George's secret key to the universe by Lucy and Stephen Hawkin
Corgi Books, 2008. ISBN 9780552559584
(Age 7+) Highly Recommended. George Greenby's parents are eco-warriors,
preoccupied with global warming, recycling and baking broccoli muffins.
George is more concerned with trying to persuade his parents to buy him
a computer, but as their electricity comes from an ancient generator,
he would struggle to plug it in.
During an escape bid by the family's pet pig, George meets his new
neighbours, ten year old ballet fanatic, Annie and her scientist Dad,
Eric. George is also introduced to Eric's computer, Cosmos, the most
intelligent computer in the universe, who is rather snooty (Think Orac
in Blake's Seven) but clever enough to conjure up a portal into outer
space. Add into the mix George's teacher, the sinister Mr Reeper, who
is determined to kidnap Cosmos for his own dastardly plans, and you
have all the makings of a thrilling adventure story.
What makes this book stand out is the skilful way that Hawking slips
fascinating facts into an exciting storyline. During Annie and George's
adventures through the portal into outer space we learn some amazing
facts about our galaxy. Fact-boxes intersperse the story, providing
information about subjects such as matter, exoplanets, neutron stars
and black holes. There is also a selection of high quality colour
photographs dubbed 'Cosmos's Picture Files'. Garry Parsons deserves a
special mention for his delightful illustrations which appear on every
page and add to the book's appeal.
George's Secret Key To The Universe has been short listed for
the
Stockport School's Book Award and has proved extremely popular in my
school, and not just among the boys either. A minority of readers found
the fact boxes irritating - and they do just appear - sometimes in the
middle of a sentence (presumably because of paging constraints) which
can be a little off-putting. However, George's Secret Key To The
Universe hits just the right balance with a lively adventure story
anchored firmly in the fascinating world of science and space. Here is
a story that explains the nature of Black Holes so that primary school
children can understand it - an impressive achievement!
Claire Larson
Ratwhiskers and me by Lorraine Marwood
Walker, 2008. ISBN 9781921150395
(Age 10+) Highly recommended. Fleeing from a fire on the goldfields,
desperately afraid, the 'Boy' follows his dog, Ratwhiskers, and
stumbles into a tent town, where he is grabbed by two miners, Baldhead
and Gingerbeard, and forced to work for them. A kind and helpful young
Chinese boy shows where to find wood and water, and how to manage to
survive the brutality of the miners. Then Ellery, a cold-hearted
villain, threatens both the Chinese and the 'Boy', and it is a struggle
to stay alive.
A touching verse novel, Ratwhiskers and me takes the reader
into the
goldfields of the 1850's, making that time come alive with vivid
descriptions of the hardships, the violence and greed of some of the
miners and the prejudice and fear that the Chinese people faced.
Marwood's poetry is wonderful. With very few words she is able to
conjure up the emotions of Lin, who tells the story of her loss of
family, flight from danger and the frightening people she meets on the
way. It is a story about being alone and learning whom to trust in a
time of danger. Marwood has created a cast of distinctive characters
including Sassy, who died in the fire, the bullying miners, Sun Song
and the Chinese, each brought alive through colourful descriptions. As
well as describing the difficult life of the miners and the cruelty
faced by the Chinese during the goldrush, the first person narrative
sweeps the reader along on a thrilling adventure of treachery and
survival.
This wonderfully descriptive story begs to be read aloud and will leave
the listener and reader satisfied with a tale beautifully told while
pondering the role of the Chinese on the goldfields.
Pat Pledger
Crash by J.A Henderson
OUP Oxford, 2008.
What do a missing oil rig, a Romany, fishing boats, memory loss and the
Tay Bridge have in common? Well, nothing, until the day that Bobby's
dad, Gordon, passes out when they're stuck on a train and see a worker
fall to his death from the bridge. Gordon wakes up believing he is
someone called Dodd Pollen, 15, and hunted by the police.
At first, Bobby thinks it's great. He can do what he wants, when he
wants. However, his dad's confusion becomes paranoia, and Bobby turns
to his friend Mary and her grandma for help.
When a stranger comes looking for Gordon, informing him that his
Lazarus Project, a disaster prediction that he can't remember anything
about has become a reality, he decided to leave his son in case his
presence could cause him any harm. Bobby and Mary go to find him, and
Mary's grandma follows. Meanwhile, all hell breaks loose and a tsunami
floods part of Scotland.
This is a great book, and was not what I expected at all. If you enjoy
Artemis Fowl and any Alex Rider style books, you will love this!
Nikki Heath
Cat on the island by Gary Crew and Gillian Warden
Angus and Robertson, 2008.
Gary Crew demonstrates just how powerful a picture book can be in
getting across an environmental message to all ages in this new book,
beautifully illustrated by Gillian Warden. When the boy asks his
grandfather to tell him a story, he hears about his forebears, sent to
an island to take up the position of lighthouse keeper. Moving, the
family takes their cat, and when she gives birth, the kittens
eventually travel all over the island, feasting on the small wrens
which live there.
When one of the cats brings in a dead bird in its mouth, the lighthouse
keeper wraps it up and sends it to the museum. This attracts the
interest of the naturalist but when he arrives at the island to trap
some of the birds, the only flightless wrens in the world, he cannot
find any. They have all been hunted to extinction.
The island is real. Stephens Island off the coast of New Zealand hosted
the family and its cat in 1894. Within two years, no wrens were left.
The seemingly simply told story is explosive in its message. Any person
reading or hearing it cannot help but be dismayed along with the little
boy who asked for the story to be told. The illustrations serve the
story well. At first calm and liquid, getting increasingly menacing as
the story progresses, the eyes of the cat become larger, until the
double page spread of a heavily clawed and nastily toothed cat looms up
in red, ready to attack the reader.
Fran Knight
Evening is the whole day by Preeta Samarasan
Estate, 2008.
Preeta Samarasan's Rajasekharan's family story is told through Aasha's
eyes, and is set against the newly emerged state of Malaysia. Woven
through the disintegration of this Indian-Malaysian family is the birth
and struggle of a new country fresh from the colonial rule of Great
Britain.
The Rajasekharans are a wealthy family; Appa is a successful criminal
barrister and his wife, Amma has come from humble beginnings and is
very aware of her social standing and works hard to make the coffee
morning set. Poati is the mother in law who indulges all but Amma and
her unfortunate servant, Chellan. The children of this loveless and
soulless marriage are Unna, a precocious child and now an intelligent
young woman about to go to study in an Ivey league university in the
USA, Suresh and indulged younger brother and the youngest, Aasha, whose
only support, Unna, is about to abandon her.
Ghosts are the only friends for Aasha after Unna suddenly and
inexplicably no longer includes her in her world. She observes her
family almost as an outsider, from her refuge point on or behind the
green PVC couch. Through her we see the family moving further apart.
Appa has his mistress and he spends most of this time with this family.
Paati, who seeks favour from all, sets all against her daughter in law,
who she considers an unworthy match for her son.
All the stories, the secrets and lies come spiraling together at the
point of Unna's departure. And these are all symptomatic of the
complexity that is Malaysia.
Mark Knight
Saltwater moons by Julie Gittus
Lothian 2008. ISBN 9780734410290
(Age 15+) Invited to spend the weekend at a shack owned by his parents,
Sun agrees without hesitation, as she can see that Tycho is as
interested in her as she is in him. But despite the sentimental cover,
making this appear to be a schmaltzy romance, this book concerns the
growing realization of Sun's betrayal by Tycho's friend, Mark. At the
party Tycho is diverted by his former girlfriend, and the drunken Sun
goes down to the beach with Mark. Here they have fumbling sex, Sun for
the first time.
Sun is in year 12, and so feels she is in control of her life and where
she is headed, but her decision to be with Mark, changes her view of
life. Her relationship with Mark causes incredible friction between Sun
and her best friend, and when Sun stays away from school through
illness, on her return the spite towards her has consumed most of the
year group. She turns more and more to Mark, despite the interest from
Tycho still being there, and so she must resolve what is happening in
her life. Most realistic, the behaviour and language of senior students
is most real. Senior students will relish this story.
Fran Knight
The twisted citadel by Sara Douglas
Voyager, 2008.
(Age 15+) This is a quest fantasy in which the central protagonists
Maximillian and Ishbel have to organise the people of their world to
defeat the immediate threat of the Screalings (a swarm of monsters from
the cold north) and an ancient evil from the south. To do this, our
heroes have to regain their heritage of power in the twisted citadel.
Unbeknown to them Ishbel and Maximillian have been groomed through
painful childhood experiences by the devious snake and frog gods.
Further complicating events is the fact that they love each other but
events have parted them, leading to mistrust and misunderstandings on
their reunion.
The Twisted Citadel is
a great read for Sara Douglas fans as she brings back characters from
the Axis books who escaped the destruction of Tencedor. The previously
stand alone books that Douglas has tied in are Threshold which occurred 2000 years
in the past and Under
the Hanging Wall, which is in the recent past for the hero Maxim.
The story refers to previous action but understanding is not dependant
on having read earlier books. However to make sense of The twisted citadel reading The serpent bride is essential as most of the
characters' actions are dependent on events in The serpent bride.
Whilst this is not as strong a book as The Serpent Bride, it carries the story
along and I look forward to a rip roaring finale with our heroes saving
the world. The size of the book and themes make this an adult read or
an older teen read. I would recommend it for this audience.
Leanne Marjanovic
Bunker 10 by J A Henderson
(Age 10 +) Highly Recommended. Seven teenagers have been sent to live on a military base, apparently because of their superior intelligence, although none of them seem to know quite why they are there. All are about to be annihilated in a huge explosion on Christmas Eve - and this story is the countdown to their destruction.
Cheerful stuff! The uncompromising bleakness and violence in Bunker 10 is shocking enough, but hovering above it is the stark suggestion that these are not actually real children, but extremely sophisticated computer programmes.
Simulations are a specialty of this military base and it appears that a team of intelligence experts have been sent into the base to test the ultimate in simulation - computer programmes that can think and act independently and who believe themselves to be real human beings.
There is so much double crossing and ducking and diving that you have to really concentrate while reading Bunker 10, but this outstanding book more than repays the effort. On one level there is enough tactical action to satisfy the most ardent paint-ball fanatic. The speed of action is breathtaking with plenty of shooting and gore. On another level I found the whole story quite unsettling. We know simulations are an important element of the plot and I spent the entire book wondering whether the children were real or not and whether the massive explosion (we are told at the start there are no survivors) would really happen.
J A Henderson is a master. His use of the 'countdown' (each section starts with the time, adding to the sense of urgency) builds the tension until you are racing through, desperate to find out what happens. There are some great touches of humour - I loved the reference to Star Trek. Characterisation of all seven children is engaging - their idiosyncrasies add to both the realism and the humour and while the plot is wildly beyond the realms of reality (I hope!) who cares? This is a fantastic story which should impress the boys. Quick J A Henderson, write another one! Claire Larson
Give me truth by Bill Condon
Woolshed Press, 2008. ISBN 9781741663310
(Age 13+) Two stories overlap in this new novel by Bill Condon. I loved
No
worries (2005) and felt that the voice of the adolescent boy in
that
story, trying valiantly to help his mentally ill mother was just
prefect. I'm not so sure here, but kids will love the story about the
breakdown of marriage and family.
Caitlin's mother has just found out that her husband has been having an
affair. Caitlin tries to comfort her and is willing to keep quiet for
the sake of her younger brother. But she has trouble talking to her
father, and feels the whole family is about to erupt. David's family
has had a major argument ending with David being hit by his father. His
mother and the two children leave the house and move in with their
grandmother. David feels he wants to talk to his father but his mother
is adamant that he does not see him.
The two stories of Caitlin and David intersect when both teens and
their friends audition for a school play. Both the protagonists are
angry with their parents but have to hold some sort of secret within
themselves while outwardly behaving normally. It puts an incredible
strain on their friendships and time spent at school. Condon cleverly
contrasts the two situations; Caitlin's where her parents are
reasonably controlled and civil, David's where his parents are
antagonistic and the father is out of control. The reader can see for
themselves the choices being made by each family in a situation not
conducive to making informed and reasonable decisions. It is at times a
scary read, but adolescent readers will see themselves and/or many of
their friends in this story.
Fran Knight
Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
Can this wonderful series get any better? It certainly can! This is one of the best Artemis Fowl books yet. It is a fabulous adventure, cram packed with humour and thrills, danger and breathtaking near-misses. From his brothers calling him a simple-toon to him meeting his younger self (who tries to outwit him) the one liners just never stop. Mulch's exploding bum-flaps make an unwelcome appearance, and Holly becomes a teenager. There is a kiss, but you'll have to read the book to find out who's involved! And the story? Well, Artemis and friends travel back in time to try and save Artemis' mum from what seems to be an old fairy virus. The cure lies in the brain of an extinct animal, the final one having being sold by Artemis Fowl when he was ten. However, travelling back in time can cause HUGE problems! Not only do you have to ensure you don't change the future, but you have to make sure you don't accidentally bring one of your old arch enemies back with you. The end of this book is just right and leaves you with an intense feeling of satisfaction. Aahh! Nikki Heath
Spirit of hope by Bob Graham
Lothian, 2008. (Age 5-7) Recommended. This is an uplifting book that warms the heart. The Fairweather family, a loving group, is always optimistic and cheerful. Dad works at the local factory and six days a week comes home to be welcomed with lots of attention from his large family. On the seventh day the family heads off to the docks for a picnic and one day they see a large ship, The spirit of hope, which has come from a faraway port. Then devastating news arrives: they have to move out of their house because it is going to be demolished to make room for a matchstick factory. All the Fairweather's friends gather around and help them search for a new home, but it seems hopeless until Mary's toy inspires them with a brilliant idea. This delightful story is beautifully complemented by the illustrations, which bring the family, all their different characteristics, their love for each other and their surroundings alive in a most satisfying way. Colour is used really effectively to pinpoint the emotions of joy and spirit of hope of the family and the despair that occurs when all seems lost. Observant readers will notice Mary's toy and may guess the solution to the family's problems, while others will be pulled along by the descriptions of the fun loving family and their activities and will have fun looking back on the pictures.
This would be a good book to read aloud and the themes of love, family life, using your imagination and ingenuity could result in interesting class discussions. Pat Pledger
Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Pan, 2008
(Age 12+) A change of pace from the author of Dairy Queen and its
sequel, The off season, Princess Ben is a fairy tale with a difference.
When her mother is assassinated and her father and his brother the King
disappear, Princess Benevolence is forced by Queen Sophia to acquire
some of the characteristics befitting a princess. Used to running wild
and having her own way, Ben uses every skill she has to hinder the
queen's attempts to make her lose weight and groom her to rule the
kingdom. When she is locked into a tower she discovers a passage that
leads to an enchanted room and spends her nights learning spells and
how to manipulate a magic broom. However her magical skills are
inadequate and she is flung out into the world to fend for herself.
When war looms she is forced to re-examine what she needs to do to look
after her country.
This coming of age story has the reader empathising with Ben, who has
been used to being the centre of her parents' world. Alone and unloved,
she is determined not to turn into the sort of girl who is only
interested in attracting the right type of suitor. Her courage and
determination to become her own person keeps the reader engrossed as
she thwarts Queen Sophia, pursues her magic skills and survives as a
prisoner in the king of Drachensbett's army. The romance strand with
Florian, the Prince of Drachensbett, is less satisfying to romance
lovers, but fits in well with Ben's feisty character.
This would be an easy to read and enjoyable introduction to the genre
of fairy tales retold and could lead to the exploration of more
in-depth stories like those told by Robin McKinley.
Pat Pledger
One beastly beast by Garth Nix
Allen and Unwin, 2008.
(Ages 9+) Subtitled, Two aliens, three inventors, four fantastic
tales,
this book of short fantasy tales will intrigue and delight the avid
Garth Nix/fantasy reader. Nix has always had a different view of the
world, and his fantasy writing is amongst the best. For older readers,
The Old Kingdom series is magnificent, and for middle school
readers,
The Keys to the Kingdom is just riveting. This book is for
middle
primary students and takes an askance look at some things we take as
written.
The first story, Blackbread the pirate, takes the term video
piracy
literally, as a boy, Peter, on his way to return his family's DVDs to
the video shop, is raided by pirates, Video pirates! The rats
steal his videos and scurry down the sewers, followed by the Navy rats,
resplendent in their blue and gold uniforms. When they ask Peter to
join them, he cannot, being somewhat too large, but an Alice in
Wonderland moment occurs, and Peter is transformed to the size of a
rat.
This funny story is followed by The Princess and the Beastly Beast,
Bill the Inventor and Serena and the Sea Serpent. All
great fun and
sure to please the middle to upper primary student, with illustrations
by Sholto Walker.
Fran Knight
Issues of our time edited by Helen Sykes
Future Leaders,
2008.
ISBN: 9780980332018
This book is for upper secondary students and has articles and essays
by leading thinkers on issues such as climate change, reconciliation,
sexuality, affordable housing, higher education and bioethics. It also
has 9 fiction and 9 non fiction essays selected from work
submitted for the Future Leaders Writers' Prize in 2007, from year 12
students all over Australia.
The essays by eminent thinkers such as Larissa Behrendt, Michael Kirby,
Fiona Stanley and Julian Disney are lucid, comprehensive and very
informative, but only Michael Kirby on Sexuality has an accessible,
personable and inspiring style. The student non fiction section with
articles on climate change, racism, depression, choosing a baby's sex ,
nuclear energy and violence are more original in style, vivid and
readable. The essay on climate change was an opening address to a
conference in 2019 and graphically painted the future we could face if
we continue to ignore global warming. The book is worth getting just
for these essays and is available
for free.
The 9 fiction essays grapple deeply with topics as diverse as Uluru,
homelessness, grief and memory, being and madness. The poetry of
Jessica Bloom in Godot Alone is brilliant. Alec McKinnon
displays
compassion in the beautifully written The Oak Tree when the
newspaper
boy once again hears the old lady's story of her husband's death in
World War 1. Ruby Rousell finds a positive in wearing a back brace for
scoliosis.
Lend a copy to your year 12 English teacher: they will find something
there to share with their students.
It's reassuring that there are students who can write and think like
this. One hopes there are many more like them.
Kevyna Gardner
The world's bellybutton by Tanya Landman
Walker Books 2007.
(Age 7+) William Popidopolis sometimes wishes he had an ordinary name
like Smith, but his Greek connection proves very exciting when, while
holidaying in Greece, he is approached by a large swan who engages him
in conversation. The swan turns out to be Zeus, the king of the gods
and he persuades William to help him in a race against time to retie
the knot that secures the world. With a trip to the Underworld and a
chance encounter with his distant ancestor Odysseus, William, who is
slightly lacking in the confidence department, discovers reserves he
never knew he had. Coming up with an ingenious plan to defeat the
Gorgons and retie the knot, William embarks on the adventure of a
lifetime.
This is a fast paced short novel which will engage newly fluent readers
and would also be suitable to read aloud. Chapters are short, and
usually finish on a cliff-hanger, action outweighs description and the
plot is straightforward and exciting. William is a likeable character
and children will identify with his anxieties and uncertainties and
delight in his success in conquering his fears and saving the world.
Ideal for confident readers, both boys and girls aged 7 plus.
Claire Larson
