Pan Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 9781760559137.
(Age: 13+) Sixteen year old Katie wants to be a writer; she is also
good at art. Her best friend, Libby, wants to be a scientist or an
editor and together they tell a story of how they made the perfect
boy. Neither is in the "cool" group at school who call them mean
names; pretty girls who have real boyfriends, led by Mikayla
Fitzsimmons. For Katie, the perfect guy is Declan Bell Jones, the
gorgeous, sporty boy in her geography class but he happens to be
Mikayla's boyfriend. When Katie is hit in the head with a soccer
ball kicked by Declan she doesn't care about the concussion or her
broken glasses, just that he spoke to her and helped her up. Back
home the girls play a game called Silly orSerious with Katie's
neighbour and good friend, Theo and she admits that the most
embarrassing thing is that she has never been kissed. Katie wants
her first kiss to be perfect but her friends assert that nobody is
perfect. When Libby asks her what the perfect guy would look like
she produces a sculpture of him. As they finish the sculpture and
coat it with a mixture concocted by Libby, the girls discuss exactly
what the perfect boy would be like. What follows explores what it is
like to get what you wish for.
This light, teen romantic comedy is predictable in its premise but
the author uses it to explore issues of friendship, sexuality,
loyalty, bullying, grief, diversity and peer pressure with a light
touch and an Australian flavour. As Katie gets swept up in the
thrill of owning her own perfect boyfriend she forgets her friends
who she relies on for practical support. But real friends fight,
make up and accept each other. This is a journey of self-discovery
by characters still finding out who they are and what matters most
to them. A fun book suitable for younger YA audiences. There is some
adult content but nothing explicit. Teaching
notes are available.
Themes: Romantic comedy, friendship.
Sue Speck
Rowley Jefferson's awesome friendly adventure by Jeff Kinney
Puffin Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781760897888. 218pp.
(Ages: 8-12) Recommended. This is the second in a new series by Jeff
Kinney. It is written from the perspective of Rowley Jefferson, Greg
Heffley's more virtuous friend (Diary of a Wimpy Kid series).
Rowley has decided to write a fantasy adventure about flute-playing
Roland, who embarks on a mission to save his mother. She has been
kidnapped by the White Warlock and taken to the Ice Fortress. Rowley
is accompanied by his best friend Garg the barbarian. They meet many
characters from classic books along the way such as Sherlock Holmes,
Medusa and trolls and pixies. Many of the characters join them on
the journey. At the end of each chapter Greg advises Rowley to make
the story more "bad-ass" and appealing to a modern audience. Greg
thinks the book needs to be made into a movie with lucrative spin
offs like video games, action dolls and toys in fast food meals.
Rowley, always a stickler for doing the right thing, increasingly
doesn't agree with Greg's sexist, violent and wasteful suggestions.
This is pretty funny, clever material. I recognised semi-subtle
references to the highly popular blockbusters Game of Thrones
and the Twilight series, amongst others. There is a lot of
fun in the contrast between sweet nerdy Rowley and more worldly
Greg. The satirical look at the commercialisation of books and films
is bound to get readers thinking. I laughed out loud at Stephen the
half-man, half-cow, with an udder and Greg saying "Librarians will
go nuts for all the classic book characters." Cartoon-like
illustrations are integral to the humour of the Jeff Kinney brand.
This is enjoyable reading for reluctant through to well-seasoned
readers. Kinney's books play an important role in getting kids
reading.
Jo Marshall
Whine guide by Beck & Matt Stanton
Self-Help for Babies book 2. ABC Books, 2020. ISBN:
9780733341168.
(Age: All) Recommended. Another great addition to the series, Whine
guide will have adults grinning at the descriptions of all the
whines that a baby can make as well as the allusions to all the wine
that an adult could drink. The following passage on the back cover
gives the flavour of the book: Dear Baby Do you feel like you're speaking a million words a minute,
but no one truly understands you? Don't worry. A lot of babies feel this way. We're here to help you get your message across, when it
matters most. Chat soon!
The book starts with the instructions of how to match the right
whine to each occasion and follows with guides to the thirst
quencher, the bubbly, the glass half empty, the surprise party, the
nightcap, the fragrant drop, the bottom of the barrel and the sweet
whine all paired well with appropriate actions. Every parent will
recognise these familiar situations and will have fun identifying
the various whines that their infant makes.
Each double page spread contains simple black and white
illustrations on a coloured background, with the expressions on the
face of the baby an absolute delight to look at.
It is obvious that the authors are very familiar with small babies
and bring their expertise in illustration and humour to reassure
parents about their baby's behaviour while giving them something to
laugh about. A great series that would be a wonderful gift to new
parents.
Pat Pledger
Paul Kelly, the man, the music and the life in between by Stuart Coupe
Hachette, 2004, reprinted 2020. ISBN: 9780733642340.
(Age: Adult) Stuart Coupe, former manager of Paul Kelly, says he was
motivated to write this biography of the musician because there was
so much missed out of Kelly's autobiography How to make gravy,
published in 2010. Coupe's book fills in the early career, and
portrays a driven and ambitious artist who was totally focussed on
himself. "He had this philosophy of being true to yourself, which
basically meant ignoring everyone else". Kelly's years of heroin
addiction are also given plenty of attention, along with the whole
world of drugs and the music scene at that time.
In writing the book Coupe obviously had access to the confidence of
many fellow musicians and friends, including Kelly himself, though
the women in Kelly's life have been more reticent. It makes for a
long and detailed collection of snippets about the singer
songwriter's journey to success.
Interestingly the book does reveal the full circle of his life,
describing how Kelly came to seek out collaboration with new talent,
particularly Indigenous musicians; he helped to highlight the work
of people like Vika and Linda Bull, Archie Roach, and Kev Carmody.
Recognition of this led to Kelly being awarded the Order of
Australia in 2017 for his service to the performing arts and the
promotion of the national identity through contributions as a
singer, songwriter and musician. However Coupe's book neglects to
include Kelly's more recent encouragement of Dan Sultan.
If you are a serious fan of Paul Kelly and you want to look back at
every step along his career, or if you are interested in the rough
side of the music scene, this book has it all. However if you are
more interested in the inspiration and thoughts of the artist, How
to make gravy might be a better read.
Helen Eddy
Punching the air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN: 9780008422141.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Amal's name means hope, but it is
hard to feel hope when you are a black kid that has been hauled in
for street fighting, and there is white kid in a coma in hospital.
Amal knows that he has already been shaped into a monster in
people's minds, and it doesn't matter what he says. He is innocent,
but everything is stacked against him.
The story is fictional but draws on the lived experience of
co-author Yusef Salaam, one of the 'Exonerated Five', the group of
black boys falsely convicted of assaulting and raping a young white
woman jogging in Manhattan's Central Park in 1989. The five boys
were victims of racial profiling by the police determined to find
their culprit and were all given lengthy prison sentences. Only
years later were they exonerated when the real offender admitted to
his crime, corroborated by DNA evidence. With their book, Punching
the air, authors Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam have collaborated
together to highlight ongoing issues of racial discrimination,
police violence and injustice still happening today.
The story is written in verse, similar to Manjeet Mann's Run,
rebel, with the same heart-felt rawness and honesty. We
feel Amal's fear, his retreat behind a stony-faced silence, his
confusion and desperation. His only relief is his art and his
poetry. The pages are illustrated with lines and smudges of black;
it is only when there a human connection with someone outside of the
prison, that his drawings become butterflies, because the flutter of
a butterfly's wings can have an impact around the world.
The story is bold and confronting with themes similar to the work of
Angie Thomas, The
hate U give, and On
the come up, but the book is easy to read; the verse
pages carry you along from the despair of the courtroom to the
harshness of prison and then finally the rediscovery of hope through
art, and the love of caring people.
Themes: Racism, Police brutality, Prison, Black Lives Matter, Social
justice.
Helen Eddy
Rocky Lobstar: Time travel tangle! by Rove McManus
Scholastic Australia, 2020. ISBN: 9781760665067.
Recommended for primary students. This is the second enjoyable and
'krilliant' book in the Rocky Lobstar series by comedian Rove
McManus. It is an ideal stepping stone for younger readers moving up
from early fiction - it has similar humour to the Treehouse
books but comes in at around 100 pages shorter.
Rocky Lobstar is part-boy, part-lobster. He is the star of Felidi's
Fabulous Sideshow Carnival which also boasts a bearded strong lady,
an alligator magician, a contortionist, a sword swallower and
others.
Rocky might burp too loud and use an array of silly lobster-themed
exclamations, but he is overall a likeable character with many
positive qualities. He is energetic, quick thinking, cheerful, a
responsible owner of his pet sea-pig, Bubbles, and is always polite
(even to machines). He has a great sense of daring and humour, is a
loyal friend and never gives up.
In this adventure Rocky and his best mate Goober accidentally break
a prized tea set belonging to Carnival boss, Mr Felidi. Luckily a
visiting celebrity professor happens to have left her new time
machine at the carnival. What follows is a journey that stretches
the imagination, tangles time and includes some great rhymes along
the way.
McManus holds a fine art qualification along with a lifelong passion
for drawing and animation, and he has packed humour and liveliness
into every page and drawing in this book. The story leads to a
wonderful double page illustration bursting with amusing characters,
where you find more fun details the longer you look. Themes:
Creatures, Travel, Friends.
Kylie Grant
Marshmallow Pie the cat superstar on TV by Clara Vulliamy
Harper Collins, 2020. ISBN: 9780008355890.
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Marshmallow Pie the cat superstar on TV
is the third book in the popular series by Clara Vulliamy. The books
are narrated by Marshmallow Marmaduke Vanilla-Bean Sugar-Pie
Fluffington Fitz-Noodle himself, and tell the story of one
incredibly arrogant cat and his acting life helped along by his
human owner, Amelia. In this story Marshmallow Pie has been chosen
to appear on a TV commercial with Gingernut, a kitten. However Pie
dislikes kittens intensely and does everything in his power to
outshine the kitten on the first day. On the second day of shooting,
a series of mishaps causes Brad, the unpleasant Director, to
completely chastise the young kitten. Pie begins to feel very guilty
as he realises that it was his actions that set in motion the events
leading to Gingernut's fall from grace. In order to shift the blame
off Gingernut, Pie completely destroys the set and both cats are
fired. But there is always a silver lining! By the power of mobile
phones the chaos Pie caused on the set appears on Youtube and he
becomes an instant overnight sensation. The next book will continue
with the acting career of one Marshmallow Pie.
This book will appeal to younger readers who love humour and animals
outwitting the humans. The illustrations by the author are both
clever and entertaining. This would be a great read aloud in a
Junior Primary classroom or at home to a younger child. Themes:
Cats, Friendship, Humour, Acting.
Kathryn Beilby
Marshmallow Pie the cat superstar by Clara Vulliamy
Marshmallow Pie. HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN: 9780008355852. 128pp.
This is a lovely short story about Marshmallow Vanilla-Bean
Sugar-Pie Fluffington-Fitz-Noodle (or Pie for short) becoming an
acting star. The story follows Pie and her human Amelia as they
navigate the ups and downs of the audition process. The book is
reasonably easy to read and would be good for students who are
independent readers.
The story is written from Pie's point of view and I really like this
aspect! Pie comes from a very posh background and you can tell by
the way she narrates the story. The author Clara Vulliamy puts just
the right amount of 'fancy' into the text which is great fun when
you're reading this book out loud. I read this book to my 6-year-old
and we had lots of fun putting on posh voices for both Pie and then
changing it up for her owner Amelia.
The illustrations are also a great addition to this book, as they
help engage the reader and add an extra element to the text. My
favourite illustrations are those of Marshmallow Pie as Clara gives
her such wonderful facial illustrations, you can really imagine what
type of a cat she would be like! I like how she has formatted the
pictures too, some are placed within frames, at the top of the page
or within the text - each one adding interest.
Overall, this is a funny book, with excellent illustrations that add
to the story. Clara Vulliamy is a great author/illustrator who has
really hit the target market of beginning independent readers. The
text is clear, concise and uses an excellent amount of words that
readers at this level would know/be able to decode. I think this is
a great start to a series, bring on book 2!
Lauren Fountain
Bluey: Grannies
Penguin Random House Australia, 2020. ISBN: 9781760899363.
(Ages: 2-5) Recommended. This new instalment in the Bluey
board book series is based on the incredibly popular Grannies
episode, which sees Bluey and Bingo trying to work out whether
Grannies can dance. Children who are familiar with the episode will
find all their favourite bits and quotes of the episode accounted
for: 'I slipped on ma beans!', Dad unblocking the stinky toilet,
Nana's ineptitude with FaceTime and the car crash into the sandpit.
There is even a holographic page at the end that children can use to
make the Bluey and Bingo grannies floss.
A nice message about getting along is also instilled in the book
when it is established that Bluey is right: their granny can't
floss. Bingo feels sad that she is wrong and doesn't want to play
anymore but Mum explains that sometimes you can't keep the game
going AND be right. Which is more important? Bluey's solution is to
teach Nana how to floss - that way both Bluey and Bingo were right.
As a television series, Bluey is a lovely celebration of play,
family relationships and imagination and the accompanying books help
to reinforce these strong messages of positive family interaction
and self-awareness. Themes: Grandparents, Board book, Dancing.
Nicole Nelson
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Inheritance Games, book 1. Penguin, 2020. ISBN:
9780241476178.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Wow! This is one for fans of twisty plots
and games that keep the reader guessing right until the end. Avery
is a girl who is struggling to keep her head above water, hoping for
a better future. She lives with her half-sister, Libby, works as a
waitress and has one good friend, Max. Then out of the blue,
gorgeous Grayson Hawthorne turns up at her school, saying that she
has been named in his billionaire grandfather's will. Avery has
inherited most of his wealth and the family is not happy about this.
She finds herself playing a deadly game with the four grandsons,
Grayson, Jameson, Nash and Zander as they race to work out the clues
that Tobias Hawthorne has left in his final letters to them.
Avery has no idea why she has been left with a fortune. A
strong-willed character, she finds herself the owner of an amazing
mansion and a huge amount of money. With her sister Libby, she must
fit into a lifestyle that is completely different to what she has
been used to while maintaining her own values and beliefs. Then
there is that mystery to solve. Why was she left a fortune by an
unknown benefactor? Who can she trust from the Hawthorne family as
the four brothers try to solve the game their grandfather left them?
Who is trying to kill her? And which brother is she most attracted
to?
The pace is fast, and the book was one that I had trouble putting
down. It is gripping and the characters are so well drawn that it is
easy to feel familiar with them. A sub-plot of domestic violence was
also well depicted and fitted in with the main story.
The first in a series, the conclusion was satisfying, but left open
hints to where the next book might go, enough to keep readers
eagerly waiting for it. Readers who enjoyed this might like One
of Us is Lying by Karen McManus and We
were liars by E. Lockhart
Pat Pledger
Gold! by Jackie Kerin and Annie White
Ford Street Publishing, 2020. ISBN: 9781925804539.
(Ages: 6-10) Recommended. Gold! is an amusing true story
about two pairs of brothers, one English and the other Canadian, and
how they found a large nugget of gold on the Victorian goldfields.
The story begins with the news of gold in Australia travelling
around the world and people arriving in masses to search, dreaming
of riches. The realities hit home for the four boys when they find
the tiniest speck of gold and realise that the chances of striking
their fortune are slim. While the book paints a fairly happy picture
of the goldfields some of the hardships are gently portrayed:
thieves, lack of food, lack of adequate sanitation, exposure to
harsh weather conditions. But then one day, their luck changes . . .
a huge nugget, as big as a leg of lamb. When they eventually leave
the goldfields, a sequence of events leads them straight to England
and to Queen Victoria, who exhibits their gold nugget at the Crystal
Palace.
This is a fun, lively introduction for young readers to the gold
rush and its impact. There are two pages of extra factual
information at the end of the story that help to give differing
perspectives and contextual information. The small paragraph about
how the Dja Dja Wurrung people and land were affected by the gold
rush is particularly important, as is the paragraph about how the
Chinese miners were treated. Other information includes more about
the digging for gold process, about the nugget of gold itself and
about the historical people within the story (Governor Barkly,
Prince Albert, Queen Victoria).
The watercolour illustrations were inspired by the goldfield artists
of the mid-nineteenth century and paint a vivid picture of the
landscape and the living conditions of the miners. Teacher's
notes are available. Themes: Victorian gold rush.
Nicole Nelson
Dare to be you by Matthew Syed
Wren & Rook, 2020. ISBN: 9781526362377.
(Ages: 11+) In this empowering non-fiction book, Dare to be you:
Defy self-doubt, fearlessly follow your own path and be
confidently you!' readers are encouraged to be themselves, be
different, pursue their dreams and to not be defined by what is
considered 'normal'. Aimed at students entering high school, the
book covers self-doubt, friendships, individualism, kindness and
more. Filled with research and examples, including real-life
examples from the author, well known successful people and a few
celebrities, the book relates to young teenagers through these
examples.
I found the book easy to read, due to layout and content, and I
believe it will be beneficial to teenagers who are confused and
searching for where they fit in the world. Throughout the book there
are activities that the reader can undertake to further explore
their own strengths, ideals and future pathways. Using a variety of
imagery and text styles (as well as colour), the book will appeal to
many readers. There are some really good suggestions to assist with
empowering the reader to own being themselves. Well suited for
readers between 11 and 15 years of age.
Themes: Self-empowerment, self-improvement, courage, self-doubt,
questioning.
Melanie Phillips
Going for Gold by Matthew 'Delly' Dellavedova and Zanni Louise
Illus. by Nathalie Ortega. Daring Delly book 3. Scholastic
Australia, 2020. ISBN: 9781743832028.
Recommended for primary students (ages 7-11). This is the 3rd book
in the Daring Delly series by Australian basketball
champion, Matthew Dellavedova. A section at the back of the book
includes a Q & A with the author, a biography page and a world
map showing all the locations of Dellavedova's career highlights,
from his beginnings in country Victoria to playing in the Olympics
and the USA.
The title character in this series, Delly, is crazy about basketball
and is a talented player. In this book his school is hosting the
Junior Basketball Tri-Nation Tournament, with teams arriving from
Japan and the USA. The visiting players are embraced by the
community during the tournament-they all attend the local school for
the week and most of them are housed by local families.
Dellavedova compassionately explores the highs and lows that come
when children from three different countries are thrown together
under pressure. The players navigate existing and new friendships
and work in pairs on a basketball assignment for school, all while
vying for tournament wins. They support each other through various
struggles, show good sportsmanship and learn about cultural
differences.
Throughout the story there are several play-by-play descriptions of
basketball games which include just the right level of detail. This
is enough for an enthusiastic fan to enjoy and be able to picture
exactly what's happening, while not being so technical as to become
boring to a non-basketball fan.
Whenever a new basketball term is introduced there is a diagram to
show what that term means, and there are multiple little trivia
notes scattered throughout which will interest readers who love
facts.
Dellavedova's books are based on his own childhood experiences and
he can proudly join other Australian sporting stars, such as Glenn
Maxwell, David Warner, Shane Crawford and the Selwood brothers, in
having created an entertaining book for young sports enthusiasts.
Themes: sport, friends.
Kylie Grant
Mama Ocean by Jane Jolly
Illus. by Sally Heinrich. Midnight Sun Publishing, 2020. ISBN:
9781925227659.
(Ages: 4-9) Highly recommended. Beautifully textured and flowing
illustrations by Sally Heinrich breath life into this whimsical tale
that carries a crucially important environmental message. As with
2017's Papa
Sky this story feels almost like an ancient legend, both
due to the grandeur of its illustrations and the sweeping simplicity
of its language. Mama Ocean is depicted as a wise, elderly mermaid
with long, flowing locks and a dedicated following of ocean
creatures. She rises supremely out of the waves; 'My children . . .
Gather near. And so they came'. But there is no happiness on her
weary face. She is distressed. In an effort to cheer her the sea
creatures bring her gifts that they find swirling around the ocean
currents: bottle tops, buckets and toothbrushes. 'But Mama Ocean was
sick. She was becoming bleached and frail. Her eyes were dulling and
her spirit was breaking'. As she is slowly becoming smothered with
these items the emerald water starts to grow murky and dark. Before
long the animals are also being strangled by these foreign
materials. The fish have cans stuck on their noses, the turtles have
plastic can holders tangled around their middles, the seals have
ropes twisted around their bodies and the seabed is littered with
plastic cups, corks and old shoes. Finally they see, 'Oh Mama! This
finery is fake. We must send it back from whence it came'. And so
they throw back the gifts and the ocean carries them away and dumps
them back onto the solid ground. Mama Ocean rises again: 'We need no
gifts', she says.
There is a fantastic page without any text that shows a gigantic
pile of waste on the edge of the ocean, that will provide a
fantastic starting point for conversations about waste and how to
solve the problem, not just of ocean litter but also litter in
general. Descriptive and rich language choices make for an emotive
and evocative read and the breathtaking illustrations are filled
with details that will help the reader connect their own lifestyle
with the devastation taking place in our oceans. The line 'we need
no gifts' is also worth exploring with children. Children will no
doubt feel empowered in their own ability to create change through
some simple changes to their everyday practices. Teacher's
notes are available. Themes: Oceans, Littering.
Nicole Nelson
Tribal Lores by Archimede Fusillo
Walker Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781760651954.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. This story is set in Australia, with a
family of Italian immigrants living in the suburbs of the city, the
father a butcher and the mother running the home, while helping her
husband and caring for family. Archimede Fusillo has constructed a
riveting tale of the challenges that face migrants in their new
country, from the social mores, to the changing of the old rules to
those of the new country, focusing on those that challenge the
parents in this new country. The novel feels so real, Fusillo having
constructed this evocative narrative with an authenticity that is
rivetting.
We read how the children of migrants must learn to cope with school,
socializing and learning the ways of the new country while living
very much by the rules of the old at home. This nexus of worlds is
at the heart of the divide that they face daily, as the new world
intrudes on the old ways, and the parents and children have to
adjust to their roles in this new place. Told with heart, this
narrative brings to light both the extreme challenges and the daily
adjustments, exploring how these differ for parents and children.
The old ways, however, dominate at home for the young people, and
Fusillo focuses on how they face the challenge of fitting in to the
new world while following the norms of their families. In fact, this
seems an impossible challenge. We feel every emotion with the
characters, so vivid is this tale, and we are torn by their
emotional responses, as Fusillo's beautiful and powerful tale
unfolds. This is a story appropriate for both adults and younger
adolescents. Book
Club notes are available.
Elizabeth Bondar
