Reviews

Possessing Rayne by Kate Cann

Scholastic, 2008
(Age 12+) Rayne is a streetwise teenager living on a sink estate in London. Fed up with city life and desperate to escape her controlling boyfriend and feckless mother, she takes a job at a stately home tucked away in the countryside. However, cream teas and guided tours are not all that's on offer at the local mansion. Half told stories and peculiar happenings prove that there is a sinister side to Morton's Keep which Rayne is determined to investigate. She hooks up with the hypnotically handsome St John and his enigmatic friends, but soon finds herself sucked into a vortex of ancient crimes and new dangers as she struggles to discover the mystery behind Sir Edwin Lingwall, an eighteenth century owner of the house.

The sense of release Rayne feels on escaping the suffocating chaos of London is skilfully portrayed and the power of nature and beauty are recurring themes in this gothic horror story. The tension builds steadily towards a frightening climax played out in the dungeons of Morton's Keep. Plenty of tantalising clues are offered - a door without a handle, a pair of gloves embroidered with grotesque faces, a local mad woman burbling about fire and flood, and every plot strand is neatly resolved in a satisfying conclusion.

On the downside the quality of writing jarred at times. 'She was beginning to feel creeped out' may be 'teen speak', but struck me as literary laziness. But overall this is an exciting, well paced and satisfying read with bags of teen appeal which will no doubt have Cann's loyal fan base demanding more.
Claire Larson

Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley

As an avid reader and admirer of Robin McKinley's work, in particular The blue sword, which was a Newbery Honor book, I grabbed this book and I wasn't disappointed. Jacob has lived his whole life in Smokehill National Park with his scientist father, who studies Draco australiensis, an endangered dragon. His mother has died in mysterious circumstances and his father, overly protective, finally allows him to go deep into the park on his first solo trip. On a hike, miles away from the nearest Ranger, he stumbles across a horrendous scene, the dying thralls of a mother dragon, with all but one of her babies dead and a mutilated poacher nearby. Jake rescues the baby dragon and begins a torturous relationship with a creature who has bonded to him, won't let him out of his sight and singes his skin when he comes near.

This story is not one of McKinley's sweeping magical fantasies with vivid descriptions and interesting dialogue. Instead McKinley sets herself the task of taking on the voice of Jake, now in his 20s, who is the narrator, writing down his recollections of all that has happened since he became the baby dragon's surrogate mother at the age of 15. This is not an easy read, and I found myself reading a few pages and putting it down, but always returning to the story of an isolated young man determined to save a dying species against calls for its extermination and threats to have funding withdrawn.

This story should appeal to intelligent readers of fantasy as once they get used to the narrative voice, will be seduced by the idea of intelligent dragons and the need to have a haven for them. They will also learn about the hard work involved in being a mother, albeit a surrogate.

Pat Pledger

The Iron Throne by Ben Julien

The Runes Saga III John Wiley & Sons, 2007. 215p.
(Ages13-16) The third and final in the Runes Saga, The Iron Throne deals with the final battle at Harlheim against the forces of chaos, led by Ymir, their giant ice controller. Set in the Northern Lands the plot draws on Nordic mythology and is set at a time when Christianity is starting to replace the old gods. However the ancient runes still have power for those who can use it, and Calum is almost the last who can. Lena is a Vala, a woman who also can use the runes, and with Calum and her protectors including the Bear-coats and Wolf-Skins, oppose the army of goblins, cave men, trolls and other creatures of chaos. The forces of good fall back to the ancient heart of the Northlands, Harlheim, and in a final battle find unusual solutions to the attack. The many divisions of Calum's life are finally resolved. The background stories are richly described and the many battle scenes are dramatic. The book has a glossary and a character list, both of which are very useful. This is an intriguing story for lovers of fantasy and Nordic mythology in particular.
Jennifer Hamilton

Little Beauty by Anthony Browne

Who could resist a story about a gorilla who signs? A very special gorilla has been taught sign language, but he is sad. He signs that he is lonely and wants a friend. His keepers give him a little cat called Beauty and they become the best of friends. But one day the gorilla gets very cross with a TV show and breaks the television. Will his keepers think he is too violent to have a tiny cat for a companion? However Beauty is loyal and manages to do some quick thinking to save the day.

This is an engrossing story about loneliness and the power of friendship. The reader becomes very engaged in the story and empathises with the gorilla as he looks after his little friend. Anthony Browne's illustrations are amazing. Each picture begs to be examined closely and it would be an excellent book to read aloud. It could also be used when looking at zoos, animals in captivity and animal intelligence.

Themes Loneliness, Friendship, Zoos.

Pat Pledger

The Dream-Maker's Magic by Sharon Shinn

(Age 12+) This is the third in a delightful series by Shinn and follows The Safe-Keeper's Secret and The Truth-Teller's Tale. For all her 11 years Kellen has been raised as a boy, because her mother insisted that she had given birth to a male baby. When she goes to school she meets Gryffin, a brilliant boy with damaged legs, and together they face their adversities, each helping the other to survive. When Gryffin goes to the capital, Kellen is left behind, wondering if their friendship will survive.

Shinn has created a compelling world where people know that they can tell their secrets to a safe-keeper, and if they wish to know the truth that the truth-teller will never lie. And then there is a dream-maker who can make dreams come true. Shinn's characters live ordinary lives but she weaves a magical story around their relationships. Kellen is a most engaging young girl who grows into a kind and independent woman who has a clear view of the importance of love and friendship.

I loved this series for its gentle humour, strong girls, romance and plot twist and turns. Each book can be read as a stand alone, and they will be sure to appeal to girls who like their fantasy with a touch of romance and will give rise to much pondering on friendship, sibling relations and the nature of love and honesty.
Pat Pledger

Love-Struck by Rachael Wing

Scholastic, 2008.
The press release describes Love-struck as 'Teenage fiction, written by a genuine teenager.' It certainly shows. This is the tedious story of Holly and Wes who are best friends (but not like that you understand) and who each embark on a shaky romance with other people before staring into each other's eyes and realising their destiny as a couple. The story is loosely based on A Midsummer Night's Dream which I'm sure would have the Bard spinning.

The passing nod to Shakespeare is quite irrelevant, but as a publishing ploy will probably be flogged to death. Rachael Wing's previous novel, Star-Crossed, is her own version of Romeo and Juliet.

Love-Struck's plot may be dire but the saving grace is a good ear for dialogue. Holly, the feisty heroine is good at drawing, has a passion for ice cream and comes to life through some Raymond Chandler-esque one liners. Holly's nemesis however is American chick, Emily, who Wing seems to have cut out from an old cereal packet. Introduce Emily and Holly to a gorgeous boy with a lip ring and a geeky boy with glasses and you have your own love quadrangle which aloof Margo (Titania) tries to resolve.

I'm sure Love-struck will be enjoyed by some teenage girls who don't demand a great deal and prefer their plots simple and their endings pat and if you do see them with it you can tell yourself, Oh well, at least they're reading.
Claire Larson

The ice-cream man by Jenny Mounfield

Ford St. 2008 ISBN 978187642680
(Age 11-14) What a great thriller. This book kept me on the edge of my seat wondering if Marty, Rick and Aaron were going to stay alive as the ice-cream man decides to come after them because they hassled him for not stopping to sell them an ice-cream. After all, why wouldn't the ice-cream man be annoyed because he got the fright of his life when a kid in a wheelchair flashes in front of him on the road, and when another kid writes 'Freak' on his van. When Aaron receives a threatening email from the Grim Reaper the boys learn that it is not a good idea to play stupid games. The stalking continues and Rick is terrified when he sees the van parked outside his house in the middle of the night. A weird phone call on his new mobile (and no one is supposed to know the number) has Marty getting worried. Then Rick disappears and the tension mounts.

Add a wonderful mix of characters who are each coming to terms with difficulties in their lives to the thrilling story and the book is a winner. Marty is a great character. He has cerebral palsy and he uses his wheelchair to demonstrate that he can do all sorts of things and leaves the reader breathless with his dangerous escapades. Aaron faces constant beatings from his bullying stepbrother, while Rick is trying to keep it all together after the death of his father, while his mother drowns her sorrows in drink.

I found this book hard to put down and would recommend it as a good way to get readers hooked on the thriller genre. Teacher's notes are available.
Pat Pledger

The changeling by Sean Williams

The Awakening by Bevan McGuiness

Harper Voyager, 2007. ISBN 0732285496 565p. (The Triumvirate: Book 1)
As with most in the fantasy genre, The Awakening deals with the rising up of old powers. Alden, Hwenfayre and Shanek all have their place in the old Empire, but their beliefs, status and stability are all shattered when they become increasingly aware of the powers they possess.

Shanek has been born to rule and he accepts this birthright. He is arrogant, cruel, intelligent and at times oddly uneasy. Alden is part of a small village, accepted but not embraced, is aware of why but bears no ill feeling to any of his fellow villagers or his drunken, unhappy mother. Hwenfayre is a little like Alden, but she is shunned by all around her. She is different and just doesn’t fit in - her fair hair, pale skin and violet eyes of her birth set her apart.

As McGuiness' tale unwinds we find out more about the Empire on land and the groups on the sea - the Children of Danan and the Southern Raiders. Each group has a struggle to endure, to survive as well as make a decision about their future direction. Will they stay within the old ways, accept a life without the old lore, or will the old make decisions for them?

In the first book, the separation of land and sea means the Empire and the Children of Danan and the Southern Raiders are ignorant to a large extent, each of the other. I'm sure these will converge in the subsequent books. I for one eagerly await book 2 to find out whether the destiny hinted at for Shanek comes to fruition. Will he and his former bodyguard meet again? How will Alden fit into all of this? And what part does the triumvirate play? All will be most intriguing.
Mark Knight

My Story: Road to War by Valerie Wilding

Scholastic, 2008.
Wealthy, upper class Daphne has been brought up to believe her role in life is to learn how to run a home. However, after the First World War breaks out, her father is killed in action and her brother declared missing. Daphne is determined to do her bit for the war effort, but bored with knitting socks and rolling bandages she joins the FANYs – the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and finds herself driving ambulances at the front line.

Written as a war diary we are offered a dramatic contrast between Daphne's privileged home existence and her dangerous exploits at the front. This is a valuable record of the changing role of women in an unstable world. Small details such as how daring it was for a girl to cut her hair (long hair had a habit of getting oily when leaning under ambulance bonnets) are sensitively portrayed.

However, the characterisation remains rather flat. Daphne is a pleasant, jolly girl, but her experiences don't tug at the heart strings and although much of her diary is written from the front line you don't feel as though you are there with her. One saving grace is that this book does not offer a stereotyped ending. I had a feeling that Daphne's brother would be found alive – but at the end of the book he is still missing, presumed dead, a poignant reminder of the millions who lost their lives.

This book does not have the same impact as Private Peaceful (Michael Morpurgo), but it does offer an insight into the changing role of women and would be a useful addition to a topic box. The historical notes and photographs contribute greatly to the overall picture and I was fascinated to learn that the FANYs still exist today and worked with the London police in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings in 2005.
Claire Larson

Perky little penguins by Tony Mitton and Guy Parker-Rees

London, Orchard, 2007. Picture book.
An enchanting look at penguins, this picture book written by Tony Mitton and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees is sure to delight its audience, whether reading independently or listening to the wonderful language. Perky little penguins go on a fantastic trip, 'skimming through the snow, slipping on the slidy ice' and having fun wherever they go.
The rhythm, rhyme and alliteration in this story make it a great read aloud and the illustrations add lots of vivid colour as well as giving the reader many chuckles as they follow the antics of the penguins.
As the penguins say:
'Wheeeee!…What a whizzy ride'.
Pat Pledger

The equen queen by Alyssa Brugman

Ford St, 2008. ISBN 9761876462598
(Age 10+) Alyssa Brugman has made an exciting start with her first fantasy novel The equen queen, the second in the Quentaris – Quest of the lost city series. Tab Vidler is once more faced with saving Quentaris, this time from the threat of a trader world, which initially appears to be friendly, beguiling the inhabitants of Quentaris with gems and the promise of an equen that can heal people. Tab is appalled to discover that her magic seems to be disappearing and that she is having difficulties talking to animals. How is she to help overcome the screeching Loraskians when they come marauding and looking for their gems? And what will happen to the equen queen when she is returned to her home planet?

Tab is an strong, engaging heroine whose exploits keep the reader totally enthralled as she plunges from one adventure to the next. The tale of Melprin the dragon and her egg melds well with the sorrow of the equen queen who has been separated from her herd. Readers who enjoy horse stories will recognise some of the traits of the equens and identify with the determination of Tab to return her to her native world.

This was an enjoyable and satisfying story with original twists and turns and challenging ideas. It could be read as a stand-alone, although as many of the characters were first introduced in The spell of undoing, the reader will have a better understanding of relationships if they read that first. Teacher's notes are available.
Pat Pledger

The spell of undoing by Paul Collins

Ford St, 2008. ISBN 9781876462536
(Age 10+) The first book in a new series of Quentaris – Quest of the lost city – sees Quentaris uprooted by a wicked spell and sent flying through the rift-maze. Tab Vidler, a young orphan member of the Dung Brigade, unknowingly witnesses the magic spell of the icefire gem and finds herself a key person in the fight to save Quentaris from the rival city of Tolrush, which has also been hurled into the universe. With her friends, Amelia and Philmon, she sets on a quest to grow as a magician who can speak to animals, while facing great danger, a fiercesome dragon and exciting battles.

The spell of undoing is an enticing start to the series. The characters are very likeable, the illustrations add to the charm of the story, the cover art is attractive and the reader is sure to want to read further adventures of Tab as her powers grows and Quentaris faces many perils in its search for its home.

This can be read as a stand-alone, although the reader can gain further information from the Quentaris website.  Fans of the original series will welcome this new addition, and new readers will be tempted to go back to the original series. Teacher's notes are available.
Pat Pledger

Midsummer Knight by Gregory Rogers

Allen and Unwin, 2008
Bear slumbers in his boat upon the river, and when it bumps into the bank, he disembarks, exploring the forest beyond. Chased by some bees, after raiding their honey, he spies a door at the bottom of a large tree, and runs inside. At the end of the tunnel is another world, one where he is a tiny hatchling compared with the mushrooms, butterfly and mother bird nearby. The bird takes him on her back to another tree with a tiny door at its base, and entering this door, the bear finds he is in a castle, but one where bad things are happening. Thrown into the dungeon he spies the imprisoned king and queen and together they devise a way of escaping, then taking back the castle and restoring the monarchy to its rightful place.

All is told in a wordless graphic book of incredible detail. Bear, with his Cromwellian hat and little cape saves the day in rumbustious style, fighting all and sundry who attack him. The movement and colour on each page draws in the reader, entreating them to take a closer look at everything that is happening. From the Elizabethan king and queen, to the knights in shining armour, the Shakespearian look-a-like for the nasty usurper with his paunchy stomach and goatee beard, the court jester and all, each character is an individual, with his own characteristics and fighting manner.

It is a joy to watch all that is happening and then go back to the beginning taking a closer look at each individual character. A closer look also brings the eye to catch small details, otherwise missed; the fairy ring at the start and end of his adventure, implying perhaps a magical story, the wings on the characters in the forest, the windows in the tree trunks, the people like cushions of the royal couple. Children and adults will delight in this magical story of Bear's adventure one midsummer night, and take time to look and ponder all the allusions given by the artist.
Fran Knight

Indij Readers for little fellas, for big fellas

various authors, (series) Indij Readers, Rockdale, NSW, 2008
A series of small guided readers suitable for primary school people, but aimed at low reading ability students particularly Aboriginal students, this series is delightful. Each of the books is well illustrated, has bold large print, and 16 – 24 pages long. Each has a simple premise, but is told with charm and insight. Each of the stories aims to explore a contemporary Indigenous issue, and so support the idea of Reconciliation.

Our Aunty Sharon (by Chasity Prior, Kelli McIntosh, Philip Murray, Sharon Hughes and Karen Briggs) tells the story of Aunty Sharon who is a volunteer in the classroom, helping the kids read, plays football with them, gets cross with them but is always their Aunty Sharon. There are about 10 sentences, each with a variety of words and sounds, and each page has another question at the bottom of the page, so offering a range of sentence structures.

Firewood and Rabbits (by Ron Jackson and David Leffler) tells the story of Ron Jackson's early life when he lived at Balranald on a mission station. He and his brothers used their father's axe to fashion a raft out of the roof of an old FJ Holden to get across the river to find wood. It is a story about making do, and families and working together.

Dreamtime at the 'G (by Alinta Hayes and Andrew Nelson) will have huge appeal to middle school students, with its history of the AFL and the games played at the MCG in Melbourne. The book shows the development of the game from Gaelic and Marn Grook, to racism in the game and Aboriginal players over the years. It's a winner.

Lake Mungo, our story (by Johnno Mitchell, Leanne Taylor, Naomi Carr, Raeleen Berriman, Ron Jackson, Roslyn Thorpe, Vanessa Dyke and Wendy McDougall) This wonderful little book uses a variety of fonts and design to present information about Lake Mungo. It presents the flora and fauna of the area, and shows the erosion, the fossils and talks about the finding of Mungo Man and Mungo Woman, buried in the area.

Each of the books is most interesting to read and a set of these will add to the guided reading boxes in the classroom. A Teacher's handbook comes with the set, giving ideas about using the series, as well as information about what to look for in each book. (info@indijreaders.com.au or visit www.indijreaders.com.au)
Fran Knight