February Newsletter
Author Spotlight:
R. A. Spratt
R.A. Spratt is a best-selling author, television writer and podcast host. She is known for the Shockingly Good Stories, Friday Barnes, The Peski Kids and Nanny Piggins series of book, as well as her new book Romeo v Juliet due for release on February 3rd. Spratt also hosts the very popular podcast Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt.
R.A. Spratt has written for dozens of different television shows. In recent years she has specialized mainly in children’s animation, but she has also had extensive experience writing jokes, sketch comedy and political satire.
Her podcast ‘Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt’ was launched in February 2020 and now has a huge following from around the world.
R.A. Spratt’s first book, The Adventures of Nanny Piggins was published in Australia in March 2009 and the USA in August 2010. Booklist (the American Library Association’s publication) judged it to be the ‘Top of the List’, best youth fiction for 2010.
R.A. Spratt lives in Bowral, Australia with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys gardening and napping but rarely gets the time to do either. She is currently obsessed with CrossFit and espaliering fruit trees.
R.A. Spratt attended Eastwood Public School, James Ruse Agricultural High School and Charles Sturt University – Mitchell where she earned a BA Communications (Media Production).
R.A. Spratt has three chickens, two goldfish, and a desperately needy dog.
Romeo v Juliet by R. A. Spratt
The OG enemies-to-lovers story gets the R.A. Spratt treatment!
Selby does not want to be in the school play. She is much happier behind the scenes painting sets – anything to avoid standing on stage in front of an audience, performing for disinterested classmates and overenthusiastic parents.
So Selby did not plan on landing the lead role of Juliet . . . and she certainly never planned to land in Verona and meet Juliet in person.
With chaos, wit and R.A. Spratt wisdom, if those who rush stumble and fall, Romeo and Juliet are about to crash-land into a modern-day town!
For Young Adults 13+
Books of the Month
FICTION
Reviewed by Jemma
If Howl’s Moving Castle was set in a Montreal cat shelter. So much fun! A chaotic and cosy plot. The catty characters bring so much heart to this story!
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
Agnes Aubert is very fond of making lists. These lists kept her afloat when she lost her husband two years ago. And now, as the founder of a cat rescue charity, her meticulous organization skills feel like the only thing standing between her beloved cats – His Majesty, Banshee and sweet elderly Thoreau, to name a few – and utter disaster.
But when Agnes is forced to move the charity, she soon discovers that her new shop is being used as a front; right under her feet is the lair of the decidedly disorganised – not to mention self-absorbed and infuriatingly handsome – Havelock Renard.
Havelock is everything Agnes doesn’t want in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers he’s more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue, perhaps even romance. After all, second chances aren’t just for rescue cats. . .
NON FICTION
Reviewed by Suzie
Ben Crowe is an inspirational mindset coach who has worked with many high profile sports people in his career, including the likes of Ash Barty, Stephanie Gilmore, Trent Cotchin and Dylan Alcott. He has a genuine interest in people being the best versions of themselves and believing that they matter. My biggest take from reading this book is that ‘words matter’, whether that is the spoken word or the voice in your head.
Where the Light Gets In by Ben Crowe
Ben Crowe is one of the world’s most in-demand mindset coaches. In this book, he reveals nine simple-yet-profound perspective shifts that will change the way you see the world and yourself.
Showing how these nine perspective shifts are relevant to every human being, Ben demonstrates how self-compassion, imagination and appreciation can turn adversity into possibility, remove pressure and help us find that elusive balance between confidence and happiness, achievement and fulfillment.
Move from fearful to playful, from human doing to human being, and from fitting in to truly belonging. Even small perspective shifts can lead to massive breakthroughs, creating the freedom to redefine what it means to live a life true to yourself. Because that’s where the light gets in.
KIDS & YA
Reviewed by Mahli
Wow! Set in occupied France during WW2, this is a story of friendship, war and what it means to be brave. I loved it.
The Lions’ Run by Sara Pennypacker
Petit eclair. That’s what the other boys at the orphanage call Lucas. He’s tired of his cowardly reputation, just as he’s tired of the war and the Nazi occupation of his village. He longs to show how brave he can be.
The chance arrives when he saves a litter of kittens from cruel boys and cares for them in an abandoned stable. There he meets Alice, the daughter of a horse trainer, who is hiding her beloved young horse from German soldiers.
Soon Lucas begins to realise they are not the only ones in the village with secrets. The housekeeper at the German maternity home and a priest at the orphanage pass coded messages; a young mother at the home makes dangerous plans to keep her baby from forced adoption; and a neighbour in town may be harbouring a Jewish family.
Emboldened by the unlikely heroes all around him, Lucas is forced to decide how much he is willing to risk to make the most courageous rescue of all.
February New Release Highlights
Fiction
Non-Fiction
Kids & YA
Gift of the Month:
Mornington Peninsula Board Game
by Compass & Tide
Whether you’re a local, or just wish you were, let The Mornington Peninsula Board Game bring friends and family together around your table.
Suitable for ages 7 to 107 it’s a great way to occupy the family on a rainy day, or enjoy over drinks with mates!
Race from Frankston to Queenscliff, collecting seven postcards along the way.
Who will be the first to the ferry in this exciting family-friendly adventure across the stunning Mornington Peninsula?
Book Club:
For full information and booking links, click the images below. More titles will be released soon. But don’t hesitate to book, sessions fill up fast! Get more out of your reading this year, by joining in and meeting some new bookish friends.
Other Services:
