It’s a new month, which means time to share what I read last month. I was on the road – in France, London and Singapore – for most of May, so was surprised when I tallied up and saw I’d still managed 12 books. Here’s what kept me up late in hotel rooms all over the world 🙂
Books for Children
1.Kitty and the Kidnap Trap, by Paula Harrison, illustrated by Jenny Lovlie (Oxford University Press, 2021). I spent some time browsing London bookshops and came away with several books including this one. Kitty is a human child by day but a superhero, with cat powers at night – and in this instalment uses those powers to rescue her friend’s pet hamster. Very cute.
2. Squishy McFluff: The Invisible Cat! (Squishy McFluff the Invisible Cat), by Pip Jones, illustrated by Ella Okstad (Faber & Faber, 2018). Another London purchase – this time an early reader chapter book, in rhyming verse, which I found quite novel. Ava and her invisible cat get up to lots of mischief.
3. The Lonely Book, by Meg Grehan (Little Island Press, 2023). Also bought in London, but recommended to me at my conference in France by a bookseller from Canada. Really pleased to get hold of this – a verse novel about a magical bookshop, families, gender identity and acceptance. Great stuff.
4. Keisha Jones Takes on the World, by Natalie Denny, illustrated by Chante Timothy (Little Tiger, 2023). And yes, also bought (and read) in London. This one is about a determined, feisty girl who is out to make a difference – in spite of her propensity to not always get that right.
5. Overheard in a Tower Block: Poems by, by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Kate Milner (Otter Barry Books, 2017). Another one bought in London, a collection by the current Children’s Laureate that reads a lot like a verse novel, though many of the poems do stand alone.
6. Little Hero, by Emily Lim-Leh (Penguin, 2024). I was lucky enough to attend the launch of this book at the AFCC in Singapore this month, and headed staright to the bookshop to buy it. Inspired by the real life of the author’s father (who was on stage at the launch) it tells the tale of seven year old Xiong as he navigates life in post-war 1940s Singapore.
7. The Riding Gallery, by Sally Murphy, illustrated by Marine Heiduczek (Walker Books, 2024). Yes, I’m the author of this one, but also, I sat down and read it cover to cover after my author copies arrived. It doesn’t matter how much I have worked on a book, how well I think I know it, it’s only when it arrives in hard copy and I can turn the pages, seeing both text and image in physical form that I really know whether it works. I think it does – and can’t wait to share it with the world in July.
8.Eye Spy Singapore: A look and find activity book, by Pippa Chorley & David Liew (Marshall Cavendish, 2021). I was gifted this book by my wonderful friend David Liew (who, you might notice, is also the illustrator) and was lucky enough to have it signed both by David and by the author, Pippa, at the AFCC. A fun book exploring many of Singapore’s attractions and landmarks, with each spread also inviting young readers to find items in each scene.
9. Picture Perfect Poetry: An Anthology of Ekphrastic Nature Poetry for Students, edited by Carol J. Labuzzetta (2024). What a treasure! I have been eagerly waiting for this anthology, because I had three photos and three poems included, but also because I knew it would be a visual and literary feast, pairing nature photography with poems, from members of the Poetry Friday community and beyond. I read it in one sitting but will be dipping in and out for a long time to come.
10. 
Abre, by Amandine Laprun (Actes Sud, 2022). I fell in love with this little beauty when I saw it in the window of a Paris bookstore. The shop was closed so I had to wait till the next day to go back and buy it. The image doesn’t do it justice – the book is shaped like a tree and has a ribbon which ties the front and back covers together so the book stands upright like a little tree. Each spread shows the cherry tree at different times of year, so that it goes from spring, through summer, autumn, winter and back to spring, with blossoms, leaves, cherries, autumn leaves and bare branches, as well as squirrels, birds, and even children all visiting the tree. Stunning.
11. 
Curly, by Rachelyn Gordon, illustrated by Cecilia Hidayat (2023). I bought this book at the AFCC after listening to the amazing author speak on a panel. Curly’s pixie cut makes her feel strong and confident – until she starts school and other children tease her about having short her. An important message, but also just a lovely story.
Books for Adults
The Spare Room, by Laura Starkey. Read on Kindle on two of my flights this month. AÂ heart warming rom com.
That brings my total for the year to 57, with more to come. I brought home quite a few books from my trip, and often ponder whether I could read in my sleep to keep on top of all the amazing new books I want to read.
What have you been reading?
When I was busy promoting the book, a boy called Cassidy emailed some questions for me to answer from Pearl’s perspective. These were really perceptive questions – Cassidy was a very cluey nine year old. You can read the interview 
second narrator – Maddie, Narelle’s favourite human. Doing this made the story richer, more complete, but I have always loved writing in Narelle’s voice. It was lots of fun, even though there are tricky things happening in 