4 . It’s looking like a great year for poetry collections! Poetry has a way of drawing our consciousness not only to our inner self but to society’s most pressing and urgent issues. These are some of the poetry books we can’t wait to read in the year ahead.

Trigger Warning by Maria Takolander

Award-winning poet Maria Takolander presents what’s been called her “most impressive and personal collection yet.” As the title may suggest, this book(her fourth)deals with domestic violence and environmental disasters with a clear and attractive voice.

Release Date: July 2021

Publisher: University Queensland Press

Poems That Do Not Sleep by Hassan Al Nawwab

While Hassan Al Nawwab, a former Iraqi soldier, has published three poetry collections previously, this is the first collection in English translated from Arabic. His poems speak to his experiences of the war and the terrors he suffered, homesickness, peace and belonging.

Release Date: June 2021

Publisher: Fremantle Press

Obligations of Voice by Anne Elvey

Poet, editor and researcher, Anne Elvey has previously published three collections of poetry. This book speaks loudly to her work of eco-criticism — the study of how literature treats the subject of nature. Detailed and communicative at the same time, Elvey explores environmental encounters and the politics of our natural (and unnatural) worlds.

Release Date: June 2021

Publisher: Recent Work Press

A Thousand Crimson Blooms by Eileen Chong

Singaporean poet of Chinese origin, Eileen Chong, is the author of eight previous books published across the world Her latest poetry collection is a thoughtful reflection on the influences and histories that inform our identities and fascinations.

Release Date: March 2021

Publisher: University Queensland Press

In Jeff Kinney’s book Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Greg Heffley’s mother suggests a family road trip. Family road trips are     1     (normal) full of fun, right? But this family is not a normal one. The family is full of good hopes when the trip starts,     2     things don’t go as they wish. They spend their first night at a terrible hotel sleeping on the floor. The days go on     3     more bad luck. They spend a sunny day at a water park but their car keys and wallets     4     (lose) there. The trip continues and several more     5     (accident) happen. Along the way, however, the family finds time     6     (enjoy) themselves.

As one of the     7     (great) writers in the world, Kinney is doing really well in telling stories about people     8     may appear in our real life. We may find that some of the Heffley family life is the same as some part of our own family.

I strongly suggest this book to young readers. It’s really interesting and     9     (include) family fun and lots of humor. I found myself always     10     (laugh) while reading it.

7 . Looking for books suitable for your juniors? Here are what our editors recommend:

Room for Everyone

Musa and Dada drive to the shore — but the bus stops many times: “You need a ride? Come in! There’s still room!” One stop becomes two stops which soon becomes ten, and the bus is overcrowded, but there’s always room for one more if you make the room, making this trip a joyous tale.

Author: Naaz Khan

Reading age: 4 - 8

Wonder

Auggie Pullman was born with a facial difference which prevents him from going to a mainstream school. Entering a new school, he wants nothing more than to be treated normally — but his new classmates can’t ignore his extraordinary face. Auggie is a hero to prove that you can’t give in when you were born to stand out.

Author: R. J. Palacio

Reading age: 8 - 12

Starfish Hardcover

Ellie is tired of being fat and she’s found her safe space — her swimming pool — where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. Finally, with the support of those loving her, Ellie might be able to be a starfish in real life — by being her own excellent self.

Author: Lisa Fipps

Reading age: 10 - 13

Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer

Lynne Cox started swimming almost as soon as she could walk. By age sixteen, she had broken all records for swimming the English Channel. She narrowly escaped a shark attack, and was cheered across the Cook Strait by dolphins. She even swam a mile in the Antarctic. Lynne writes the same way she swims, with tough spirit and joy.

Author: Lynne Cox

Reading age: 14 - 18

9 . I was out for an evening with a friend, getting the relief from pressure and catching up on our lives. We got around to the subject of books.

“When do you read?” my friend asked me. My mind took off on a fast journey through my bookshelves and piles of looks. I know some people make artsy towers and pyramids out of books, but I’m not that kind of woman. Mine are just…stacks (摞). Stacks on end tables, stacks on the floor.

When do I read? I read when I’m when I’m happy. I read when I’m bored. I read when I’m defeated. I read when I’m filled with anxiety. My self-medication for the thoughts is not exercise or alcohol, but Jane Austen. I absolutely must slow down the pace of my thoughts when living through a walk to the town Meryton in Pride and Prejudice. I read to visit places I’ll never see in real life. Thank you, Vikram Seth, for making me completely involved in 1950s India. Thank you, Khaled Hosseini, for giving me a chance to see 1970s high society of New York City, I’ll spend some time with Edith Wharton. I read when I’m recalling the good old days, Many of my favorite books of childhood are still my favorite books. I read when I get so addicted to an author that I want to read everything she has ever written, including her Christmas cards and grocery lists.

Of course, I didn’t say any of these things to my friend. I stared at her with a blank, foolish look.

“When do I read?” I repeated.

“Yes. When do you find time?” she asked.

“When? Evenings. Bedtime. Dinnertime, if I’m eating alone. Sunday afternoons. Moments stolen here and there. And now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with Mr. Hemingway, ” I said.

10 . FREE BOOKS BY CHINA ON THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19

Ten Tips to Fight Monsters

Author: Dong Ruihan

Description: Dad leaves 10 tips to help us fight the virus. Who will win the battle? The story will gently teach kids how to prevent the disease in a language that they can easily understand. It will help them remain calm in this stage of the epidemic(疫情), and encourage them to help family members to prevent the disease.

Agan Will Win

Author: A Jiao

Description: Told by Chun Ni, Agan Will Win is a story about how Agan, the character of Wuhan’s well-known street food hot dry noodles, fights against the virus and finally wins. Unfortunately infected(感染) with the virus, Agan remains positive and optimistic to the doctors, and at last he defeats the virus. This is a warm and caring picture book that comforts people who are having a difficult time during the epidemic.

Waiting for Dad to Come Home

Author: Chen Ying

Description: The book speaks highly of the front line medical workers for their fighting spirit in battle against COVID-19. The book touches readers with storylines and characters having strong sense of social responsibility, trying to plant that responsible seed in their mind.

A Special Spring Festival

Author: Gao Jing

Description: This book pictures a special Spring Festival during the outbreak of COVID-19. It tells a story of an ordinary family in China, centering around the little boy’s confusion(困惑): why he is not allowed to play outside home. Through reading, both children and grown-ups may cherish more the simplest pleasure in life, be appreciative and try to do all they can do to help.