Reviews

The cow that laid an egg by Andy Cutbill and Russell Ayto

Harper Collins, 2008.
(Age 3-7) When Marjorie the cow feels left out because she has no special skills, the chickens decide to help. The other cows can do splendid things, handstands and riding bikes, but Marjorie feels very ordinary. But when she wakes the next morning with an egg underneath, she shrieks her news all over the barnyard. The other cows are naturally suspicious and are convinced that the egg does not belong to her, but when it hatches; its first word belies that assumption.

The illustrations are superb. Marjorie is the loveliest cow I have seen in a picture book, with her downcast eyes and ears, and big black spots which are repeated on the end papers. The other animals are all differentiated with drawings that accentuate their differences. The chickens are simply drawn, with a circle and stripes and appendages, but each chicken looks different because the illustrator has changed around the shape and place of the appendages. It sounds simple but it looks just great. And I loved the other cows, with their menacing looks and overbearing attitudes.

A disarming book about feeling special and belonging, The cow that laid an egg will find a home in every library where kids love laugh out loud books. Children will adore the off beat story with the farmyard of animals vying for attention. They will readily identify with Marjorie, longing to be special and looking for the skills to make her so. Children will recognize that need to be different in some way and have a skill that no one else has, but at the same time, be part of the group. Marjorie the cow is a perfect vehicle to talk to students about what makes them special.
Fran Knight

Under the Same Stars by Suzanne Fisher Staples

Walker Books, 2007.
(Age 14+) In this powerful and superbly written sequel to Daughter of the Wind, set in Pakistan, Suzanne Fisher Staples writes openly about the Muslim culture and women's roles in a society bound strictly to traditional expectations.

Shabanu is the youngest, and the favourite, of four wives of Rahim, an older man of power and prestige. His other wives are jealous of Shabanu's position in the household and she must be ever watchful of her young daughter and herself. She spends time in Rahim's town house which provides some escape from the cruelty of the other wives but it is here that she encounters the love of a young man already betrothed. Also, her dear friend Zabo has been promised in marriage to Rahim's simple but only son, Ahmed. Tragedy occurs as the two girls become entangled in these binding family ties.

Recalling themes in Romeo and Juliet, this modern tragedy is an absorbing and emotive read, showing how powerless an individual can be when up against the demands of a strict society.

Staples worked for many years in Pakistan as an international correspondent: she brings to this story a wonderful sense of place and time. The rural landscape provides a haven for Shabuna as she battles the complexities of city life; it offers true family support, safety and cultural wisdom though at the expense of a modern education for her daughter.

This novel extends our understanding of a complex society and reveals how the fight for individual freedom can be dangerous even in modern times. Under the Same Stars is endorsed by Amnesty International.
Julie Wells

Crossing the line by Dianne Bates

Ford St Publishing, 2008. ISBN 9781876462703

(Age 14+) When Sophie moves into a share house, it is a new start. She still attends sessions with her psychiatrist, Noel, is checked up by the social worker, Jan, and monitored by her case worker, Marie. But Jan goes overseas, and when things begin to stress her at school and at home, she resorts to her old coping method, cutting herself.

Time in a psychiatric hospital leads her to Helen, her psychiatrist while an inpatient. But Sophie transfers her affections to Helen, and cannot stay away from her, once she returns to her usual life. Once back in her share house, Sophie finds it hard to communicate with her old friends, sleeping a lot, having daydreams while they are talking to her, becoming argumentative when they try to help. Eventually she cuts herself again, after a final rejection from Helen, who she is now stalking. Her flatmates find her and she is patched up once again. It is through the support of her friends that she finally realises that there is life after self harm.

An intriguing look at the motivation of one young person, Crossing the line will have broad appeal to middle secondary readers who have heard about self harm and want to know more. The background is very real, the hospital and sessions with case workers and doctors, frightening as they present a reality not known to many, but the times she spends with her friends is a little hard to believe as I cannot imagine many young people being so sympathetic or understanding. This complex novel will bring information and enlightenment to those who want to know, but it also tells the story of one young woman for whom life has dealt a poor hand. How she copes with all that is thrown at her makes for engrossing reading.
Fran Knight

Triskellion by Will Peterson

Walker Books, 2008
(Age 11+) Surprisingly Will Peterson is the pseudonym of Mark Billingham and Peter Cocks, both writers for television in England. They have collaborated on a number of projects and decided to write a trilogy for children, which took inspiration from their interests in history, science fiction and crime. Triskellion is the first title in the mystery series.

At the time of a difficult divorce in America, twins Rachel and Adam are sent to England by their mother to stay with their grandmother. A mysterious force seems to have taken over the village and the children cannot feel at home here. They share a heightened sense of foreboding for the place and are soon caught up in strange happenings. When a television crew comes to the village to investigate a Bronze Age archaeological find, the children, along with the help of a strange outsider, discover a hidden but sinister secret which shrouds the village and seems connected in some way to their mother's family.

Imaginatively told, Triskellion is an action packed story with plenty of interesting, though often volatile, characters.There is a dream-like quality to Gabriel the young boy who seems to belong to another world. Other characters seem possessed and driven to violence. Unexplained phenomena haunt some mysterious places.

As with many such adventures the young protagonists seem too often left to their own devices, but this makes for a great read!
Julie Wells

The (not quite) perfect boyfriend by Lili Wilkinson

True Green Kids by Jim McKay and Jenny Bonnin

ABC Books, 2008.
(All ages) There are a few of these books hitting the market at the moment, showing kids how they can do the most simple things to recycle, be healthy, conserve energy and implement a green way of living in their own home. Some books stress recycling, others, things to do at school, while some preach a wider view. This book is a little different in that it uses colour, fun things to do, hints and information to make the whole area of helping to save the planet, a fun thing to do.

The subtitle, 100 ways to save the planet, says it all. From using less water to brush your teeth, to green ways of having a dog, to checking a can for a recycling logo, all the hints are basic, fundamental and easy. The book is divided into 10 chapters, starting with In your room, to a last chapter on True green facts. In your room, for example, picks out a number of ways kids can make better use of their space - putting electrical appliances into sleep mode when not being used, adding an extra blanket instead of using a room heater, adding plants, recycling instead of throwing out. Another chapter, With friends, presents some things kids can do: write to politicians, set up a swap club, read information about global warming, while the last chapter, True green facts, explains very briefly, some of the terms that kids hear over and over, greenhouse, global warming and so on. This chapter is followed by a section with a quiz that kids can do to see how efficient they are, 4 pages of web addresses, 2 pages of glossary and information about Clean Up Australia Day as well as Adventure Ecology, a group devoted to inspiring planet friendly attitudes amongst the young.

A copy in your school library and classroom would not go amiss, adding as it does to the range of books on offer to kids wanting to do something about the state of the world. It is a positive, inspiring little book of recommendations, which will simply take a change of attitude and the way we have always done things, none of which are costly.
Fran Knight

The savage by David Almond

Ill. by Dave McKean. Walker, 2008.
(Age 9+) Highly recommended. Once again David Almond has created an outstanding book which will challenge and provoke his readers. Blue Baker's dad has died and his school counsellor tells him to write down his thoughts and feelings. Instead he writes a strange and compelling story about a savage who lives under the ruined chapel in Burgess Wood. The savage can't talk, hunts rabbits, and has old kitchen knives as weapons. He pays a visit to Stokoe's farm and brandishes an axe as he rides a pig. In the dead of night he creeps into the bedroom of the bully Hopper and it is then that Blue has to come to grips with his inner savage.

The way Almond shows how Blue deals with grief is heartbreakingly honest. It examines through Blue's story how angry he is at his father's death and how he works through his anguish by writing about a savage, gradually coming to a stage where he comes to terms with his sorrow and can look with hope to the future.

Dave McKean's dark blue and green ink illustrations are a perfect collaboration with the story and depict an eerie savage complete with knife and a fox skin around his belt. His drawings of Blue and his little sister Jess show the tender side of Blue as he begins to heal.

This is a wonderful book that explores the boundary between fantasy and reality, the violence that children can harbour, love between family members and the healing power of writing.

Pat Pledger

Marty's shadow by John Heffernan

(Age 13+) Recommended. This is a finely wrought tale about 16 year old Marty, a loner, resentful and riddled with doubts and terrifying memories. Marty has the care of his young brother Jack, as the boys' father is often working away. Left to their own devices by a largely uncaring and neglectful father since their mother had left, the two boys look after each other. Marty however, increasingly finds that his life is unbearable as he fights to remember whether his dreams about what has happened at the old quarry are real or imagined.
The voices of the solid and well-developed characters make this an unforgettable story. Marty's angst and his descent into shadows come to life as he battles with eerie memories from the past. Jack, youthful and less damaged by his mother's departure, comes across as an optimistic and very likeable young boy. The angry and grim man who is Marty's father grips the imagination and leaves the listener in fear for the boys.

Heffernan skillfully introduces his refugee family in the story giving Nariah a central role in befriending Marty and helping him to realise that his love of trees and skill with plants is worthwhile.
Pat Pledger

Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan

HarperCollins, 2007
(Age 9+) The author was only 13 when she wrote this book and it will be an inspiration to all young writers. She has created a believable world populated by extraordinary birds. Turnatt, a red-brown hawk, has kidnapped countless birds to build Fortress Glooming. Tricking the cardinals and blue jays into believing that the other group was responsible for the disappearance of their friends, he has destabilised the bird groups and made them easy prey for his evil deeds. Only Swordbird, a mythical creature, can save the forest.

Nancy Yi Fan vividly describes the slavery suffered at the hands of the tyrant Turnatt and sends a powerful message of peace and the power of an insignificant individual to bring about change. Her prose is compelling and the action moves along at a smart pace. Each new chapter has a thought provoking saying from the Book of Heresy or Old Scripture which gives an added dimension to the story. Illustrations by Mark Zug give intensity to the characters.

The book should appeal to readers who enjoy animal tales like Redwall, and they could move from here to Clem Martini's Crow Chronicles or Kenneth Oppel's bat series. The book could be a useful tool for teachers when providing role models of young authors and their ability to write.
Pat Pledger

Nighttrap by Tom Becker

Scholastic 2008
Jonathan's friend Mrs Ellwood has been kidnapped by Vendetta the vampire. As ransom Vendetta demands the Crimson Stone, a priceless gem which is in the possession of Xavier, an elderly and fanatical antique collector. Jonathan must secure the help of a crack team of thieves to break into Xavier's impenetrable fortress, but once inside Jonathan's worst nightmares are realised as the true, horrible identity of Xavier is revealed and the Crimson Stone remains just out of reach.

The third in the Darkside series this is a gothic thriller on speed with plenty of whirlwind action that you can almost visualise jumping off the page. Peopled with vampires, a werewolf, magicians, a fire eater and two argumentative trapeze artists there is sufficient drama and humour to appeal to every discerning young reader. The superb cover deserves a special mention and should certainly encourage children to pick up the book.

Darkside is another world that exists parallel to the city of London and in this Becker must surely be borrowing from Neil Gaimon's hugely successful Neverwhere, but that doesn't really matter as Tom Becker has created a well written, cinematic novel that should have boys champing at the bit for more.

One word of warning; the stories build on each other, so it's better to read them in the right order.
Claire Larson

Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer

Simon and Shuster
It's such a relief to read something in the third person. No teenage angst here, but solid adventure, set in the past with a time travel milieu, when two teens find themselves transported back to the eighteenth century after an accident in Kate's father's laboratory.
The two go on a search for a way back to the present, but their every effort is thwarted by the lack of modern comforts, travel in particular.

When they wake after the accident in the lab, they are found by Gideon, who helps them to his place of employment where they are given a warm welcome. With the excuse that their clothes were stolen by a highwayman, the lady of the house gives them clothing, although their feet are too big to fit any shoes they have. The body odour, clothing and especially the food they are offered to eat, all come as a huge shock to the pair, but they must put up with it until they find the man who has run off with the machine.

Tying their future with Gideon, they are all after the Tar Man, the scoundrel responsible for the theft of the machine and their journey takes them to London.  The story toggles cleverly between the families searching for their children, and the Police as they try to uncover the mystery, gaining no help from the family that knows what has happened and the children in the eighteenth century. It's all exciting and involved, riveting and so well written, you want to read more when it ends. And luckily there is a sequel.
Fran Knight

Daddies by Catriona Hoy and Mal Webster

Hachette Livre (Lothian Children's Books), 2008
(Age 3+) Recommended. This is a humourous look at fathers and what they do. Everyone in the family thinks they know what daddies are for. Mum thinks they're for washing dishes, grandma thinks they are for putting in light bulbs and Charlotte thinks they are for brushing hair, but Daddies are for WILD THINGS. They chase and scare, throw mud and walk the plank.

This is a delightful book with wonderful illustrations that celebrates the joy that fathers can bring into their children's lives. The pudgy, happy father is full of fun and love and the children have a fantastic time playing with him.

This would be great to read aloud and children would enjoy thinking of other ways that dads can be wild.
Pat Pledger

Sovay by Celia Rees

Bloombury, 2008. ISBN 9780747598084
(Age 13+) It's difficult to resist picking up this book with its beautiful girl on the front cover and the enticing words 'She fought for her life. She robbed for love'. When the blurb describes Sovay hiding her face with a black mask and green silk kerchief, and pronouncing the words 'Stand and Deliver!' the reader knows that there will be adventure and romance galore ahead. The story starts with a traditional ballad about a girl named Sovay who decides to test her lover's feelings for her by posing as a highwayman and trying to steal the ring that she had given him as a token. In the ballad her lover refuses to hand over the ring, but in Celia Rees' story, Sovay's fiance turns out to be a seducer of young maids, and is easily persuaded to turn over the ring when Sovay threatens his life.

Set against a backdrop of the French Revolution, this is a story full of intrigue and adventure. Sovay's father is a free thinker and sympathetic to the ideals of equality. He is suspected of plotting against the Crown, and Sovay finds herself again dressed as a highwayman, this time to thwart the evil intentions of people conspiring against her family. After many adventures and encounters with attractive men, Sovay faces great danger in Paris in the midst of the French Revolution.

This is a very satisfying adventure story with a feisty heroine, dastardly villains and intriguing spies. It is sure to appeal to readers who like their history spiced with a bit of romance.
Pat Pledger

Knife of never letting go by Patrick Ness

Walker, 2008. ISBN 9781406310252
Chaos Walking, Book 1.
(Age 13+) Highly recommended. This is a stunning, unforgettable book with a totally original plot that completely captures the imagination of the reader. Todd Hewitt lives in Prentisstown, where he is constantly battling against the jabber of The Noise. As a result of a virus, everyone in Prentisstown can hear not only each other's thoughts but those of animals. All the women and girls have died so it is a male dominated society. When Todd finds a pool of silence, he discovers to his amazement that it is a girl and he cannot hear her thoughts. Pursued by Aaron, a religious zealot, and the men of Prentisstown, Todd and Viola try to escape and the resulting chase is fraught with danger and adventure.

The Noise is a wonderful ploy that pushes the action packed plot along and brings alive the main characters. One of the most engaging is Manchee, Todd's dog. Ness has managed to give an animal a really credible voice. When Todd and Viola are being pursued, the thrill of the chase is magnified by not only by being able to hear the noise that the men make but their thoughts as well.

The story is much more than an exciting chase. Ness explores a society where women are banned and a fundamentalist religion dominates. Todd faces the moral dilemma of whether or not he can kill a man and the ethics of murdering the Spackle, an indigenous race, are examined.

I can't wait for the next two books in this series.
Pat Pledger

Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine

HarperCollins Children's Books
If you saw an urn in a taxi office, what would you do? Most of us would just leave it there, think nothing of it, and get your ride home. However, Lucas can't get the thought of being left on a shelf, all alone, out of his head. Getting his gran to pose as a relative of Violet's family, he takes ownership of her ashes.
Determined to find out just who Violet was and why she was abandoned, Lucas decides to do some investigating. As he begins to uncover her life, he discovers that she is linked extraordinarily closely to his, and to that of his 'missing' father.
This is a strange, but highly entertaining, poignant book, which might just leave you looking at life's little coincidences in a totally different way.
Nikki Heath