Penguin, 2019 ISBN: 9781760893361. 256pp.
(Age: 11+) Recommended. 15-year-old Jack has just arrived in
Busselton with his Mum and almost before he has had time to find his
feet, he finds himself at a party at the local Go-Kart track. This
unexpected opportunity unleashes a fast-paced adventure utilising
his natural tendency to race fast through life (sometimes drawing
attention from the police). Along the journey he finds friends to
support his new go-karting obsession and also learns to deal with
grief and the 'red-mist' of competition.
Jack's friends include Mandy, whose desire is to become appreciated
in the Motor Sports industry (and with her father) for more than her
skill at making coffee, and also Colin, the quirky and anxious
side-kick who adds touches of humour. Breaking through stereotype
barriers is a minor theme, but adds a little sophistication to the
story.
Written as a novelised version of the movie of the same name by
Steve Worland (of Paper
planesfame), this is an easy-to-read story that will
be enjoyed by both male and female readers who love competition. The
coming-of-age aspects of life in the teen years in finding your
place in the world, in overcoming fear, failure and difficulties in
life are also woven into the story. Because the movie is current,
there will be interest by readers in this story, which has limited
literacy complexity, but action aplenty.
Recommended for readers aged 11+. Themes: Go-Karting, Competition,
Friendship, Grief, Stereotypes.
Carolyn Hull
Dino rap by James Mellon and Mat Howorth
Little Steps Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 9781925839449. hbk. 32pp.
This is a fun catchy story, that will be enjoyed by dinosaur lovers.
Each dinosaur has its own special unique ability that it highlights
in its rhyme. The story ends with a bang.
I recommend this story about a Triceratops, Pterodactyl and T-Rex to
dinosaur lovers as it will bring a smile to both the audience and
the person reading the story.
The illustrations in this book are bright and eye catching and add
beautifully to the story.
Karen Colliver
Children of virtue and vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
Legacy of Orisha, bk 2. MacMillan, 2019. ISBN: 9781529034790.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Zelie has just set fire to her father's
funeral pyre, and now she and her brother Tzain, and her friend
Amari, daughter of Orisha's dead monarch, have to work out how to
save their country from war, and establish peace between the maji,
traditional holders of magic, from whom Zelie and Tzain descend, and
the increasingly powerful rulers of the land who want to destroy
anything to do with the maji. It looks like there is a chance for
peace as the princess Amari asserts her right to the throne, but
then everything turns to disaster when it is discovered that her
brother Inan and her fierce and power hungry mother Nehanda still
live.
The story is set in the fantasy land of Orisha, based on the towns
and settings of Nigeria; and the inhabitants speak Yoruba.
Exclamations and incantations are frequently in Yoruba and not
translated, so the reader has to just guess or skip those sentences.
There is no glossary to help here.
The themes centre on overcoming oppression and the hatred between
different groups of people. One nice feature is the friendship
between the two girls Zelie and Amari, each with separate
allegiances, but who for the most part try to work together. However
they are gradually drawn apart by the warring factions. Each of them
struggles to know who to trust, and how to resolve the conflict in
their country. Children of virtue and vengeance is book 2 in the Orisha
trilogy, and while I read this as a stand-alone, it took a while to
work out the relationships, and the references to strange creatures
such as the lionaire which may have been given better description in
the first book. So I would recommend reading Children of blood
and bone first. The chapters are short and fast-paced,
alternating between three narrators, Zelie, Amari, and Inan, and
quickly draw the reader into the action, so that it is easy to stay
engaged until the end. However, the cliff-hanger ending clearly
leads into the third yet to be released novel.
Readers of fantasy who enjoy mystical worlds with action, romance
and some gore, will enjoy this series. Themes include identity,
courage, magic, racism.
Helen Eddy
Wrecking ball by Jeff Kinney
Diary of a wimpy kid book 14. Puffin, 2019, ISBN:
9780143796053. 217p.
(Age: 8+) Signalling hilarious new social lows, the image of a
bathroom drain clogged with human hair greets readers of Greg
Heffley's 14th lined journal. Indeed, plumbing and home improvement
themes are pervasive AFTER Greg deals with his 'collection' of junk,
holds a garage sale, designs HIS dream house, contemplates the
elusiveness of fame and most surprisingly extolls the usefulness of
childrens' books for bibliotherapy.
Greg's main Spring misadventure begins with his family missing his
Great Aunt Ruth's funeral. Nevertheless, his mother inherits enough
money to renovate their house. Nothing goes to plan. The workmen and
their messes are upsetting the neighbours MORE than Greg's fear of
the grout monster, school or life in general. A serious construction
error means they decide to move to a new neighbourhood. Sidekick
Rawley is miserable but of course Mum, Dad, Rodrick and Manny
feature prominently in endless accidents, emergencies and
misunderstandings . . . oh, and Becky is still playing hard to get.
The neverending twists and turns in Wimpy Kid's daydreams and
misadventures include the cascading impact of not wanting the
workmen using the toilet, which makes Greg trigger a smoke alarm,
which forces Manny to jettison his soft toys out the window onto the
lawn so he can leap for dear life! Fans of Wimpy Kid certainly won't
be disappointed in a new season of maniacal menace from America's
favourite stick boy. Follow the thread about the book tour and other
brand news on Jeff Kinney's website.
Deborah Robins
A Tale of Magic by Chris Colfer
Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2019. ISBN: 9781510202115.
448pp. hbk.
(Age: Teens) Highly recommended. This is a story about a time when
magic was seen to be a bad thing, where people were punished for
doing magic, depending on where you lived depended on the punishment
you received.
Brystal is not aware of her magic abilities, she just has a profound
love of books and reading but unfortunately she lives in a place
where girls are not allowed to read, only boys learn to read and go
to school. Brystal manages to get herself the best job she could
imagine, being the maid cleaning the local library, each night when
she finishes cleaning the library she spends some time reading the
books in the library. One night when she has finished cleaning she
notices a book on a high shelf that she had not seen previously,
when she reaches up to pull this book from the shelf it will not
budge, with a bit of effort the book opens a secret door behind the
book shelf where Brystal finds a collection of forbidden books, and
this discovery will change her life forever. One night while she is
reading one of the forbidden books The Truth about Magic she
learns that she is a Fairy. When she is discovered doing magic her
life takes a turn for the worst.
Brystal ends up in the Bootstrap Correctional Facility for Troubled
Young Women. She has never been so cold in her life, but a ray of
kindness finds her with one of the other girls bringing her extra
blankets during the night, and they build up a friendship which
makes the place more bearable.
One day Madame Weatherberry arrives at the facility and takes
Brystal away to become a student at her school for magic. Brystal is
unsure about this to begin with but begins to enjoy the new
adventure and meets some new friends who are in similar situations
to her.
Through Madame Weatherberry's kindness Brystal starts to learn to
use her magic. But there is something mysterious going on at the
school and their teacher is not telling them the whole truth. When
Madame Weatherberry does not return to the academy Brystal tells her
classmates about what is happening and together they are determined
to save Madame Weatherberry.
In the end Brystal learns the truth and has to make a choice about
how she is going to handle the information she had learnt. Brystal
was determined that the tale of magic would have a happy ending.
This book is aimed at teen readers.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a bit of magic and
mystery.
Karen Colliver
Clementine Rose and the best news yet by Jacqueline Harvey
Puffin Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780143786054. 176pp.
(Age: 6-10) Recommended. This is the fifteenth book in the series
with Clementine Rose Appleby as the lead character. Clementine is
ageless as the young seven-year-old with the propensity for creating
smiles and sometimes getting things slightly wrong. In this book the
family is waiting for the imminent arrival of the new baby, but
first they have to take care of the guests arriving in the Penberthy
House Hotel, the small boutique Hotel where Clementine and her
family live. The guests include a toddler who seems intent on
destroying Clemmie's ideal of what life with a younger sibling will
be like. In addition is seems that her Grandmother (who used to be
her Great Aunt Violet . . . A plot line that was revealed in earlier
books in the series) and her Grandmother's beau - the indomitable
butler, Uncle Digby, are experiencing problems in their
relationship; a distressing turn of events that Clementine
desperately wants to change. These events and the plans that Clemmie
has in place for the new baby cause a flurry of interesting moments
that culminates in the 'Best News Yet'.
Young girls love the quirky twists in the Clementine series,
and the resilient reader who loves to follow a Series thread will
keep going into Number 15! Jacqueline Harvey manages to create
enough personality and fun so that young female readers will be
charmed and willing to keep reading.
Recommended for readers aged 6-10. Themes: Family; Babies.
Carolyn Hull
Young engineers by Andrew King
Illus. by Benjamin Johnston. Little Steps Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9781925839623. hbk.
Recommended. 'Young Engineers provides examples of engineering
across a wide range of disciplines and provides some information
about them. Together with its additional supporting material it is
designed to encourage children to experience and enjoy engineering:
to dream, draw, design and create.' Publisher.
This book is a fun look at engineering and the different areas that
make up the field of engineering.
Young children are full of ideas to build and create and with
nurturing these ideas can build into big things in the future. Young engineers can be using in the classroom to explore the
different disciplines of engineering to encourage children that they
can make a difference.
I recommend this book as a teaching resource to support and foster
children's interests in engineering.
Karen Colliver
Respect by Rachel Brian
Wren and Rook, 2020. ISBN: 9781526362216. hbk., 54pp.
(Age: 5-12) Highly recommended. Subtitled, Consent, boundaries
and being in charge of YOU, this little volume of humorous
illustrations and helpful information is sure to be a winner in any
library, classroom or home. Right from the front cover, where a
stick figure wearing a crown, declares "I'm the ruler of my own
body" to the Help! section at the back of the book, Rachel Brian has
produced a fabulous and very timely self-help book that clearly
shows readers many examples of just what consent means.
The quirky illustrations are even part of the "What's inside"
(Contents Page) and readers know right from the start that they will
learn: "What's consent?" "Ways to set a boundary", "How to support
your friends", "Do you get to change your mind?" "Is getting hurt by
people/badgers OK?" and "What makes a friendship healthy".
I particularly liked the section titled "Does someone's outfit tell
you if they consent" where a figure is dressed in a swimsuit, but
has no intention of going swimming. The advice is "Don't assume you
know why someone is dressed in a particular way". Another section
that caught my eye was the mini comic on tickling, when one friend
did not want to be tickled and eventually his friend thought of
something else fun to do.
This is an engaging and very clever way of bringing a very serious
topic out into the open and giving readers strategies for setting
boundaries. There is a trailer
from Blue Seat Studios on Vimeo.
Pat Pledger
What's the point of Maths? by DK Publishing
DK Children, 2020. ISBN: 9780241343524.
(Age: 8-Adult) Highly recommended. What a well-produced, easy to
understand book! After reading this, or even dipping into it,
readers will come away with a greater understanding of the important
place that Maths has in daily lives.
Like all good reference books, this has an excellent Contents page.
An introduction gives an illustrated overview of the importance of
Maths - telling time, navigating Earth, growing crops, creating art,
making music, designing and building, making money, saving lives,
computing, and all will grab the reader's attention and pull them
into the book. It is then divided into the following headings:
What's the point of numbers and counting; What's the point of shapes
and measuring; What's the point of patterns and sequences; What the
point of data and statistics; What's the point of probability and
logic?
Intriguing headings in 'What's the point of numbers and counting?'
like How to count with your nose, How to be negative, How to know
the unknown, will fascinate the reader. Information given has an
historical base and is very interesting to both people fascinated by
Maths or those who have always found it difficult and challenging. A
glossary and an index round up this excellent book.
I was intrigued by the How to escape prison in the 'What's the point
of probability and logic?' section and found the historical facts
really interesting. Each page is brightly illustrated with often
amusing pictures, and the diagrams and simple steps help the reader
to understand the explanations of the mathematical concepts. There
are worked examples to show readers how to solve mathematical
problems.
Pat Pledger
The Fowl twins by Eoin Colfer
Harper Collins, 2019. ISBN: 9780008324827.
(Age: 9-13+) Recommended. Eleven year old fraternal twins Myles and
Beckett Fowl are complete opposites. The twins live on the
Irish Dalkey Island with their family, under the ever-watchful eye
of NANNI (The Nano Artificial Neural Network Intelligence), a
complex security system devised by Artemis and to a degree, young
Myles. Myles is debonair, controlled and focused purely on the
scientific and technological aspects of life. He is responsible for
helping to create much of the family's idyllic island fortress and
thinks deeply before acting. His brother Beckett on the other hand
is impulsive, untidy and full of energy and he jumps into situations
without any thought of the possible consequences. The brothers
though, are inseparable, and complement each other in surviving
their many dangerous escapades.
The story begins with an unexpected visit from The Baddie: Lord
Teddy Bleedham-Drye, The Duke of Sicily. The first chapter is wholly
devoted to explaining this character whose life work has been
dedicated to finding the elixir of youth. Hence the visit to Dalkey
Island where a miniature troll with possible live-forever venom is
sighted leading to complicated and wildly exciting adventures for
the twins. Beckett finds the troll and names it Whistle Blower and
when the twins are whisked away (aka kidnapped) by Sister Jeronima,
the nunterrogator, the real trouble begins. Governments are funding
Sr Jeromina to torture and cross-examine the twins for their own
nefarious reasons and they find themselves in all sorts of trouble.
Throw in a fairy, Lazuli, invisible to most but not to Myles and the
excitement and confusion reigns.
Fans of all ages will enjoy this next book from Eoin Colfer. Fowl
twins is a humorous and action packed spin off from the Artemis
Fowl series and an enjoyable fast-paced read. As the novel
mentions past characters and aspects from the Artemis Fowl
series it is not necessary to have pre-read Artemis Fowl.
Themes: Humour, Adventure, Twins, Family, Villains, Fantasy,
Technology.
Kathryn Beilby
Roo knows blue by Renee Treml
Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9780143790327.
(Age: 1+) Recommended. From the cute kangaroo smiling at the reader
on the front cover to the gorgeous flowers on the end papers this
book is a joy to read aloud. Roo knows the colour blue but his
friend Possum tells him that there are other colours too.
This is a fascinating and fun look at colours. The rhythm of the
story will keep children listening avidly and they will have fun
shouting out the refrain Little Roo hops along,
hops along and
sings this song
Then they will enjoy telling Roo just what is the colour of the
objects and animals that he has described.
The illustrations are a joy and children will love the expressions
on the faces of Roo and Possum and the bright colours of the
backgrounds. Roo stands out on each page, and the reader will have
fun finding Possum among lovely details like the red flowers of
Sturt's Desert Pea and the yellow of the wattle. The print is large
and a bold black except for the highlighted colours of blue, red,
pink, green, purple and finally a glorious burst of yellow.
This is a delightful way for young children to learn about colours
while older ones will love the repetition and humour. All will enjoy
looking for the colours of the different animals and objects and
beautiful flowers in a second reading. Roo knows blue is a keeper. It is sure to become a family
favourite. Themes: Colours, Australian animals, Australian flora,
Read aloud.
Pat Pledger
Eight princesses and a magic mirror by Natasha Farrant
Illus. by Lydia Corry. Zephyr, 2019. ISBN: 9781788541152. 209pp.,
hbk.
Mirror, mirror on the wall . . . what makes a princess excellent?'
The enchantress's mirror travels through time, from east to west, to
find the answer. Reflected in it are princesses who refuse to be
pretty, polite or obedient. These are girls determined to do the
rescuing themselves. The Arabian princess of the desert protects her
people from the king with the black and gold banner; Latin American
Princess, Tica, takes a crocodile for a pet; a Scottish princess
explores the high seas; African Princess, Abayome, puts empathy and
kindness above being royal; and in a tower-block, a Princess saves her
precious community garden from the hands of greedy urban developers.
While the traditional princesses of familiar fairy tales still
remain popular with many girls, others are demanding stories about
those who are not helpless and dreaming of the handsome prince to
rescue them and live happily ever after. So this collection of
original stories about princesses who are bold, empowered, full of
curiosity, adventure and determined to be true to themselves will
appeal to those ready to move beyond Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora
and company. With its relatively short meaty stories and full colour
illustrations, it is perfect for newly independent readers and with
the magic mirror connecting the stories throughout it has a
continuity that encourages them to keep reading each new adventure.
Something different to entice readers into the library for a new
year of reading adventures or to suggest to parents looking for
something a bit different to share at bedtime.
Barbara Braxton
Tiny : a little dog on a big adventure by Steve Otton and Jennifer Castles
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760876586.
(Age: All) Highly recommended. This breathtaking book of photographs
of a trip around Australia will capture readers' imaginations as
they follow the path taken by Steve and Tiny, his dog. The photos
impel you to turn to the map at the front of the book, to see just
where they went on their epic trip. Steve's photos tell a story of a
man who goes off with only his dog for company, 'Let's go, matey',
initially finding this enough, but as the trip goes on, other
animals make their appearance, and eventually other people. His
solitude is softened by the people he meets, until he says to Tiny,
'Let's go home, matey'. And the reader is satisfied that he has
found some inner peace.
The photos are absorbing, resonating with images of the Australian
outback, vast red sand hills, low scrub, to the seemingly never
ending roadway, and animals they meet along the way. When he meets
up with people, the photos come alive with possibilities, as Tiny
likes to keep busy and help in the stockyards. But Steve doesn't
seem to want to stay too long and so the pair moves on. Eventually
they move back home, blow the cobwebs out in the house and settle
back in.
The photos range from full page to several smaller ones on each
page, but each will grab the attention of the reader as they pore
over the details each reveal. Children will love finding clues in
the text and photos to pin point the places on the map, and wonder
again at the vastness of Australia, and the time it takes to get
around.
The sparse text tells enough without being sentimental, we feel one
with this lone man and his dog, searching for a peace that does not
come easily. But his travels come full circle and satisfied, he
returns home. A wonderful book to share when talking about being
alone, about needing your own space, it also lends itself to talking
about Australian people, animals and landscapes, introducing that
topic in class, or simply as a stand alone book for kids to read
about Australia. It is rich and absorbing and I see more in it each
time I open its pages. Themes: Dogs, Companionship, Mental health,
Australia, Journeys.
Fran Knight
Ninja bandicoots and turbo-charged wombats : Stories from behind the scenes at the zoo by Hazel Flynn
Piccolo Nero, 2020. ISBN: 9781760641672.
(Age: 9-12) This is a timely book for Australian children who may
well be feeling distressed about the bushfires that are currently
raging across the Australian continent and the subsequent plight of
native creatures. (January 2020)
In each chapter of Ninja Bandicoots and Turbo-Charged Wombats,
Hazel Flynn tells the story of a different creature. The reader
learns about how zoo-keepers, biologists, scientists and other
people (including citizen scientists and children) are working
together to understand how to conserve these vulnerable Australian
animals. In each chapter, the reader finds out about how people who
work with these creatures have come to love them with all their
quirky and endearing characteristics. Each chapter describes a
particular animal's physical characteristics and behavior. The
narrative is engaging, stories are told, fast facts are given, a
particular random fact is highlighted on a page for each animal and
each chapter concludes with a page entitled - "What can I do to
help?" In the centre of the book there are coloured plates of each
animal courtesy of Zoos Victoria.
Although some of the information on the status and risks to the
animals is upsetting, Flynn is positive and the young reader is
encouraged, invited and shown how to be proactive about the issues.
This gives the young person a sense of efficacy rather than
hopelessness. Ninja Bandicoots and Turbo-Charged Wombats addresses the
cross curricular priority of Sustainability. The classroom teacher
can easily read a chapter or two as a springboard; the Science
teacher would find this a useful and engaging resource for Biology.
The endangered Australian creatures highlighted are: Leadbeater's
Possums, Mountain Pygmy Possums, Eastern Barred Bandicoots,
Platypuses, Baw Baw and Corroboree Frogs, Tasmanian Devils,
Wedge-Tailed Eagles, Helmeted HoneyEaters, Orange-bellied Parrots,
Guthega Skinks, Wombats, Koalas and Goodfellow's Tree-Kangaroos.
Fascinating details about all these creatures are revealed through
the stories of the people who work to conserve them.
An excellent, interesting, fact-filled and appealing resource book
for ages 9-12.
Wendy Jeffery
Westwind by Ian Rankin
Orion, 2019 (c1990). ISBN: 9781409196051. 320pp.
(Age: Senior/adult) Recommended. Westwind was originally
published in 1990 and was forgotten by most. But Rankin did hear
from readers on occasion, who liked Westwind and so made a decision
to revise and reissue.
Westwind is a thriller set in the 1990s when satellite and computer
technology are still a little mysterious to most. Martin Hepton
works in a tracking facility, with its latest target Zephyr a
British satellite. It has been successfully launched from the
shuttle Argos, but Argos has come down with loss of all but one
life, the only Brit in the crew.
This is a time when, as now the political situation is unsettled.
The Americans want out of Europe, however there are many both in
Britain, Europe and the US who think the move fool hardy.
Hepton and another of the trackers, Paul Vincent, think there is
something odd when they loose contact for longer than is normal with
Zephyr. Hepton's sense of unease grows when Vincent is suddenly
taken ill and removed to a hospital.
Dreyfuss, the lone survivor from the shuttle finds himself in an
American hospital isolated, drugged and fearful for his future. He
hopes for some help from the British Embassy, but it seems a long
time coming.
Add to the mix a rather beautiful assassin, MI5, MI6 and US
intelligence and the odd body the action ramps up as does the
intrigue about what is happening and who is behind it all. Westwind in the end is a reasonably satisfying spy come tech
thriller. Those geeks into the latest technology may find it a bit
lame, but for a Luddite like me it was fine. This is not a Rebus
novel, Edinburgh is not its setting, but I can see why there was a
push to reissue. There are parallels to situations now in the UK and
Europe so perhaps a timely reminder of what may happen when politics
goes wobbly. Themes: Thriller, Crime, Spies.
Mark Knight
