Mermaid School: The clamshell show by Lucy Courtenay
Illus. by Sheena Dempsey. Andersen Press, 2020. ISBN: 9781783448388.
(Ages: 6-9) Recommended. The clamshell show is the second
book in a series of three so far by Lucy Courtenay and is perfect
for those younger children who have a higher reading ability. The
series started with the book Mermaid School which introduces
the main character, Marnie Blue, a girl trying to fit into a new
school and make friends. This second book in the series focusses on
a large-scale school musical production in which Marnie and her
friend Orla vie for the lead role of Queen Marietta. However, there
is a new girl called Gilly who gets the part. Gilly tries to make
friends with Marnie to meet her famous Aunt Christabel Blue and her
friends are suspicious of her motivation. She and her brother seem
more focused on themselves and their rise to stardom than really
putting any effort into the performance for her school. Her actions
put the performance in jeopardy along with the appearance of a human
at the concert venue, leaving Marnie and her friends to pick up the
pieces and save the day. Underlying this storyline is more about
Marnie's famous aunt who is also a singer and her mystery love
interest that has sparked Marnie's curiosity.
The books in this series incorporate aspects of school life that
will be familiar to children but in the unique underwater setting of
the Mermaid world. Aspects of life as a mermaid are well
incorporated including lovely details of the food being eaten and
the beautiful flowing clothing and unique pets in Mermaid Lagoon.
The illustrations that are scattered throughout the book provide
some lovely details of the characters and life in Mermaid Lagoon.
The map at the beginning of each book also adds interest for young
readers to make Mermaid Lagoon come to life for them in these
stories. Themes: Mermaids, Marine animals, Friendship.
Gabrielle Anderson
That's not my narwhal by Fiona Watt
Usborne, 2020. ISBN: 9781474972109. 10pp., board book.
A little board book in this popular series that encourages children
to explore both language through its repetitive text and their sense
of touch through its textured patches actually has the potential to
appeal to a much wider audience as students get ready to enjoy the
2020 Book Week theme of 'Curious Creatures, Wild Minds'.
This almost mythical creature, which actually lives in the cold
waters of Greenland, Canada, and Russia, is rapidly becoming the
'creature-du-jour' with young readers looking for something more
exotic than the unicorn which has become a bit ho-hum. So even
though this book in this popular series explores why none of the
five narwhals depicted is the reader's narwhal, the question that
begs to be answered is, 'What IS a narwhal?', a question that could
spark an interesting investigation and perhaps lead to a
presentation entitled This is My Narwhal satisfying the Critical and
Creative Thinking outcomes of the Inquiry strand, as they pose
questions to identify, explore and organise information and ideas.
I love discovering books written for littlies that have application
across the ages and this is surely one of them, and a most timely
release.
Barbara Braxton
Finding our heart by Thomas Mayor
Illus. by Blak Douglas. Hardie Grant Travel, 2020. ISBN:
9781741177176.
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Subtitled A story about the Uluru
Statement for young Australians, this beautifully illustrated
picture book provides insight into the history and intention of the
'Uluru Statement from the Heart'.
From the first page, this book drew me in with its depiction of an
adult and two kids sharing a laugh over cups of tea at the kitchen
table. One child has their leg comfortably drawn up on the chair,
arms thrown back in laughter, all three faces with wide grins, in a
very happy relaxed scene. The words 'We live in a big, beautiful
country' capture the feeling of familiarity and being at home.
It goes on to describe Australia as a country that includes people
from many parts of the world, and shows the map with flags from
Lebanon, China, Japan, France, Italy, Israel, United Kingdom, and
the Netherlands.
The next page shows the place before it was called Australia, with
the AIATSIS map of Indigenous Australia with its many language and
tribal groups. There is a reminder that Aboriginal people are the
original caretakers of the country, and are the oldest living
culture on the planet.
But there is a problem, the First Nations people were treated badly,
the country is sad, and no-one can find the heart of the nation.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart was the outcome of a 2017
gathering of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from all
parts of the land, and is an invitation to accept Aboriginal voice
and culture as a gift to be respected and appreciated. It is an
opportunity to listen to Aboriginal people, and learn about how to
care for our environment.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart suggests that First Nations
people should have a Voice, a Treaty, and Truth about the past. An
image shows the statement with all the signatures around the borders
of the page.
While the book is presented as a children's story about the search
to find the heart of the nation, and can be enjoyed on that level
with the simple text and colourful illustrations, the final pages
give the statement in full so that all readers can appreciate the
heart-felt appeal for a new respectful relationship between the
government and the First Nations people. And there are two pages of
suggestions of what each person can do to 'help find our heart'. Teaching resources are
available on the website of The Uluru Statement.
Themes: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,
Reconciliation, Caring for Country.
Helen Eddy
The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle by Pamela Rushby
Illus. by Nelle May Pierce. Walker Books Australia, 2020. ISBN:
9781760651930.
(Age: 8-12). Highly recommended. Hatshepsut Lambton (Hattie) is no
stranger to tragedy. Her name is a reminder that when her parents
disappeared, she was left outside the Egyptian tomb she is named
after and now her guardian, Uncle Heracles, seems to have been eaten
by a crocodile. Her fate is to go and live with another set of
distant unknown relatives. Great-uncle Sisyphus and Great-aunt
Iphigenia live in a castle in the misty marshes near Ely. The year
is 1873 and to help restore their crumbling castle Hattie's
great-aunt, a respected Egyptologist, performs Mummy unwrapping
parties at the homes of the wealthy London set. Her Great aunt has
two assistants, Edgar and Edwina Raven, who manage the finances and
organisation of the parties for her.
Hattie is grateful to be away from boarding school at last and to
have a home to live in, compared to the lonely existence she has
endured up to this point. But the Ravens don't seem too impressed
with having Hattie in the house and seem to have their own agenda.
The more Hattie learns about Egypt the more she has doubts about
whether it is right to destroy the bodies of the ancient Egyptians
and considers whether she can convince her Aunt to stop the parties
altogether. But the Ravens are determined it will continue, and they
will not allow a small child to come between them and their growing
little nest egg. Suddenly, Mummies become impossible to buy in
England when it becomes illegal to export them from Egypt, so the
whole crew set out on a long voyage up the Nile to obtain some more
for the parties. The voyage provides an opportunity for Hattie's
great aunt and uncle to show her many tombs and temples along the
way and catch up with old friends they have left in Egypt.
This novel is quite challenging to read as it is very descriptive
and in-depth. Lovers of Egyptology will thoroughly enjoy the details
included throughout the story including many descriptions of what
Hattie sees in Egypt and the customs and culture of the people she
encounters on her journey. It would make a great class novel to read
while studying the History unit on Ancient Egypt in Year 7. Themes:
Orphans, Egypt - History, Castles, Smuggling, Mummies.
Gabrielle Anderson
The battle of Book Week by Kate & Jol Temple
Illus. by Georgia Draws A House. Yours Troolie, Alice Toolie
book 3. Allen and Unwin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760875572.
(Age: 8+) Recommended. The battle of Book Week is the third
book in the Yours Troolie, Alice Toolie series. Once again
Alice Toolie and Jimmy Cook who are more frenemies than friends are
thrown together - this time as library monitors organising events
for Book Week. Alice takes her library monitor job very seriously
and as Jimmy has a very overdue library book, she will not let it
go. She hounds him on a daily basis until he decides to become a
library monitor as well. Disaster! They are eventually fired from
their positions due to a catastrophic mix up with visiting authors.
Following on from this is a suspicious incident with an unidentified
object found in the library which is closed for health and safety
reasons. Both Alice and Jimmy are desperate to win back their
positions as library monitors and must win the best costume in the
Book Week parade in order to achieve this.
This book is written in letters and notes through the library
monitor communication book. The reader gains an understanding of the
different personalities of the two protagonists through the cleverly
written conversations. Both are egocentric and totally focused on
their own agendas but eventually collaborate to achieve their goal.
The humour used throughout the book will appeal to a wide audience
as well as the short letter/note writing method. Illustrations by
Georgia Draws A House add to the humour and enjoyment of the story.
Themes: Humour, Book Week, Library Monitors, School, Friendship,
Costumes.
Kathryn Beilby
Max Booth future sleuth: Chip Blip by Cameron Macintosh
Illus. by Dave Atze. Big Sky Publishing, 2020. ISBN: 9781922265685.
(Ages 8-10). Highly recommended. Max Booth is an 11-year-old
detective living in the 25th century with his trusty robot dog,
Oscar. Together they identify and explore objects from the ancient
past - the 20th and 21st centuries. Jessie is a friend to Max and
works at the Bluggsville City Museum. She allows Max and Oscar to
live in the storage area of the Museum in return for helping her to
investigate some strange objects that arrive at the Museum. In this
story Jesse gives Max what looks like a grain of rice with metal on
it which they decide must be a microchip from at least 400 years
ago. The Splinternet (25th century replacement for the Internet,
which was obliterated in 2037, and is much faster!) gives them
nothing to go on. Max tries to use one of the old computers that are
on a junk pile in the storeroom and has some luck, finding a barcode
that may reveal more about the chip. He needs the help of the people
at the Records office in Bluggsville to find out more about the chip
but while there he encounters some trouble and nearly loses Oscar to
the Bluggsville zoo. As things heat up for Max and Oscar, they
realize they are onto a very valuable piece of historic memorabilia
that many other people have been looking for and will do anything to
get.
This is a very entertaining and fast-paced story that will keep
readers guessing until the end. It is the fifth book in this high
interest, low reading level series. At just under 120 pages with
quite large type, it is the perfect series to appeal to those
children who don't read many books. It is also a good short read for
any child with an interest in technology and the future. Themes:
Detectives, Future, Dogs, Robots.
Gabrielle Anderson
Bluey: My Dad is awesome by Bluey and Bingo
Penguin Random House Australia, 2020. ISBN: 9781760899400.
(Age: Preschool - 6) Recommended. Just in time for Father's Day, My
dad is awesome is sure to appeal to young children and would
be a perfect gift for dad that could be shared by the whole family.
Bluey and Bingo take turns sharing great things about Bandit, their
awesome dad. He plays funny games with them, including being an
out-of-control robot and a big stinky baboon. He is helpful and will
do anything for them because he loves them.
The outstanding feature of this book are the humorous illustrations.
I loved the pictures where Bluey and Bingo are copying Bandit and
then not copying him. There are lots of moments in the book to stop
and look at the drawings which will bring a smile to the face of any
reader or child who is listening.
As well as the love that is so evident the whole way through the
book, children are given an opportunity to see Bluey and Bingo
sharing their ideas about their father. It was fun to read how they
reminded each other to take turns and how they shared without
arguing.
This would make a great read aloud and children could come up with
lots of ways that show that their own dads are awesome, some like
Bandit, some quite different. It is also in a format that would
encourage emerging readers to pick it up and have a go at reading
about familiar characters for themselves.
Pat Pledger
A boy and a ball by Phil Cummings
Illus. by Phil Lesnie. Scholastic, 2020. ISBN: 9781743812525.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. A boy playing soccer with his brother
against the background of a war ravaged city will evoke scenes seen
nightly on television as children cope with the war that surrounds
them. Readers will wonder at the black mechanical figure slumped
against the crumbling buildings.
The boy is called by his brother; he must leave the ball and come
with him to his father. The trio shelters in their house as war
rages overhead, the black figures now like bombs falling from the
sky, until father decides they must leave. He has heard of a place
where the grass is green and soft underfoot, a place where there is
nothing to fear.
Anxiously they leave their home walking to a creaking boat and board
it to cross the ocean. Even here they are aware of the danger as
black figures rise from the deep, shadowing their terrible journey.
But the place they find is fenced and gated, the black figure now a
sentry post outside the wire watching them. The boy plays soccer but
one day the ball rolls under the fence and stops outside his reach.
What happens next will evoke questions, predictions, understandings,
sympathies.
This arresting story, underlining the compassion we feel when people
are badly dealt with, Cummings' last line, designed to ring a
response from the coldest of hearts, will promote discussion amongst
its readers.
Children know that there are families held in detention risking all
to get to Australia, and Cummings' story brings the tale of many to
the simplicity of a boy and a ball, encouraging readers to focus
their attention on the crux of the matter.
Supporting the story are the remarkable illustrations by Lesnie,
whose watercolour images create the dreadful images of war; the
looming black figures, the crumbling walls, night sky filled with
light from rockets and tracers, barbed wire fencing, bare dismal
huts for the detained. Readers will offer different ideas behind the
black figures: more literal ones like bombs, tanks, or sentry boxes
while others may see authoritarianism, bureaucracy, an ominous and
brooding fear. Lesnie says he first saw them as robots, but then
refined them to be sentinels, a 'clear visual shorthand for the kind
of systems that keep us cruel and complicit.'
Both author and illustrator provoke the reader to question their own
stance, to apply compassion to those relegated to inhumane treatment
by a government which says it is acting on our behalf. And all this
through the seemingly simple tale of a boy and a ball.
Themes: Refugees, Soccer, Detention centres, Compassion, War, Asylum
seekers.
Fran Knight
Shoestring - The boy who walks on air by Julie Hunt
Illus. by Dale Newman. Allen & Unwin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760297213.
356pp.
(Ages: 10 - 13) Recommended. This unusual story is set in another
world and time. Shoestring has the amazing ability to walk on an
invisible tightrope. He was once a street urchin but was taken in by
May, the owner of a gambling business called The Luck Palace.
Shoestring embarks on a journey with a troupe of magicians,
musicians and gymnasts, who travel in horse drawn wagons, on a tour
to entertain and gain fame. However early into the trip he is
bewitched by a pair of powerful and evil gloves. The gloves lead him
to steal again and lose all sense of right and wrong. The gloves
also steal different troupe members skills such as their hearing or
memory. May and her cantankerous fortune telling macaw, Metropolis,
are recruited to help and the troupe is then in hot pursuit of how
to be rid of the gloves that are causing such mayhem. They are told
a riddle they need to solve and another plot driver is a set of
fortune telling cards, rather like Tarot cards. The gloves are part
of an elaborate revenge plot by super-nasty woman, Marm, who blames
May for the death of her son.
All in all this is a weird adventure which requires persistence to
get to the explosive climax. There are so many characters and
bizarre things happening that it may suit a reader who loves fantasy
and a big challenge. At times it is convoluted with many back
stories. The main characters of Shoestring and Metropolis are both
conceited and unlikeable, although Shoestring comes to his senses.
Metropolis is a major voice and there are long parts when she tells
her side of the story. The book works as a stand-alone but there are
many references to its graphic novel prequel KidGlovz.
The illustrations are terrific and integral to keeping track of the
characters and places. The style is reminiscent of Brian Selznick's
The Invention of Hugo Cabret and this is a high quality
hardcover publication.
Jo Marshall
Clementine Rose collection five by Jacqueline Harvey
Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760897437.
(Age: 6-10) Recommended. Fans are in for lots of fun in the latest
collection of three of the Clementine Rose stories in one
large book. It will be thrilling for young readers to have a large
book in their hands and emerging readers are sure to feel important
and secure in their reading with this delightful collection. It is
interspersed with funny illustrations that add to its appeal. The
print is large and clear, very suitable for this age group. At the
end of each story is a list of characters and their roles.
All three books have previously been reviewed on ReadPlus:
The first story is Clementine
Rose and the wedding wobbles, where Clementine prepares
to be a bridesmaid in her mother's wedding to Drew. Chaos must be
averted! Clementine
Rose and the bake-off dilemma follows, with Clementine
having inside access to the cooking show that is being filmed in the
village.
Then comes Clementine
Rose and the best news yet and Clementine Rose's news is
that she is to have a new brother or sister.
As one reviewer writes: "Clementine is ageless as the young
seven-year-old with the propensity for creating smiles and sometimes
getting things slightly wrong".
Pat Pledger
TRUEL1F3 by Jay Kristoff
Lifelike book 3. Allen & Unwin Australia, 2020. ISBN:
9781760295707.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Right from the start I was wondering just
how Kristoff was going to bring all the threads of this brilliant
trilogy together. Would the characters Evie and Lemon from the
adrenaline pumping LIFEL1K3
and DEV1AT3
resolve their differences and once again become besties? Would the
Yousay be devastated by nuclear war in a fight between the tech
corporation Daedelus or the hive-like BioMass? Would Ezekiel be
reunited with his brothers and sisters, or would Gabriel bring
everyone down in his attempt to rid the world of humans? And could
the fast-paced action of the first two books be maintained? I did
not need to worry, Kristoff has done an outstanding job of resolving
dilemmas and bringing characters back together, with adroitness,
skill and wonderful imagination.
It is essential to read the three books in the trilogy in order as
each book builds on the actions and character growth in the one
before. TRUEL1F3 starts immediately after DEV1AT3,
with Lemon Fresh captured with devastating consequences by BioMass.
Meanwhile Gabriel's grip on sanity deteriorates as he accesses the
means to replicate his beloved Grace and the struggle to take over
the world by Daedelus and BioMass continues.
Fast paced action pushes the story on with some almost unbelievable
alliances being made to save humanity. However, the moral dilemmas
will make the reader pause and think. Kristoff questions what
constitutes true life - can it be humans, genetic mutations with
super powers like Lemon Fresh and Abe, super intelligent clones like
Evie and Gabriel, or the many wonderful robots like Cricket, who
have to obey the Three Laws of Robots? There are many heart-breaking
choices to be made and grief to be faced as this trilogy comes to
its ultimately hopeful conclusion.
Science fiction fans and readers who enjoy the thrill of a fast ride
will be sure to want to read this series, and then may go on to the
award-winning Illuminae
Files, co-authored by Kristoff and Amie Kaufman.
Pat Pledger
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K Rowling
Illus. by Levi Pinfold. Gryffindor House Edition. Bloomsbury, 2020.
ISBN: 9781526618153.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Collectors of the Harry Potter books
will rejoice in this latest offering featuring the courage, bravery
and determination of Gryffindor House. The book is handsomely
produced, from its bold red cover and sprayed red edges to the
gorgeous gold foils around the rising phoenix in the centre of the
cover and striking illustrations surrounding it. Inside the book,
Levi Pinfold, winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal, has done an
outstanding job of portraying Godric Gryffindor, surrounded by
twining leaves, a rampant lion and slithering snake. Also, at the
front of the book is a beautiful map of Hogwarts School and an
introduction to the story. Right at the end there is a portrait of
Sirius Black and an outline of his life and achievements.
This is one in a series of highly collectable Harry Potter
books and fans will find it difficult to resist this edition.
Readers new to the series will be happy to have such a splendid
book, telling the tale of Harry finding that he has the Order of the
Phoenix at his back to fight Voldemort.
Pat Pledger
The blue giant by Katie Cottle
Pavilion, 2020. ISBN: 9781843654513. 32pp., pbk.
Meera and her mother are planning on a day at the seaside, something
they've done before often. But this time they are greeted by a
large blue giant who beckons them to follow him beneath the waves
and see the problems of the ocean creatures that have been caused by
human laziness and degradation. Both learn valuable lessons and
although they do their best, it is a job too big for one, so it's
time to call on family and friends for help.
As warmer days approach and the lure of the beach becomes stronger,
this is a poignant and timely picture book that introduces children
to the issues of pollution, waste management and the oceans, with
suggestions of lifestyle changes to help the world become a better,
cleaner place. As the worldwide lockdown because of the pandemic has
provided the planet with a brief breathing space and shown that it
can heal given help and time, perhaps this story will help students
start to see their favourite place through a new lens as they
consider what they can do (or not) to contribute to the health of
this vital resource.
Barbara Braxton
The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein
Code Name Verity. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2020. ISBN:
9781526601650.
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Elizabeth Wein delivers another
stunning, engrossing story of war-time pilots and dogfights,
espionage and friendship which will thrill her many fans, but can
also be read as a stand-alone. Louisa Adair has been left an orphan,
her mother killed in the Blitz and her father at sea. Desperate for
a job, she hides her age and Jamaican background, and finds work
caring for Johanna von Arnim, a retired German opera singer, whose
niece lives near Windyedge Airfield in Scotland. There she meets
Jamie, the 19-year-old pilot who flies Blenheim bombers and Ellen a
driver for the RAF and becomes involved in a conspiracy to find a
codebreaking machine known as the Enigma.
Told in three voices, that of Louisa, Jamie and Ellen, the reader is
immersed in their lives and the stirring events that occur around
them. Louisa is the daughter of an English music teacher and
Jamaican sailor and must fit in, while Ellen hides her Traveller
background to avoid prejudice. Jamie's arguments with his commanding
officer mean that he is willing to hide the Enigma machine so that
he can get an advantage over the superior German aircraft.
Descriptions of the bombing raids, the intense pressure that the
pilots were under and the grief when friends are killed will keep
readers glued to the page as they follow the exploits of Jamie and
his comrades. They will also find it easy to identify with Louisa
and the growing bond she has with the old woman who has taken the
English name of Jane Warner, to fit in at the pub that her niece
owns.
This is an exciting and emotional story that I could not put down.
It was mesmerising to read about the youth of the bomber pilots,
their heart-breaking losses, the work of young women in World War 2
and the importance of breaking the German codes. The Enigma Game
follows The
pearl thief, and comes before the heart-breaking Code
Name Verity and Rose
under fire and readers who haven't yet read them can
expect the same compelling and outstanding stories of courage and
strong young people.
Pat Pledger
My Dad is . . . by Ed Allen
Illus. by James Hart. Scholastic, 2020. ISBN: 9781743836699. 24pp.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. With the approach of Father's Day, comes a
few books with Dad as the main theme. In this tactile presentation
from Scholastic comes a hands on book, one with a cover which
incorporates a barometer of the things Dads are known for. With a
spinner that can be swung around onto points describing the Dad in
question, 'the loudest farter', 'the BBQ master', 'a bad joke
maker', kids will love swinging the needle around to point out what
their Dad is good at.
The plastic cover over the barometer will keep the needle and the
pointers safe from small hands, and the strong fold out front page
will further enhance its longevity.
Opening the book comes the introductory line, 'My dad is a man of
many talents', and each page shows him in a different guise, be it a
story teller, a master chef, a man with the strongest grip ever, a
Dad who takes the children on adventures but also makes the loudest
farts which can clear the room, snores louder than a hippo with a
blocked nose and one who tells the most awful jokes. But this mix of
the good and the bad adds up to only one thing, Dad is his best
friend.
A charming look at what makes up a dad, this will get laughs of
recognition and sympathy as kids share what their fathers do.
Hart's bold colourful illustrations support the story well, giving
readers the opportunity to compare their family with the one
illustrated.
Fran Knight
