Book Review: Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping
November 7, 2025
A return to Upson Downs was overdue! Full of heart, whimsy and warmth, this book is essential reading for fans of the wonderful original.
Alex can usually be found in the Picture Book department at Telling Tales. She enjoys children’s fiction, photography and art books, and literary fiction. She cannot go past a beautiful illustration, and loves books that are idiosyncratic, dark and funny. Favourite authors include Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, Janet and Allen Ahlberg, Margaret Mahy, Margaret Atwood, Annie Proulx and Emily St. John Mandel.
A return to Upson Downs was overdue! Full of heart, whimsy and warmth, this book is essential reading for fans of the wonderful original.
Engrossing and slow-building, this left me with a similar feeling as a well-told true crime podcast: half the story is in the context.
This cosy, moving tale of self-acceptance was totally charming. I loved the main character Clare and his all-too-relatable self-doubts.
Bertino’s writing is wry, tightly observed, darkly funny & devastatingly honest, particularly her descriptions of human idiosyncrasies.
The journey is packed with action, yet the real story is their enduring friendship. Perfect for kids aged 10+.
Oliver Wormwood is soon surprised to find this library is full of magic, unpredictable books, and lots of danger!
This was a super-silly, camp, pop-culture-referencing romp! First Cat, Moon Queen and Loz 4000 return for another out-of-this-world adventure
Patrick Ness makes his first foray into children’s fiction with this funny-yet-meaningful tale of Monitor Lizards settling into school.
This was a luminous read – descriptions of the natural world, history, and character’s inner voices are related with sensitivity and vivacity.
Guided by their indomitable teachers, the girls venture into a Berlin-esque city and gather the clues they need to save the day. Good gravy!
I LOVED Seawitch, the third instalment in the Hedgewitch series. This cosy, magical story is a joyful and wholesome undersea adventure.
Engrossing and slow-building, this left me with a similar feeling as a well-told true crime podcast: half the story is in the context.
When she reflects on the good in life, it is hard not to smile, and small rich joyful sentences peek out unexpectedly all through the book.
Told in a series of vignettes, touches of magical realism give a sense of wonder and meaning to the smallest things.
This novel is an ode to queer love, a gripping war story, a treatise on the necessity of poetry and language for the human spirit.
Thought-provoking, unusual, clever and huge fun, I can say with certainty that this will be in my top 5 books of the year, if not number 1!
This was a lovely read – the text is simple yet charming, perfect for children starting their reading journey.
The book explores not only the practicalities of their survival, but also their relationship and the ways it changes under the circumstances.
This novel features great world-building and whimsical language – you can feel the wind on your face as the trio travels through their world.
Examining ideas around women’s agency, this was a charming, almost-period-piece novel, written with skill and read with pleasure.