The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End by Jeff Kinney
Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9780143796084.
Highly recommended. This was read and reviewed by my 10 year old
son, who has read most of the others from this series and really
enjoys them:
First of all I thought this book was good, because it was funny and
a good story.
The story is about the family and they go on a holiday, and they
travel to lots of places. While they are at a caravan park lots of
bad things happen. One of the bad things is when the bridge to get
out of the caravan park is struck by lightning they can't get out.
Everyone gets panicked and they buy everything . . . this is very
familiar to me because of Covid-19. At the end Manny saves the day
as he drives the van to fix the bridge and let everyone out!
I would recommend this book to people who have read any of the other
Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I giggled a lot as the pictures are
hilarious, they add to the story and with some parts of the story
you wouldn't understand the story without the pictures.
I give it 4.5 starts out of 5 - I would have given it 5 stars if
there were even more funny pictures.
I think his review says it all. This book was real hit with a 10
year old, and I also think this book would really suit readers who
need a bit of extra encouragement. The funny illustrations are a
real draw card and keep in line with all the others in the series. A
great addition to the series, and highly recommended!
Lauren Fountain
Angels weep by Colin Falconer
Constable, 2020. ISBN: 9781472132703.
(Age: Senior secondary/adult) DI Charlie George and his team
investigate the abduction of a young woman. Time is of the essence
if they are to find her alive. Their workload is dramatically
increased when there is another young woman taken off the street and
orders are to assume the abductions are linked. The budget is
stretched and very little sleep is had by the team as they
desperately search for the two victims.
The second target is a young woman, Sarah Howlett, married to Danny,
an investment banker. She seems to have a great life: handsome
successful husband, beautiful home, a young child and a nanny to
help with young Ollie. Danny however is controlling, abusive and has
lost a huge amount of money trading illegally.
When the first victim is found alive but traumatised, elation is
short lived. There is no second victim and there does not seem to be
a link to Sarah Howlett, so the team must look with fresh eyes at
the evidence they have.
Charlie George is well acquainted with dysfunctional families. He is
the product of one. In the midst of his investigation a surprise
seventieth birthday has been arranged for his mother who has
dementia! His drug addled brother has been flown from Australia and
has been billeted with him. He rarely sees his siblings and a family
reunion at the care home is the last thing he needs as he struggles
with his case load.
Sarah Howlett is hit by a car seemingly escaping from her husband
who she claims is trying to kill her. She has injuries not all
sustained in the traffic accident and is deeply traumatised. The
husband Danny Howlett is nowhere to found and Sarah's father is
furious that progress seems to have stalled.
Colin Falconer cleverly contrasts the social divides in London, and
takes the reader into the lives of a fascinating range of London
society. Most seem to be damaged goods in some way. There are not
too many happy families in DI George's circle, including his own.
Falconer is able to ramp up the intrigue with some unexpected twists
and turns to deliver a thoroughly satisfying read.
Themes: Abuse, Abduction, Domestic violence, Crime, London.
Mark Knight
The Grinny Granny Donkey by Craig Smith
Illus. by Katz Cowley. Scholastic, 2020. ISBN: 9781775435976.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Older children will love this hilarious
sequel to The wonkey donkey and The
dinky donkey, and will have fun calling out 'Hee Haw'
and trying to remember the story as it accumulates along the way.
This time the donkey is a grandmother: There was a sweet donkey who lived on the heath. She was so funny with her false teeth . . .
And her teeth provide much of the humour in the story as she looses
them, sips her favourite brew, dunks biscuits, goes for a walk, puts
on her jewellery and plays her banjo. Children will enjoy following
the journey of this fabulous grandmother with her glitzy jewellery,
smart glasses and most of all her love for her family. By the end of
the song, each verse building on the previous one, children will be
trying to say 'a grinny granny plunky-plinky swanky clinky-clanky
zonky dunky-drinky clunky donkey!' They can sing along to the song,
which is available on Craig Smith's website
where there are also links to other songs that he recorded.
The illustrations are incredible, the donkey's false teeth feature
prominently and the blue coat and strange eyebrows add to the
humour. A little butterfly-like fairy can also be seen on each
double page spread and will be another feature for the curious child
to follow as they read the story.
A celebration of grandmothers, The granny granny donkey will
be a hit with children. Themes: Donkeys, Verse, Sing-along, Read
aloud, Humour, Family.
Pat Pledger
Zombierella by Joseph Coelho
Illus. by Freya Hartas. Fairy tales gone bad. Walker Books,
2020. ISBN: 9781406389661.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. The perennial fun of twisted fairy
tales takes on a new lease of life as Cinderella becomes a zombie
after falling down the stairs, slipping on dog poo deliberately left
by her fake sisters. Readers will laugh out loud as they recognise
bits of the well known Cinderella, turned around for a
modern audience with zombies, coffins, skeleton horses, and a
vampire prince. A ball is called every three days by the prince,
newly arrived in town with his retinue. But Cinderella is left home
to clean. Falling on the stairs, she dies, to be revived as a zombie
by Death, and given the opportunity to attend the ball. The prince,
of course, falls for her, but she slips away. On the third night,
her fake sisters become aware of who the beautiful girl is and pour
glue on the stairs, stopping her progress. Not to be outdone,
Cinderella breaks off her foot to run away, leaving the prince with
a foot and ankle to match. The fake sisters do more than cut their
toes off to marry the prince, and in the end, love rules and the
story concludes most happily.
What a wonderful retelling, I laughed out loud and I am sure the
readership will too, especially with the array of detailed very
funny illustrations to guide them. A whole array of vampire and
zombie paraphernalia dot the pages, intriguing the readers, and the
grisly stuff, pulling out Cinderella's guts, or pulling off her
foot, for example, is simply grist for the funny bone, goading
people to laugh with gusto.
And I was pleased to read the epilogue by the librarian who
unearthed these dark, mad tales, that there is more to come.
Walker Books' website
gives more information about poet Coelho, and this is the first of a
three part series called Fairy tales gone bad. And I loved
the wrap around cover.
Themes: Vampires, Zombies, Cinderella, Twisted fairy tales, Humour,
Verse.
Fran Knight
Untwisted: the story of my life by Paul Jennings
Allen & Unwin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760525828. 321p. hbk.
(Age: 12+) Autobiography. Paul Jennings grabs events in his life as
a counterpart to stories he has written. The master of the quirky
and hilarious short story patches together the trajectory of his
life, his learning curve as a literacy teacher and writer with
selected elements of his personal life. In addition to his first
successful foray into volumes of humorous stories with surprise
twists, Jennings has written some of the most memorable scenes in
children's novels and excelled at the demanding genre of television
script writing.
His own misadventures as a youth, a husband, father and a celebrity
provide the origin stories of his narratives. His strained
relationship with his father is not atypical of his generation but
revealing his dark fantasies to his readers brings us into his
trust. To reinforce his objectivity, his self-awareness extends to
collaboratively consulting the would-be players in his life story
before describing them in print. Equally, he has never been solely
motivated by the magical realism and laugh-out-loud comedy of his
narratives. He has always tapped into his inner child writing his
fears and feelings down to empathise with the sheer vulnerability
and the getting (or not) of literacy, life experience and resilience
that is every child's journey.
One amusing anecdote from a lecture to Teacher Librarians wasn't
explored but he relates a number of experiences from his teaching
and book tours. His style is not traditional in categorising the
jigsaw pieces of his life, metacognitively casting doubt on his own
interpretation literally and sustaining that breakdown of the fourth
by alternating fact and fiction. The dictum of Socrates is satisfied
by Untwisted i.e. The unexamined life is not worth living.
Rather what Jennings has attempted to do in this reflective triumph,
is to show that "Our lives are nothing if not lessons to others".
Jennings was never going to write his own story unpunctuated by his
magical realism that was stranger than life, nor omit real events
that were stranger than fiction. Flexibility and innovation is still
his lesson and humour is the door to guide disengaged students into
lifelong readers.
Children, adults gratefully adored for decoding his stories
out-loud, and many a flummoxed teacher librarian will be enchanted
by the recounts Paul Jennings has selected in this self-portrait.
Oft spurned by elite literary accolades, Paul Jennings preferred
popular success. A biography commands substance and the hardback
cover pays homage to the breadth of his literary forays via the Round
the Twist motif. THE most successful ACTF program to this day,
the little lighthouse stands sentinel - a symbol of one of the
greatest living storytellers.
Deborah Robins
Christmas is murder: a chilling short story collection by Val McDermid
Sphere, 2020. ISBN: 9780751581775.
(Age: Secondary/Adult) Highly recommended. In a few pages, award
winning crime writer McDermid is able to create a scenario,
characters and a crime, enticing an already enthralled reader to
keep going, wanting to see where the story heads. Twelve short
stories all framed by Christmas, are tantalisingly brief, but each
is complete in itself, dealing with a murder, and sometimes making a
point along the way. In 'A wife in a million', a detective
investigates a series of murders: someone is spiking condiments at
supermarkets with arsenic, while her unemployed partner scans the
papers each day searching for work. It is her suggestion that brings
the investigation to a close.
Another tale reprises the Holmes' stories as Watson and Holmes go to
Sarajevo to stop a killing (not the one you think!). In another a
young girl unsure of whether Santa Claus is real or not, pushes a
burglar down the stairs on Christmas Eve, after she finds him with
her Christmas presents. In 'Happy Holiday', DCI Jordan and Dr
Tony Hill solve a murder, while another story has a couple
cycling through Scotland, finding a remote folly, and after her
partner is killed, she lures the driver to the folly to exact
revenge.
Settings are so different: the Scottish Highlands, Scottish towns,
various castles, lochs and coastlines, while the characters inhabit
many guises. A thoroughly involving set of stories, sure to keep
readers amused and absorbed over Christmas.
Themes: Short stories, Christmas, Murder, Investigation, Crime
fiction, Scotland.
Fran Knight
Kay's anatomy by Adam Kay
Illus. by Henry Paker. Penguin Random House, 2020. ISBN:
9780241452943.
(Age; 9+) Recommended. Kay's anatomy is a comedic anatomy
book with the revealing subtitle: A complete (and completely
disgusting) guide to the human body. Written for the youthful
audience who loves humour with everything in life and enjoys the
bizarre and disgusting aspects of the human body - from the top of
the skull to toe nails via every gross fact in between. Adam Kay
studied Medicine so information in the book is factual, however it
is heavily laced with jokes, humorous asides and quirky
illustrations. With a focus on the questions that kids would like
answered and on bodily secretions, noises and smells, there is
something to learn or something to laugh at on every page, including
reference to Covid 19.
This is the kind of book that kids will read from cover to cover and
laugh at every page. Fortunately, they will also learn a lot about
human anatomy in the process. Illustrations are extremely amusing
cartoons that will attract the visual learner and will draw them to
the well set out information. Note: The book explains the
reproductive system in a simple but thorough way with clear
illustrations and explanations for a young audience. I enjoyed the
humour and the clarity of the information for young readers, but
kids will love all the snot, fart and vomit references and every
other disgusting piece of information.
Themes: Human anatomy;
Humour.
Carolyn Hull
This one is ours by Kate O'Donnell
UQP, 2020. ISBN: 9780702260285.
(Age: 14-18) Recommended. Leaving behind her Australian family and
childhood friend, Crow (the slightly activist-realist in her life),
Sofie has the opportunity for a 6-month exchange program in Paris,
the city of love, art, history, revolution and so much more. Her
exchange year has her placed within a family who share her love of
the Arts and self-expression. The daughter, her Parisian 'sister',
also introduces her to the world of protest as the younger
generation look at injustice and climate change within the city
known for Revolution and Renaissance. As a student who is immersed
in the city with so much atmosphere and history, Sofie explores her
own art, walks through Paris and finds romance with more than just
her surrounds. All the time she remains connected to Crow via
technology, and their shared friendship keeps her thoughtful,
grounded and linked despite time zones. Forced to think deeply as
she translates her experience into French and explore what is really
important in life, she makes meaning and art, joins in the fight for
change, and grows in maturity.
With so much French language dotted through the text, this book will
be loved by French language students and also lovers of Art
movements. The story opens eyes in a glorious exploration of seeing
the world differently and learning to find your voice and grow in
understanding of the important things in life. Sofie is brave and
the exchange experience at the age of 16 is portrayed as a wonderful
journey of personal discovery. Wandering with Sofie through Paris is
a joy for the reader, and the first-love romance with the
charismatic Olivier will appeal to readers who enjoy romance
stories. Well written and insightful and set within contemporary
France, this book can be recommended for readers aged 14+. Teacher's
notes are available.
Themes: Coming-of-age, Paris, Exchange programs, Art, Romance.
Carolyn Hull
I follow you . . . until you are mine by Peter James
Pan Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 9781509816286.
(Age: Secondary/adult) Highly recommended. Set in Jersey, James'
latest thriller is most unsettling. Dr Marcus Valentine is a
distinguished gynae-oncologist, a leader in his field and looked up
to by both his colleagues and patients alike. He is also an
obsessive man - time is important and everything has its place.
While driving to work he almost runs a woman down. A woman who
reminds him disturbingly of his first love. Georgie Maclean becomes
a preoccupation which rapidly turns to an addiction.
Peter James is able to knit the lives of Georgie, her partner Roger
Richardson and Marcus Valentine into an increasingly volatile dance.
Valentine believes he is in control but he has to take ever more
complicated steps to keep his passion secret.
After a plane crash involving Roger, Valentine takes charge of the
surgery to save his life but deliberately omits to take care of a
small problem which will eventually end in his death.
Georgie is also pregnant, a long awaited precious event. Valentine
would also like to be rid of that troublesome addition. He does not
wish to be saddled with another man's child. As his fixation with
Georgie becomes more delusional he really believes that they will
live together in a blissful loving partnership.
As James' narrative moves on the pace steadily increases as does the
suspense. He has been able to paint the Dr Valentine as a pompous,
self-opinionated sociopath a thoroughly dislikable character, while
the reader's anxiety for Georgie and Richard steadily mounts as the
story unfolds. A thoroughly satisfying page turner. Highly
recommended.
Themes: Crime, New Jersey, Obsession, Thriller.
Mark Knight
The wolves of Greycoat Hall by Lucinda Gifford
Walker Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781760651596. 224pp.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Deciding where to go for their next
holiday, the Greycoats of Morovia are startled to find that wolves
are being reintroduced into Scotland. With Scottish paintings on
their walls, they know they have a family link and so decide to
catch the train as soon as they can and make their way to Scotland,
where the last wolves were seen in 1680. Once in Aberdeen they spy a
castle and ask to visit it. They would love to buy it for
themselves, but the price is more than they can afford, and beside
which a developer has offered to buy it to build a group of
expensive villas to attract the wealthy to this quaint village by
the sea.
The local conservation society is appalled at this plan but apart
from putting together a petition, seems there is little they can do.
The developer plans to dig up the sand so destroying birds' nests,
raze much of the castle, pull down trees and build a helipad for the
rich to arrive. All sounds gross and the Greycoats agree. Boris is
reading a history of his family and notices the similarity between
the castle in the book with the one where they are staying, so saves
the day, revealing it to be a place of significance and therefore to
be protected.
A funny look at a wolf family overcoming prejudices against their
kind and proving that wolves do indeed belong in Scotland, and
saving an historic site and protecting a bird colony as well.
Themes: Wolves, Humour, Scotland, Conservation, Heritage.
Fran Knight
The heartsong of Wonder Quinn by Kate Gordon
University of Queensland Press, 2020. ISBN: 9780702262821. 177pp.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Wonder Quinn lives in the archives of a
cold, rustic school for girls called Direleafe Hall. Here she is
completely ignored by her classmates and teacher Ms Gallow. She is a
lonely, solitary girl whose only companion is a crow called
Hollowbeak. Wonder longs for a friend and with the new school year a
new student called Mabel Clattersham arrives. Wonder and Mabel
instantly become friends and support each other in difficult times.
We learn that Wonder's mother has died and Mabel has overly
protective parents. Mabel also has a quirky list of seven things she
wants to do, such as steal something. She also exacts revenge on the
bully Georgiana Kinch. It becomes obvious to Wonder that Mabel is
seriously unwell and is growing worse as she tries to cross the
tasks off the list. By the end of this tender story there is a major
reveal. I actually reread the book thinking I must have missed
something!
This is a short fantasy and is simply written with large font. It
has a delightful jacket and some large illustrations by Rachel
Tribout, plus it comes with a real black feather bookmark. This
format is a little deceptive and not really suitable for younger
readers. The audience needs to be reasonably sophisticated because
the subject matter has great emotional depth, dealing with love and
particularly death. I found myself stopping and contemplating
sentences such as, "You make marks as big as earthquakes in the
lives of those who love you, but you disappear without a trace. You
were here and you were not here, all at once." The characters
themselves are symbolic. Hollowbeak represents reality and a
pessimism that limits risk taking. Mabel is the joy and optimism
that leads us to take risks in spite of inevitable death. Wonder is
hesitant but drawn to Mabel's example of choosing to truly live life
and striving to be true to yourself. It is recommended for confident
readers 10+ years. Teacher's
notes are available from the publisher.
Jo Marshall
The book of not entirely useful advice by A.F. Harrold
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781526618016. 121p.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Poetry, Nonsense. Penned by English poet,
A.F. Harrold, young children are rewarded with chunks of snappy
rhyme and sometimes bonus glee. The foreword advises us not to
follow any of the bad advice, thereby writes the author, making this
a useful collection. Delicious extras make the anthology evermore
useful: a searchable index, contents and a glossary of 'Knots of the
world'. Not to mention interactive blank canvases for the reader's
own drawings or poems; plus an advice generator - customize the
template to build your own Advice-A-Tron animated by a roll of the
dice.
Aesthetically, our interest is sustained by the cute animations of
A.F. Harrold, several animals and selected children. Mini Grey
throws in a colourful parrot saying "Bum" twice - double the
hilarity. A.F. Harrold rounds his text with an afterword including
some final advice not attached to poems such as: "You are not alone.
We all feel like that sometimes."
But what of the poetic advice? Not letting the broccoli drive the
car seems too obvious followed by such nonsense lines as "Always
keep an onion handy, They're great for self-defence" and poems
entitled "Gravy is Not Perfume". But this closet poet throws in the
odd serious gem to groom his young readers to appreciate the
paradigmatic insertions in poetry.
Roots It's a good picnic to which you need carry no food, simply slip off your shoes, let your toes grow down, rooting around, deep into the soil, supping and sifting, and you palm up your hands and drink the sunshine. The Book of Not Entirely Useful Advice is a library must and
would engage lower/middle school readers on a lazy afternoon in:
drawing or writing - or simply learning to be still and more
self-aware. With poetry, less really is more.
Deborah Robins
Old man emu by John Williamson
Illus. by Simon McLean. Puffin Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781760898793.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. For fifty years, singer songwriter John
Williamson has been entertaining us with his wild and witty songs. Old man emu was his first hit in 1970 and it is fitting that
it be published this year to honour John's debut appearance on New
Faces, when he sang this song and won the competition, launching his
career.
Everyone can sing along - I cannot imagine there are many people out
there who cannot hum along to this song, even if only the last line,
about running the pants off a kangaroo! All readers will find it
hard not to sing along as this is read out to them, and their voices
will sing out as they attempt to drown out that of the person
reading the book. As they listen to, read or sing along they will
hear of a range of Australian animals the emu encounters:
kookaburra, cockatoo, kangaroo, dingo, galah and wedge tailed eagle,
all adding to the fun of the rhymes he makes in the song, and the
journey they all take.
This book makes an indelible introduction to a range of Australian
animals for young readers, allowing them to sing along and enjoy the
rhymes, encouraging them to predict the rhyming words, and discern
the attributes of each animal represented. The silly look on the
emu's face is endearing, and McLean's lively illustrations will
evoke a legion of followers, as they spy different things on each
page, and then pour over the endpapers covered with line
illustrations.
There are videos
of this available on Youtube. But the one of John
Williamson and Simon McLean reading the book is wonderful.
Themes: Australian animals, Emu, John Williamson, Humour, Verse.
Fran Knight
The Erasure Initiative by Lili Wilkinson
Allen & Unwin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760525057.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Wilkinson writes powerful stories that
challenge thinking and explore unusual situations. In this
psychological thriller we see the story unfold through Cecily's eyes
as she wakes up on board a bus with no memory of her past life, but
with some recognition of past learning. Her entire identity seems to
have been wiped out from her consciousness. It is not long before
she discovers that her fellow passengers are in the same situation.
With small flashes of recognition and connection they try to
establish who they are and why they are together. While in this
strange identity fog they are required to submit to ethical tests
and challenges that then play out before their eyes. Slowly, the
degree of difficulty of these ethical choices ramps up to the
extreme and all the passengers on board must fight for what they
think is right. The twists in the tale and the control and
manipulation upon the bus traveller's lives are revealed in a
masterful way and the reader is carried along in the fast-paced ride
wondering whether they should cheer for Cecily or deride her for her
choices - whether personal relationship choices or her desires to
escape.
This is an amazing psychological thriller that explores the choices
people make and the motivations behind the bad choices that they
make. Do bad choices imply that someone will always be bad? The
characters in this story are all flawed in some way, and the power
of the narrative is in making them likeable and relatable despite
their failings. From the Senator and her son, to the lesbian
computer hacker, the tattooed tough guy, and the bespectacled
arsonist, all become linked in a plot to change them for the better.
Cecily though seems the hardest to change. With small glimpses into
the past through alternate documents woven between chapters
Wilkinson has created a very powerful ethical drama and a
science-fiction psychological thriller. This book does require some
maturity to read. It is compelling but also disturbing and
occasionally violent. But it is so unique and intriguing that mature
readers will enjoy the 'roller-coaster' adventure. Teacher's tips
and author discussion video are available on the publisher's
website.
Themes: Memory and amnesia; Behaviour Modification; Ethics;
Psychological thriller; LGBTI.
Carolyn Hull
To sleep in a sea of stars by Christopher Paolini
Pan Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 9781529046519.
(Age: Adult/Young Adult). Highly recommended. Christopher Paolini,
author of the much beloved young adult Eragon series,
appeals to a different target audience with his adult debut To
Sleep in a Sea of Stars. This is a science fiction novel of
truly epic proportions. At almost 900 pages, To Sleep in a Sea
of Stars is a serious (and weighty) undertaking that may
intimidate some fans. However for readers determined to tackle this
behemoth, an enjoyable space opera awaits.
Kira Navarez is a xenobiologist living approximately two hundred and
fifty years in the future. Happy, newly engaged and working in her
dream occupation, her life is interesting and fulfilling. Kira is
completing an assignment on the moon of Adrasteia when she uncovers
an ancient and mysterious relic. What she has found will have
consequences that will change her life and the galaxy as she knows
it forever. Kira has discovered that humans are not alone in the
universe and that she is now at the centre of a war for the very
survival of her species. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is a hugely complex and
multi-layered story. Paolini worked on the novel for almost a decade
before its release, a fact that is evident in the level of
world-building and characterisation achieved. It will tick the boxes
for any fan of hard science fiction as well as those who enjoy
action, adventure and many, many human emotions. While certainly not
a quick or always easy read, this novel highly recommended.
Themes: Space, Space Travel, Planets, Astronauts, Aliens, War,
Solitude, Identity, Humanity.
Rose Tabeni
