A review by Nalini Haynes Lara Laylor is 16 years old and in grade 10 in a $20,000 per annum private school in Melbourne. She …
Book reviews
Bride Test by Helen Hoang
A review by Lynne Larby Khai is Vietnamese American with a large extended family. After his cousin died as a teenager, Khai is convinced he …
Shadowscent: The Darkest Bloom by P M Freestone
A review by Nalini Haynes Rakel is a poor teenager with a gift for creating perfumes alongside creativity that has resulted developing unique skills when …
A Lifetime of Impossible Days by Tabitha Bird
A review by Nalini Haynes Super gumboots Willa is aged 8. Middle Willa is aged 33. Silver Willa is aged 93. They are all the …
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
A review by Nalini Haynes Jane tells her story in Dread Nation, the United States as a nation fallen during the 19th century civil war …
Zombies vs Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier
A review by Nalini Haynes Zombies vs Unicorns is an anthology of short stories about — you guessed it — zombies and unicorns. Black and …
Mindcull by K H Canobi
A review by Nalini Haynes Mindcull is launching on 30 May 2019 at Robinson’s Bookshop in Melbourne! Eila is invited to a Big Brother House …
The ‘Adults’ by Caroline Hulse
A review by Nalini Haynes The ‘Adults’ is a romantic dark comedy about couples who are trying to be adults after a parenting couple (Claire …
Time and Time Again by Ben Elton
A review by Nalini Haynes Hugh Stanton travels back in time to 1914 to change the twentieth century so it doesn’t end up in the …
Echidna Jim Went for a Swim by Phil Cummings and Laura Wood
A review by Nalini Haynes On the surface Echidna Jim Went For A Swim is a cute picture book for little children about an echidna …
Fandom by Anna Day
A review by Nalini Haynes Violet, Katie, Nate and Alice all love the book Gallows Dance by Sally King. Gallows Dance is a sensation that …
Space Alien at Planet Dad by Lucinda Gifford
A review by Nalini Haynes Space Alien at Planet Dad is a picture book for young children. Every Saturday Jake visits Planet Dad where Dad …
Liveship Traders Trilogy by Robin Hobb
A review by Nalini Haynes I wrote this review in 2016 and left it in drafts. With uni, disability discrimination and assaults, this review of …
Stop Being Reasonable by Eleanor Gordon-Smith
Gordon-Smith is a philosopher and reformed debater. Her mind was changed. She says it’s time to stop being reasonable because coherent logical argument is futile when money-hungry agent provocateurs
Cyclone by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
A review by Nalini Haynes Cyclone tells the story of the cyclone that destroyed Darwin in the 1970s in rhyming verse with evocative watercolour illustrations. …