Having read all of the wonderful Aussie STEM Stars narrative non-fiction series to date, the latest book Skye Blackburn-Lang: Eating bugs for the planet written by Dianne Wolfer, is a fabulous read. What an incredible life Skye Blackburn-Lang has had beginning with her childhood, her schooling, her tertiary studies and finally to her unique and vital business of encouraging people in Australia and overseas to try Entomophagy – the practice of eating insects.
Encouraged as a young child to explore her natural environment, Skye’s love of insects began at an early age. She was fortunate to find teachers who continued to foster her love of nature and guide her to find answers to her never-ending questions. From school, Skye decided to study a double degree in Entomology and Food Science which would set her on her path to where she is today.
Skye’s interest in insects as a food source came about through her travels to Thailand where she spent time at a local market trying various options and then chatting to the store holders. Always thinking, Skye decided to trial the idea of insects as high protein food alternatives on the Australian public at local markets. She is aware that as the world’s population grows, traditional food sources such as beef and fish will no longer be sustainable. Slowly the idea of other sources of protein took off and now Skye has a thriving business called Circle Harvest Edible Bug Shop- Circle Harvest Australian Farmed Insect Protein where you are able to order edible insects.
This book with a glossy presentation and lots of colour photographs is highly recommended for school and public libraries.
Mim and the Anxious Artist is the third book in the wonderful series The Travelling Bookshop written by Katrina Nannestad. For Mim Cohen, her brother Nat and their wise and gentle father, living in a travelling bookshop is full of excitement, adventure, and the possibility to make new friends.
This story begins with a baguette and a view of the Eiffel Tower. The travelling bookshop led by Flossy has arrived in Paris. Wherever it travels to, the bookshop is always there for a reason, in this case to help a struggling artist who cannot part with his striking portraits. Once they are settled the bookshop caravan becomes a whole world of marvellous books which are shared by an eclectic range of characters all in need of that perfect book to make a difference in their life.
The children meet Pierre, a talented artist who upsets his customers when he refuses to part with the portraits he paints of them. He finds sanctuary in the bookshop and through the wisdom of Mim’s father and the friendship of Madame Lachapelle, Pierre eventually finds a solution to his anxiety about sharing his paintings.
This story is one of great love and kindness and would be a wonderful read aloud to Year 2 to Year 5 students. The plot is both humourous and entertaining with an opportunity to escape to Paris through beautiful descriptions of places such as the Louvre, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur and Tuileries Garden combined with appealing illustrations by Cheryl Orsini.
Pan Macmillan, 2022. ISBN: 9781529094961. (Age:Adult - Senior secondary) Recommended.
Lucinda Riley, best-selling author of the Seven Sisters series and the Angelseries wrote The Murders at Fleat House in 2006. It is her only crime novel and her son Harry Whittaker decided to leave it as he found it after her death in 2021. The story has stood the test of time as a compelling and interesting crime novel and introduces Detective Inspector Jazmine ‘Jazz’ Hunter and her sidekick DS Alistair Miles.
Fleat House is part of the small private school of St Stephen’s in Norfolk. When Charlie Cavendish is found dead, Jazz is convinced that his death was not accidental, and when investigating, turns up some disturbing incidents in the past as well as the present. Charlie was known to be a bully and there were people around him who could have switched the drugs he took for his epilepsy. When a young pupil, Rory Millar, disappears and the Classics teacher dies, it is up to Jazz to link up the clues and find the killer.
The claustrophobic atmosphere of St Stephen’s provides a background for the murder and the bullying that has not been stopped by the teaching staff. There are themes of divorce, alcoholism and infidelity in the wider school community and some red herrings will lead the reader astray until the final denouement.
The Murders at Fleat House is an easy to read, engaging story with a detective who is likeable and a mystery that is compelling. Readers are likely to be left wishing that there were more novels featuring Jazz and her team.
Midnight Sun Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 9780987380975. (Age:Adolescent)
Fourteen year-old Zac, feeling a little neglected by his mother who is preoccupied with researching her PhD thesis, is hoping to re-connect with his dad by spending Christmas with him in Alaska.
Zac’s parents had separated ten years earlier, and on his infrequent visits over the years, Zac’s father had been abusive and emotionally distant. Zac hopes that they will bond by spending time together in the wilderness and managing his dad’s husky teams, but nothing he does is good enough for his now-alcoholic father, who reacts with verbal and physical abuse to Zac’s shortcomings.
After Zac disobeys his father, has an accident while sledding and loses the dog team, his father erupts with a particularly violent outburst. Zac decides to return home to his mother and tries to hitch-hike to the airport in Anchorage.
Against his better judgement, he is picked up by Stanley, a weather-beaten Alaskan native truck driver, but when they are caught in a blizzard, and the truck breaks down, they are forced to continue together on foot. Unsurprisingly, Stanley is all that Zac’s dad is not, and as they battle the elements, Stanley, with his nurturing, encouragement and insights into human nature, enables Zac to begin to understand his father better.
This is a wild adventure story, with a healthy dose of both out-door action and teen-age self-examination. Cooper, who has spent time working in Alaska, includes a Native Alaskan tale as a parallel to Zac’s growth, and vividly describes the harsh conditions of the land.
Some coarse language and violence are depicted, and in parts, Zac’s introspection feels a little laboured, but overall, Something About Alaska is an easy read with universal themes, as both Zac and his father realise and overcome their fears and pride, determined to work on developing a new relationship together.
A durable board book this tale encourages readers to look more closely at the offspring of several Australian animals, while learning the Gamilaraay names for each, encouraging children to repeat these new words in the text. In looking for its offspring an animal checks out a range of others. A snake appears on the first double page, but is rejected as this noori is too scaly. Over the page the cheeky face of an emu is shown, but the dinewah is too feathery. Next a koala looks at the reader, but this guda is too fluffy. A turtle is on the following page but warrants are too hard. After looking at several more animals, the mother feels movement in her pouch and by now readers will have guessed that the mother is a kangaroo, and her baby is in her pouch.
A mother searching for her baby underlines the importance of family and connection, of belonging, of the comfort of being together. The animals along with their Gamilaraay words, will delight younger readers, intent on recognising the animal shown and working the new words on their tongues.
Descended from the Kamilaroi and Euahlayi people of south-west Queensland and north-west New South Wales, Greg is a musician, storyteller and illustrator. He sings and tells stories at schools and festivals, and has won awards for his lively stories, Mad magpie and Silly birds.
The Silver Sea is the second in a series. Sophie is on holidays in England staying with her beloved Nanna. One morning she wakes up and there is no sign of Nanna. Her cat Baccio tells her that she needs to go and save her Nanna and Nanna’s sister, Nonna, in Tuscia. Sophie travels to Tuscia through an ancient English/Roman site with a portal. Tuscia is an Italian region in Renaissance times but with mythical creatures like flying horses and sirens. Nonna is from an aristocratic wealthy background and she has bred prized rare horses. These, along with a lot of money, have been stolen and the sisters kidnapped. Sophie and her friend Nicco, Nonna’s grandson, valiantly try to find the grandmothers and free them. However they are captured by bandits and then must evade the soldiers of the evil Mago of Venetto. They successfully join up with a theatre troupe who will perform for the Mago. This allows them to be closer to where the grandmothers are imprisoned in the Mago’s palazzo. Sophie and Nicco are relentless and brave in their efforts to save Nanna and Nonna.
Although it is possible to read The Silver Sea as a stand-alone novel I think it would be a far more satisfying experience to have read The Golden Tower first. The world of Tuscia and the characters mentioned in the first book would have been well established. This is a story that aims to entertain the reader with a lot of action and adventure. And maybe, since it is the second in the series, there is not much character development. Baccio the cat adds funny sarcastic jibes, Sophie, Nicco and the Nannas are smart and brave. The baddies are pretty bad! Belinda Murrell clearly loves Italy, the culture, language and cuisine. There are many mouthwatering meals cooked and consumed. The reader also learns about commedia dell’arte and Venetto is modelled on Venice. A glossary at the beginning of the book is helpful and the jacket design beautifully complements the story.This is a book suitable for confident primary years readers. No doubt there will be another in the series.
Themes Bravery, Fantasy, Italy, Friendship.
Jo Marshall
Scorpion Falls by Martin Chatterton
Ford Street Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 9781922696090. (Age:12+) Highly recommended.
A look at Martin Chatterton’s website tells the reader that If you're a fan of Stephen King, or Stranger Things, you'll love Scorpion Falls. And true to his word the author has written a gothic horror/thriller that fans will love.
Theo Sumner is a 14-year-old living in an isolated mining town, Scorpion Falls. He is a loner, targeted by bullies at school and having a challenging time at home with his mother in a wheelchair with MS. He works at the Iguana Motel to help make ends meet and is very friendly with Ari Patel the daughter of the owner of the motel. He is uniquely placed to see what is going on in the town and when teenagers start to disappear, he focuses on a stranger who has stayed in room 42 of the motel.
Told in Theo’s words the novel moves forward at a fast pace. There are some frightening scenes like eyeballs being found on a bed in the motel, and Theo’s mum admitting she put them there. Even more bizarre things happen when he falls into the back of a wardrobe, into a terrible maze. Twists and turns, strange happenings, a sinister research facility - just what is going on?
Chatterton pulls the reader into Theo’s mind in an exciting and tense gothic thriller with nods to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Theseus and the Minotaur. There are themes of racism and alienation to challenge the reader and the twist at the end of the scorpion’s tail is unexpected. Teacher’s notes are available.
Definitely recommended for readers who enjoy strange happenings and thrilling moments.
Three final-year high school students Sydney, Rain and Brianna have grown up together on the outskirts of a California desert town as best friends. However as their parents’ circumstances change and two of them are able to move to the more expensive suburbs, their allegiances are tested, fatally.
Brie moves first when her father’s business starts to improve, and she is quick to shake off her childhood friends, leaving Syd and Rain feeling abandoned. She has her sights set on attending a prestigious college and is studying hard, to prove to her father that he should fund this.
When Rain’s mother wins the lottery, they also move ‘down the hill’, and now that she has money, Rain is readmitted into Brie’s group, leaving Syd bereft.
This not uncommon story of friends growing apart, is given depth as Kahaney reveals the motivations for their behaviour; the desire to escape poverty, to avoid an abusive parent, to grieve a lost one, the pressures to appear perfect, have money and possessions, and make friends and influence others.
The novel is told in 13 parts, each from one of the girl’s perspective, over a period of a year. The pivotal event is the house fire in which Brie dies and Syd becomes a suspect, and each chapter adds to our knowledge and understanding of how and why the fire occurred, as layers of deceit and desire are slowly revealed by each girl’s memories and actions. From several viewpoints we see that privilege is not always what it seems, and friendships can be expendable.
In places this is not a pleasant read, as each girl struggles with their sense of self-worth and the very worst of ‘mean girl’ behaviour, regularly using drugs and alcohol to cope. However, it is a skilfully written story that addresses many of the issues facing teen-aged girls, including making and keeping friendships as circumstances and priorities change, and self-preservation kicks in. A gripping read that delivers right up to the final plot twist and raises many contemporary discussion points.
Themes Friendship, Families, Relationships.
Margaret Crohn
Thank you, teacher from the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Eric Carle, a prolific author and illustrator of children’s books, died in 2021, but his website is still active and luckily more books written by him are being published as he sold his rights to PenguinRandomHouse in 2021. For more about him and his work see https://eric-carle.com/
This charming board book extolls the virtues of saying thank you to someone who has helped a child scale heights. They are thanked for reading stories, for helping someone hang in there, for offering friendship and helping them see the value of friendship in others, for being wise and inspirational. Each double page has Carle’s recognisable illustrations: a pile of books and a caterpillar, an owl spreading its wings, a spider and caterpillar in the long grass, bees buzzing around honeycomb, each accompanied by a few words which show how much is owed to a teacher who has inspired. Children will love looking for Eric Carle’s signature illustrations: a caterpillar, bees, owl, spider, butterflies and apples, reflecting the other books children will know and love from his astonishing output. And spotting the caterpillar on each page will add to the humour of the storyline.
All of the virtues presented will engender further discussion amongst older readers, as they ponder who taught them to care about their world, or encouraged their uniqueness, or supported their attempts to fly.
This is a lovely easily held, strong board book dedicated to thanking teachers who have inspired and supported, reminding people to say thank you. The apple motif runs through the book, an apt opportunity to talk about the idiom, an apple for the teacher.
Themes Caterpillars, Eric Carle, Teachers, Acknowledgement, Humour.
Fran Knight
How to make a pet monster: Smidgen by Lili Wilkinson
Albert Street Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781761067433. (Age:7+) Highly recommended.
Have you ever wished for your very own pet monster? One that is cute and would keep you entertained forever? Well, Artie, Willow and Arabella Rose are back to create one again. Previously, after finding an ancient spell book called the BIGGE BOKE OF FETCHING MONSTERS, Artie and Willow created Hodgepodge, Artie’s best friend. But when they tried to create one for Willow, Flummox turned out to be Arabella Rose’s. Now Willow is desperate for her own!
Working together to gather the ingredients, the trio use their ingenuity to find items that are just right. But, trying to keep their monster secret can be a little tricky, especially when your club house gets invaded! Enter Zayn, a cool kid who loves soccer. He explodes into the headquarters, and they aren’t sure how much to tell him. However, Willow is so desperate for her own pet monster, they must make some compromises. So now everything looks like it is going to plan, until Willow becomes scrambled in her Dad’s souffle cooking competition! Will her monster dreams be smashed forever, or will they work out an egg-cellent solution!
Smidgen (#3 How to make a pet monster) is the third book in the series, but you can easily catch up with the characters and plot to enjoy even if you haven’t read the previous books. Lili Wilkinson writes an entertaining story. Filled with adventure, humour and fast paced action, the reader will be left enjoying every minute. The book also contains great cartoon pictures by Alex Patrick. These enrich the text and allow the audience further levels of engagement. The text has a larger font, which is easy to navigate and not overwhelming for those entering the excitement of a slightly longer novel.
With entertaining characters, a humorous storyline and jampacked with cool illustrations, this novel provides high engagement for the reader. The clever typography adds further interest, and this novel is sure to appeal to anyone who enjoys fun, adventure and some cute monsters to keep them amused too!
Award winning author David Almond has written another lyrical and memorable story set in Japan. Mina and her mother are visiting Kyoto and when she is travelling on a bus, she watches a woman make a beautiful origami boat. The woman generously gives it to her and makes a bird as well. Mina’s imagination soars as she sails the boat and flies the bird, leaving Kyoto behind.
Beautiful illustrations enhance the story, showing the vivid red boat and bird in the city and tourist attractions. The drawings are in black pencil against a white background with red as the predominant colour of the origami as well as in stripes on a shirt and skirt, fish, and cars.
The story is simple, yet lingers in the mind, leaving the reader with a desire to visit Japan and learn how to make origami. Words in Japanese are pronounced throughout the story and tourist spots are explored. Almond gives background to his visits to Japan over the years and to the origins of the story. There is an excerpt from Skellig, which will encourage the reader to revisit this Carnegie Medal, Whitbread Children's Book Award winning book, as well as My name is Mina where Mina was first introduced.
Paper Boat, Paper Bird is a lovely introduction to Japan for children. Its warmth and emphasis on the imagination and creativity, make it a very positive feel-good experience, both as a read aloud and for the independent reader. Activity sheets and teacher's notes are available.
Having read Hattie and Olaf (2021) as my first introduction to the work of Swedish author, Frida Nilsson, I was very keen to read her latest book The Ape Star. Nilsson, once again, creates in 9 year old Jonna, a wonderful, feisty and funny female main character. Jonna has been likened to Pippi Longstocking. Perhaps it is the orphaned girl; perhaps there is something about the Swedish style of presenting character. In any case year 4 classes at my school were introduced to The Ape Star today in the library. Though we have only just read to the part where the ape steps out of the beat up old car to the shock of all the hopeful orphans at Renfanan Home for Orphans and though we haven't even finished the first chapter, the children are begging for the The Ape Star to be read every time that they have library lesson-in serial form.
The story is told in first person through Jonna's voice. The plot moves at a jaunty pace. We are introduced to Gerda, the manager of the orphanage. Although she is nasty, the nastiness is somehow not too bad when viewed through the inimitable perspective of Jonna. Basically the orphanage children all... 'longed for a real home, a real mother, a lovely one with her hair in a bun and a waft of perfume.'
We meet the sinister Tord Fjordmark and a sense of foreboding is created. A crisis develops and must be overcome. There is a sense of a terrible power imbalance and it is little people against the Council. Out of the deepening crisis comes initiative, teamwork and a realisation of what is important.
The Ape Star teaches that love doesn't come in neat packages and it teaches something about the petty nastiness that is dealt out to people who look different. With delicate sensitivity, Nilsson depicts the embarrassment felt by children when they or their family do not fit the norm and the difficulty of feeling always judged and looked down upon when you or a loved one is different. Young readers would empathise with Jonna as she struggles through a range of these emotions until she reaches the place where the power of love overcomes and negates everything else.
The reader needs to focus on some details at the start of the book because the story is circular and connections will be made through a trail of little breadcrumbs which bring aha moments and great satisfaction. The delightful accompanying illustrations come from the feature film The Ape Star.
I concur with The Times Children's Book of the Week - 'Nilsson has the power to make you remember what it was like to be small, fierce, disempowered...- However feeling disempowered is not a barrier to Jonna - ever!
The Ape Star is a delight!
Themes Orphans, Acceptance of difference, Love.
Wendy Jeffrey
Bootstrap by Georgina Young
Text Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 9781922330772. (Age:18+)
Jackson Sweeney is stuck in his small rural township heading nowhere. Life is aimless, and being gay in this town does not come without taunts and jeers. Jackson’s direction and spark for life changes though when he encounters the rather unusual stranger who goes by the name ‘Bootstrap’. Marnie lives in the city and her family has connections to the same small rural township. Her life is unsettled since her breakup from boyfriend Ben. She is snarky and troubled, lippy and similarly unsettled. Her life too is going nowhere, and having to visit the small rural community is just more evidence of the pointlessness of her life. And then time seems to work against them and reveals that it cannot be trusted. Time splits and time travel are part of Bootstrap’s life that he introduces to Sweeney, and Marnie’s encounter with another time fluid character adds an element of extreme mystery to the story and introduces the risks of time twists. What starts as an opportunity to escape the humdrum existence of small-town life morphs into a perilous journey through time.
Written with the snarky voice of each of the two main characters, and with the rough vernacular of Australian rural life (with foul language a given), this swings between an angst-riddled insight into life for the post-school aimless ones and a view into the romance stories of two characters who don’t quite fit. With the alcohol-fueled lifestyle of life for this age group and the slow infiltration of drugs into the rural setting, there are fights and moments of relationship anguish. The winner in this book though is the intriguing way time travel and time shifts are woven throughout the story. I did not love the characters or their personal way of dealing with life, but the story morphs from indolent torment into perilous pursuits through time and so this swing and uplift elevates the book from its angsty beginnings. It is gritty and sometimes unpleasant, and also quite clever, but only for those who can cope with the occasional dip into the gutter. For readers 18+.
Themes Time travel, LGBTIQ, Small-town life, Science Fiction, Romance.
Dr Bravery clearly states in the introduction to his book that it is about his diagnosis and treatment experiences as a young 28 year old bowel cancer patient, that led him to become a doctor so he could change how the medical system (in New South Wales) treats patients.
The book is a detailed memoir of the author’s early life, family, career, friendships, diagnosis and treatment experiences as well as the training he received to become a doctor.
Dr Bravery writes in an engaging manner (I felt compelled to read the book in two days) and covers a range of personal and social issues as well as medical system concerns.
This book may be of interest to older students wishing to become doctors as it gives a comprehensive picture of what is involved.
'I will send you to a world without men, where thousands of heroines face danger you never dreamed of.' (Page 14)
Ming & Marie Spy for Freedom is the second book for upper middle grade/early YA readers in The Girls Who Changed The World series written by well-known author Jackie French. Ming has angered the mysterious Herstory whom readers were introduced to in the first book, Ming & Flo Fight for the Future. She and her twin brother Tuan are transported back to January 1916 where they face extraordinary danger and hardship but show immense courage.
Set in Belgium, the story begins with Ming and her twin brother Tuan trapped in an underground cellar with explosions and fire all around them. Tuan is badly injured, and Ming leads him to safety with the help of experienced spy, 12-year-old Marie who becomes Ming’s friend and ally. Through Marie, Ming is found shelter, food and clothing as well as gaining a deep understanding of the appalling conditions imposed on the country of Belgium by the invading German Army. Tuan is hospitalised for concussion and a broken leg and is separated from Ming but through the bravery of the secret women’s resistance in the town, they are eventually reunited after a series of horrific events that Ming plays a pivotal role in.
While staying with Marie, Ming becomes part of La Dame Blanche, The White Lady, a group of women and girls who sabotage the Germans at every opportunity. The organisation is very much one that works in complete secrecy - the little you know the better and Ming only follows Marie’s instructions. Her first role for the organisation is to spend time knitting at the train station to monitor the movements of German troops. Within the knitting are a series of codes to be passed onto British Intelligence. It is while Ming is there that she learns of a devastating train delivery taking place one Friday evening. Using knowledge from the future she is able to impress upon the saboteurs that this train needs to be stopped. But at what cost to those who have taken her in.
For those readers who are fascinated by war genre, this story based on true facts is a must read. It is full of danger, apprehension, excitement, and the opportunity to learn about the roles women and girls played in major historical events and can play in the future. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Themes Women & Girls in History, Time Travel, World War 1, Danger, Belgium, Resistance, Saboteurs, Hardship.
