongoing Civil war. She lives amongst the destruction surviving on less than nothing, enduring nerves more frayed than the fabric of any remaining normality. Every ounce of energy is directed into maintaining the welfare of others, namely those brought into the local hospital in which she works to be cobbled back together again. She mends, stitches, s...

WendyOrr is a master of fantastical mythical historical middle grade fiction. You’ll forgive that mouthful of adjectives once you immerse yourself into the genesis of Orr’s second Minoan fantasy novel, Swallow’s Dance . There’s a third too! Cuckoo’s Flight released last year. My first journey into the Aegean Bronze Age with Orr and Aissa, Orr’s character from the first book, was through, Dragonfly Song . I was inspired by Orr’s poetic artistry and sublime use of language: part prose and part verse novel, I was utterly swept away by the beauty and tragedy of Aissa’s plight. The use of verse to relay Aissa’s internal dialogue and inner most dread and desires is genius and executed with such finesse I wished it never ended. Dragonfly Song is an adventure story, a tale of daring and hope and a quest for love and acceptance that will have you weeping and cheering. Gripping, artful, and exciting, this novel has broad appeal for both male and female readers aged twelve and above. Swa...

This adult fiction review is sneaking in because it encompasses so many of life's most endearing, harrowing and heartbreaking moments in one glorious golden family-orientated glow, that I believe its appeal is further reaching than just as an 'adult read'.  So here we go ... The hardcover art of this novel portrays a duality of summer nonchalance and flamboyant gaiety, a bit like a freshly shaken frozen margarita. But don’t let that fool you for beyond the dancing title belies a story with substantial heart and a unique poignant jocularity for which author, Steven Rowley is renowned. There is nothing feeble or wanting in The GUNCLE rather it exudes a sticky kind of specialness that adheres to your innards in the most glorious replenishing way, as opposed to a need-to-retch-it-out way. It's summer in California, a land of 360 days of searing sunshine and infinite possibilities. It’s taken less the four years for former TV sitcom star, Patrick O’Hara to acclimatize a...

There comes a time in everyone's life where a split second choice, an extreme of nature, a fork in the road prompts a unique turning point . Some of them we recognise for the epiphanies that they are; shocking, incredible, visionary. Others, we barely notice. Nearly all are life altering.  Earlier last year, I was fortunate enough to access a challenge that got me up and writing again , to paraphrase Exisle Publishing CEO and editor of The Turning Point Anthology , Gareth St John Thomas. The catalyst was a writing competition describing a turning point in one's life. This competition took place during the peak of our global Covid pandemic and as Gareth points out, was the stimulus that allowed me to reconnect not only with my fatalistic past but also my waning creative verve.  My tale,  Kismet’s Odyssey , is a true-life, deeply affecting account of my experience as a young bareboat charter courier on the sunbaked Ionian island of Corfu. It was a time of kissing summer ...

Forever. A notion that suggests everlasting, enduring conditions or effects. But haven't we been told that nothing is forever? Be that as it may, the good folk at Forevability ably headed by Tabitha Page believe that sustaining hope for those whose forever-afters may appear more bleak than others is something worth pursuing.  Their mission is to: support, understand, empower and teach by offering people with various health conditions, disabilities and mental disorders a veritable library of hope beautifully encased in a huge (and growing) collection of children's books. The titles range from picture books, early readers, middle grade fiction and young adult fiction. There are even a few cross over 18+ selections. Each genre is subdivided into subject areas that address certain conditions: mental health, disabilities, own voice, grief, medical procedures, anxiety and so on. The titles are carefully curated to match the subject area and offer visitors an amazing cross section o...

Moving, meaningful and memorable in so many marvellous ways, Exit Through The Giftshop is worthy of re-reads despite the ending, knowing the ending and wishing for a different outcome...as with life, there is sometimes no second reprieve but that does not mean it is not worth living the most beautiful life you can while you can. This is Ana's message which is so eloquently told by Maryam Master. For some time after reading this, I felt unable to articulate exactly how I felt about it or how it made me feel. The comedy is unforced and uplifting. It's a very funny book. The poignancy is stirring and will result in a one or two dampened tissues. It's a gut wrenchingly sad book. The reality is knife-point sharp, a telling portrayal of schoolyard bullying, torment and societal adaptation. It is told with punchy first-person authenticity. The presentation is super engaging, chockers with images, side gags, and witty definitions, it feels like a graphic novel hybrid which in no w...

It’s always a joy to see your story in print. For the most part, this happens in English. If you are really lucky, your books are distributed around the globe throughout an atlas of countries. If you are blessed with great publishers and savvy International Rights agents, your beautiful works are ultimately translated so that kids in countries like China and Hong Kong gain full benefit of your stories in their own language. I'm feeling very blessed and more than a little moved to have my first published picture book, The Fix-It Man now available throughout China in simplified Chinese. This is the language of my ancestors (on my father's side) and whilst I'm a poor example of retaining ones mother tongue, it fills me with quiet satisfaction that a story I made is now in the language that in part made me.  This simplified Chinese version released in July 2021 in China. It is part of a 5 book pack set containing a curated selection of ‘healing picture books’ originally publ...

Unless you’ve been to the afterlife, and successfully returned, chances are you are not super familiar with the supernatural. These next few YA novels ease maturing young adults into spine-tingling conjecture about spectres, the worlds they habitat and conditions of existence they are forced to abide by. It’s bewitching stuff. The Ghost Squad This thriller by Sophie Masson takes place in the not too distant future following a global cataclysmic event which renders the world virtually tech-free. Living in a world stripped of modern day conveniences, young Polly is thrust into a heart-racing quest of survival. Guided by her own instincts and a beguiling young teen by the name of, Swan, Polly grapples with new found knowledge about two opposing clandestine organisations, the government run Ghost Squad and the Base whose shared intent is for the control of information about the afterlife. Since what is commonly referred to as the Pulse (theoretically a massive solar flare disturbing e...

I am a staunch believer in normalising life and keeping it as real as possible for kids. I endeavour to present these convictions through my own picture books, daring to tackle subjects that many adults may argue have no place in picture books. Yet as these superb examples demonstrate, desperately hard to accept subjects, namely loss and grief can be beautifully dealt with in ways that enlighten, embrace and evoke calm. Love and loss are irrevocably linked. They represent life. What better topic for small humans to encounter in picture books? Tree Lynn Jenkins and Kirrili Lonergan’s Lessons of Lac series is handful of simply executed but powerful exposes into the lives of the LACs (aka Little Anxious Creatures) and the Calmsters (aka their friends who counterbalance concerns with gentle advice and abundant support). In this episode, Loppy the LAC relies on a giant Tree as a place to practise mindfulness and entreat calm especially when he is worried or upset, like before taking a...

‘There aren't just two kinds of people in the world! ’ Oh, gosh this couldn't ring more true. This phrase sounds inconsequential but like so many other lines from this story, it resounds with implication. Taylor Before and After is a novel that delivers exactly what the title proclaims: a look at one young girl's life before and after a life-altering event. The before and after are segmented into seasons that represent promise, Fall or Autumn - the before, and grimness and despair, Winter - the after. Towards the conclusion, Spring makes an appearance but more on that later. Taylor is a tween starting a new school in a new American state which happens to be the island of Hawaii. Nearly everything is exotic and evocative at first. She is intoxicated by the tropical perfumes of the island, its mesmerizing views and its addictive surfing culture. However not everything that sparkles are diamonds and soon the charms of an island lifestyle decay leaving Taylor feeling entrapp...

Most of us have believed in monsters at some point in our lives, whether metaphorically or from when we believed they dwelt underneath our beds and behind our bedroom doors. This extraordinary middle grade fiction not only reignites the notion that we coexist with all manner of devilish beasts, it bravely intimates that not all of them are bad. Could there be some that fall somewhere in between good and bad? Is it possible to love a monster? Sam hatches one fateful night in the vast underground lair where all monsters dwell and begin. He is a curious and inexplicable creation never before seen by the noxious collection of pixies, ogres and trolls. Resembling something of an imp, the grumpy gargoyles adopt him as one of their own. Displaced and unexplained, Imp (aka Sam) learns more and more about his new world with each passing minute, however not the answer to his existence; why he looks like a human but behaves like a monster. From atop his cathedral spire home, Sam adapts to garg...

Perhaps the greatest expression of song is Yaxley's exceptionally lyrical prose. This is My Song is a sweeping story told in three parts across three continents, embracing three monumental periods of time. The story of young Rafael Ullmann's rising love for music amidst the growing tensions of the 1940s is chocked with heartbreak and wrenching disappointment. He survives the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp but at the cost of losing his passion for the thing he loved most, music. His song lies withered, abandoned and forgotten like a childhood pet that died long ago. By the time his daughter, Annie arrives, Rafi has accepted his world of silence and regret. Annie is a child of the sweeping isolation of the Canadian prairie lands, yet she is a bird eager to fly and seeks a freedom she cannot enjoy with her parents. It is her son, Joe, an uncertain modern-day Aussie youth seeking a solid sense of self from a history he knows nothing about, that eventually helps them ...