This book has grabbed me from the first word, and pulled me into the pages of its world, where New South Wales is no longer a beautiful city, but two worlds separated by a wall. I don’t know about anyone else, but this book made me cringe; a lot. It wasn’t gruesome or bloody, but [...]
A wonderful, poignant and beautifully crafted story. Robert Newton has a rare talent for writing scenes and characters that are beautifully vivid and evocative. There is a voyeuristic element to reading Robert Newton’s writing, in so far as you cant help but feel that you are walking right alongside the characters and sharing their experiences [...]
I am thrilled to introduce you all to a new guest reviewer for The Book Gryffin. Beth is a student at my school and an avid and mature reader. I have had many conversations with beth about her reading and her enthusiasm is admirable. Very early in the year, we were fortunate enough to have [...]
Its that time of year again folks, The Inky Shortlist has been announced and YOU wonderful people need to VOTE!! After having the lovely Adele Walsh visit my school and get all of my Year 9′s online with Inside A Dog, (as part of The Victorian Regional Arts Tour) I plan to follow this up [...]
Adrian Stirling’s second novel, The Comet Box, is secretly a time machine. The very act of reading it will transport you instantly back to 1986. The sights, sounds and scents of a typical Australian summer are but a page turn away…except for one thing. Most of us (I hope) did not have the added emotional [...]
My son is studying Nadia Wheatley’s wonderful book My Place, in class. He is enthralled! He has long been fascinated by history and Australian history has always been a favourite of his. In fact he has been watching the My Place TV series avidly for sometime. In an effort to help him explore the book [...]
This is truly lovely…click on the image below to be taken to the interactive book. “To celebrate the exhibition Look! The art of Australian picture books today, the State Library of Victoria ran an illustration competition for children aged 2 to 12. Sally Rippin created a magical short story especially for us, called The Dream-spinner. [...]
There are books imbued with a certain kind of magic. There are books we read and then, then, there are books that invite complete immersion. A gift from an Author to a reader, to give words that have texture and fluidity, richness and depth, a narrative that invites participation and hides the world around us [...]
” ‘When you are a child,’ she says, her expression soft, ‘what you see and what you hear and comprehend can be sorted into little boxes. Then, as you live and learn, all those boxes open up and become rooms. The more you experience, the bigger those rooms get. If you’re lucky enough, there are [...]
The latest and greatest of delightful and poignant offerings from legend Morris Gleitzman, does not, disappoint! (As if that is even possible!) I adored Too Small To Fail- Morris Gleitzman. The protagonist of this particular novel, like his predecessors, is endearing, adorable and utterly loveable. My arms still ache with the need to give this [...]
