All of the factors of why I love tractors by Davina Bell
Illus. by Jenny Lovlie. Little Hare, 2019. ISBN: 9781760501457.
32pp., hbk.
Frankie McGee is very excited because today's the day he goes to the
library with his mother and he can borrow another book about
tractors - his favourite thing in the whole world. And no matter how
much his mum tries to persuade him to borrow something else - cars,
planes, cranes, trains - he is determined and launches into a list
of all the factors of why he loves tractors.
Told in a rollicking rhyme that moves both the story and the text
along at a great rate, this is the most delightful book that will
appeal to a lot of little boys, particularly those in rural areas
who are able to tell their John Deeres from their Massey Fergusons.
But it is the last four lines that are the best and which should put
a smile on any parent's (or teacher librarian's) face . . . "See, Mama?" I say as we check our books out.
"I like books - that's what matters. Not what they're about.
And don't worry," I add. "I know this one by heart.
I can read it to you - all the way from the start."
Reading really is a super power!
Barbara Braxton
Wolf girl by Ahn Do
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760525095.
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Themes: Wolves, Adventure, Survival.
When Dad crashes the car in their effort to flee the city and the
bombs, he tells her to run and not look back, they will follow her.
She does so, realising after a while that she is alone. No one has
followed her, least of all her family. But a dog appears from the
bush, an orange pup, and he is soon one of four dogs that track
about with her, hunting with her, snuggling up for warmth at night,
watching out for danger. The group, a chihuahua, a labrador, a
greyhound and the pup team up to survive in the forest, initially
living on what Gwen has in her backpack, finding food foraging in
the forest and when Gwen masters a slingshot, eating small game.
She takes the group back to the cars, finding that she and her pack
are the only living things about and they stay at the cars, using
them for shelter, trekking out from the cars each day in the search
for food and answers. Suitcases left strewn across the road give
Gwen new clothes. Warm blankets and sleeping bags are found, food,
matches and books are put to good use. The books give Gwen some
survival techniques while the dogs collect wood for the fire, and
the dogs develop their hunting skills. After a year or so, Gwen sees
that her puppy has grown, out stretching all the other dogs,
becoming stealthier in its hunting, wary of the other dogs. He is a
wolf, but one that stays with Gwen as she survives.
An exciting series of books has Gwen at the centre, alone in a
forest, with only a group of dogs as companions. But what
companions! Readers will be delighted as they become a close knit
pack, each relying on the other to survive, the wolf's skills
becoming honed as he learns from the others, particularly the last
dog to arrive, the mastiff, Brutus.
Ahn Do includes a host of information about survival, the things
that Gwen needs to be aware of and give thought to, and this makes
Gwen's story highly readable, with the next in the series looked
for. Scroll down here for a book
trailer.
Fran Knight
The girl in the mirror by Jenny Blackford
Eagle Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780648194521.
This is a story set in two different times, where two girls find
each other through a modern mirror. Their lives are so different,
and it is this difference that reveals new worlds for each of them,
that enhances their ideas, and cements a 'friendship' that crosses
the centuries. Beautifully written and particularly aimed at
adolescent readers, this novel transcends the science-fiction genre
becoming equally acceptable as a light-hearted story on the world of
women and a modern and vibrant text on the differences in the world
of women, on change and adaptation to the vastly different worlds in
which these young women live.
The structure of the novel is the narrative told through the two
voices, the alternating chapters told by each girl. When the two
young women 'find' each other they are surprised but begin to 'chat'
via the long mirror that has stayed in the same house over the
centuries. Clarissa is shocked when she sees a girl in the mirror
dressed in a 'scandalously short skirt' that shows her knees. In the
next chapter Maddy is stunned to see a girl in a long dress whom she
thinks is a ghost, but when they begin to speak to one another,
Maddy realizes that this is a 'real' girl, albeit from a different
era, speaking to her. Both initially unsettled by the appearance of
the other, they begin to 'speak' regularly, discussing their lives
with a fascination that is gripping for both characters.
Difference in the two eras is a dominant aspect of this narrative,
and it is their revelation and discussion of the changes over time,
and the historical oppression of women in the past, that entertain
the reader. In exploring how the human and technological worlds have
evolved, and what this has meant for women particularly, the novel
is a definitive text on difference, change and the way in which we
humans have managed our reality over the centuries. Enjoyable and
revelatory, this novel is most suitable for adolescent reading and
interesting for adult reading too.
Elizabeth Bondar
Disgusting McGrossface by Rove McManus
Scholastic Australia, 2019. ISBN: 9781760665357. hbk.
(Age: 4-8 Recommended. Themes: Monsters, Habits, Mythical creatures,
Personal hygiene. The child who tells this story has a very fertile
imagination and uses it to go into amazing detail to explain to his
parents that there is a monster at work who has left muddy
footprints in the house. Young readers will empathize with the main
character who is trying to hide the fact that he has made the mess.
It is highly entertaining for young children who will love the
revolting things included in the story.
The monster's lifestyle forms the detail in this story, from the
fact that he doesn't bathe to his collections of snot-filled
tissues, dirty undies and ear wax statues. Young children find the
gross details hilarious, however as an adult I would have left a few
of them out because I think some may have been added to pad out the
book; but it is written for children and it will entertain a class
when read aloud. When I first received this book to review my
immediate reaction was to wonder why publishers continue to support
celebrities whose books are not usually as good as some others by
lesser known authors. In fact, on my first reading I was not a fan
of the book at all but after reading it to a class and to a young
child I changed my opinion and could see how the book appeals to
children but not all adults.
The illustrations, also done by McManus, are colourful and full of
fabulous detail. The use of bold text throughout will assist those
reading it to emphasize certain important words and make the reading
more enjoyable. The rhyming works well but I would recommend reading
it through a few times to get the rhythm to work when reading aloud.
All in all, a grossly enjoyable read.
Gabrielle Anderson
Little Puggle's song by Vikki Conley
New Frontier, 2019. ISBN: 9781912076345. Little Puggle's Song by Vikki Conley is pretty picture book
that tells the story of Puggle (a baby echidna) and how he cannot
find his voice.
It follows a fairly familiar storyline where the main character
wants to be like everyone else, but is lacking a key feature.
In this instance, Puggle wants to sing just like his friends Little
Blue, Fancy Crest, Brown feather and Long tail, join the bush choir
and sing the welcome song for the baby emu due to be born at any
moment. Sadly he just doesn't seem to have his own song, so watches
intently from the side lines.
In the final moments we see Puggle find his place, front and centre,
and join the choir!
Overall I thought the story was similar to many I had read before,
however it has an Australian twist and some interesting points of
conversation along the way. I liked how Puggle called his friends
different names to their correct ones (Brown Feather in stead of
Kookaburra), and the description of the animals songs throughout the
book. Whilst reading the book the students tried to imitate the
sounds and also made their own noises.
I really liked the soft, pretty painted illustrations. Helene
Magisson's technique brings just the right amount of life into the
animals (especially the final choir scene), and shows the plant
variety and colours of the Australian bush.
My only issue is the ending (spoiler alert!). I expected to see the
choir singing and then a cute baby emu, given a funny nickname by
Puggle. Instead it's just Mrs and Mr Emu waiting for the eggs to
hatch - I was a little disappointed! I feel that maybe one more page
with the babies would have rounded it off nicely.
A good story that may be used for discussions about patience and
perseverance, or even Australian animals and their individual songs.
Teacher's
notes are available.
Lauren Fountain
The very hungry caterpillar's Australian friends by Eric Carle
Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241401583.
(Age: 2-5) Highly recommended. Lift-the-flap board book. Themes:
Australian animals. A beautifully illustrated lift the flap book
will delight young children, as they explore the seaside and
landscape of Australia searching to see what lives behind the flap.
With Eric Carle's signature bright colours and the very hungry
caterpillar to be found, little children will have lots of fun
searching for the crawling hermit crab and fishing pelican by the
sea, a drifting seahorse, swimming turtle and dolphin at the coral
reef and a snapping crocodile and platypus along the river. In the
outback are lizards, kangaroos and snakes parrots, a jumping frog
and the very hungry caterpillar in the rainforest.
The language will extend the vocabulary of the young child, with
phrases like 'waves tumble, roll and fall' and the rhymes will
encourage the guessing of what comes next in the narrative.
The book is very strong and well made, with solid flaps that should
withstand much use from little fingers. This is a book that will
make an ideal companion to The very hungry caterpillar, and
children will have lots of incidental fun learning about Australian
animals and where they live.
Pat Pledger
The ANZAC billy by Claire Saxby
Illus. by Mark Jackson and Heather Potter. Black Dog Books, 2019.
ISBN: 9781925126815.
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Themes: Anzac, Christmas, Home, War. A
little known event during World War One was the sending of billy
cans from Australia to Gallipoli for the Anzacs during their first
Christmas overseas. Families filled the billy cans with gifts, some
practical, some edible, some from wives and mothers and some from
the children, but all designed to bring comfort and a whiff of home
to those soldiers sent so far away.
The soft edged pencil and watercolour illustrations suit the
ambience of the story, of children and families finding just the
right thing to pack in the can for their father, husband and son
overseas. Without being overly sentimental, sentiment is there, and
readers will respond with a sigh at seeing the contrast between home
and the men on the ships as they set sail. Home is the focus of most
of the book, showing the family getting on with their daily tasks,
waiting for news from the war. Filling the billy shows each of them
has a role to play as they chose what to put in the tin.
The home images are fabulous, showing a world more than one hundred
years ago, a vastly different wold from the one our readers inhabit,
and classes will have a great deal to discuss, looking at the
pictures and working out what everything is for, contrasting the
clothes that they wear, the things put into the tin, a world away
from the things our readers give and receive for Christmas.
Another chapter of the story of Australia's involvement in World War
One has been revealed for younger readers enabling them to see how
far war reaches, and the attempts by many to send comfort to those
fighting on a foreign field.
There are websites, particularly that of the Australian
War Memorial, and VeteransSA,
that give more information about this event as well as resources
on the net to use with the book. There are teacher
notes.
Fran Knight
The prom by Saundra Mitchell and others
Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241428214.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: LGBTQI people, Dating,
Prejudices. The prom is an emotional rollercoaster set
within the constraints of a religious and largely intolerant small
town. It follows Emma who is in her senior year at high school and
the only out lesbian at her school. Her girlfriend and student
president, Alyssa is struggling with coming out to her mother ahead
of prom, the biggest event on their school calendar. Having
accidentally outed herself at fourteen on her YouTube channel, Emma
knows what it's like to have intolerant parents and while patient
has every faith in her girlfriend. However, their plans get out of
hand when Alyssa's mother and PTA president gets wind of Emma's
plans to attend prom with a girl. An emergency meeting is called and
tensions rise as new rules are instated. With the principal having
no power over the PTA it's time for Emma to choose whether this is
something she wants to fight. With the support of her Nan, Alyssa,
and two down and out Broadway stars, Emma's life is about to change
forever.
Adapted from the Broadway performance by Bob Martin, Chad Beguelin,
and Matthew Sklar, Saundra Mitchell has brought an inclusive
LGBTQIA+ story to a potentially wider audience. LGBTQIA+ inclusive
stories and representations are highly important for young people
who might otherwise be feeling quite alone and confused about their
gender/sexuality throughout school and puberty. The novel deals with
bullying and discrimination without lingering too much over the
heartbreak of having an entire community questioning your
personhood.
I would highly recommend for young people twelve and up,
particularly those in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Kayla Gaskell
Hunter by Jack Heath
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760527082.
(Age: Adult/Senior secondary) Highly recommended. Themes: Death,
Cannibalism, Humour, Detective story, Texas, Riddles. Waiting for
the next body, Timothy needs a quiet moment in the bush before the
delivery but stumbles over a body hidden in the undergrowth. A torch
beam shows someone is searching, so he hoists the body over his
shoulder and stows it in his car, turning back home before keeping
his appointment. He has taken a bite from this body's arm so must
hide it before it is seen and he is undone. He has kept his peculiar
perversion secret until now and working for crime boss, Charlie
Warner means that he can disappear her bodies while satisfying his
particular urge.
The tension between his urge and the fear of being discovered
underpins the story and told with such delicious humour, readers
cannot help but laugh loudly edged with a modicum of guilt.
The second in this highly readable crime series reveals Jack Heath's
mastery of the macabre, as he delves into Blake's mind, ashamed and
confronted by what he does, yet unable to control himself.
Heath says that in writing children's books he kept aside the really
disturbing things he thought about for Hangman, the first
outing for Timothy Blake.
The moral dilemma makes this series tower over other crime stories:
Blake is a fascinating character, always on the edge of being
caught, worrying about his own mortality doing what he does,
concerned about what other people would think if they knew.
And in working with Thistle comes another dilemma: sex brings out
his craving, and to eat the person to whom he is making love is not
what he wants. He loves this woman and there are only so many
excuses he can offer for the relationship not proceeding.
In his role as consultant he is again asked to partner Thistle in
uncovering what has happened to a local professor, but while
investigating his disappearance, another report comes in.
The missing presumed dead list grows, and Blake is aware that he has
a vital piece of evidence in his freezer, the body of one of the
missing.
How it all pans out makes exciting, scary, confronting reading, but
totally entertaining, and with Thistle's disappearance, the
possibility of a third story seems something to anticipate with
relish.
Fran Knight
Under the same sky by Robert Vescio
Illus. by Nicky Johnston. New Frontier Press, 2019. ISBN:
9781925594676.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Friendship, Isolation. Two lone
children, on opposite sides of the world, crave friendship. Each is
alone. One is a more affluent city dweller with his own space, a
desk and lamp in his room illuminating his possessions, while the
other lives in a more remote space, surrounded by chickens, with
fewer possessions, a bedraggled barbed wire fence on the clifftop, a
woven rug underfoot. Readers will use the illustrations to tease out
the circumstances of each of their lives, but one thing is certain,
they both wish for a friend.
One night a falling star gives the city child an idea, and he gets
out his craft box and makes a present for the girl a long way away.
He attaches his gift in an envelope to a pigeon and sends the bird
off into the sky. The pigeon reaches the girl and returns carrying
her response back to the city.
Children will recognise the underlying message of hope in this
story: that people can connect no matter where they are, it takes
someone to make a move just like the city boy in sending a 'hello'
across the seas. He reached out to someone he did not know, using
whatever came to hand to make that connection.
The sky at night is beautifully rendered by the illustrator, Nicky
Johnston, making the different blues a constant feature throughout
the book. Pale morning hues are contrasted with the dark blue of the
night sky, sprinkled with stars above both children, while the
stunning endpapers reiterate the morning light, promising of good
things to come. They both live under the same sky, and that is a
truism for all of us.
Fran Knight
Being black'n chicken, and chips by Matt Okine
Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9780733641688.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Themes: Humour, Adolescence, Sexuality,
Cancer, Grief, Racism. Written by Ghanaian-born, Australian stand-up
comedian, Matt Okine, this book makes for a hilarious read, while at
the same time dealing with serious subjects such as child death,
cancer and racism. It is a coming of age story of a teenager
obsessed with sex and athletics, living between separated parents,
his struggling white mother and his African dentist father. Class
clown Mike is always the joker hiding his feelings behind the
laughs.
His curiosity about sex and girls gets him into some really
embarrassing situations that play out like a comedy film, and will
have you laughing out loud. At the same time, tears may not be far
away as Mike comes to realise the seriousness of his mother's
illness. And then there are the really scary scenes where he is
menaced by a racist cop, a situation that is only too familiar to
Mike's father.
Teenagers and adults alike will enjoy this book. It is easy to read;
it is funny, heart-warming and serious all at the same time.
Helen Eddy
Oops, I've told a little lie! Chrissie Perry
Illus. by Pete Petrovic. Blabbermouth book 2. Scholastic,
2019, ISBN: 9781760663223.
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Themes: Personality, Truth, Dogs. Chrissie
Perry's Blabbermouth series chronicles Amelie Anderson's
life as she tries to control her most embarrassing trait, blurting
comments out before thinking of the consequences. In Oops, I've
told a little lie! Amelie is keeping two secrets from her
friends; she's the author of the school newsletter's advice column
and she doesn't really have a pet schnoodle puppy. Amelie's
blabbermouth continually causes problems, and when her teacher
announces a special news session for the following Wednesday, she
can't help herself. With a little egging on by frenemy Paris, Amelie
boasts she's bringing something amazing, adorable and irresistible
to show.
In her friendship circle Pepper, Charlie and Sophie understand her
ways, even when she goes a little overboard. However, Paris
continues to question, criticise and spoil Chrissie's school life.
Uncle Matt's surprise arrival with cute puppy Patch compounds
Amelie's problems when Paris determines to buy the puppy. Meanwhile,
Amelie's parents support her offering wise advice as she worries
about the puppy drama. Amelie continues to write her advice column
helping Sanjay to negotiate playground dramas.
Chrissie Perry continues to explore emotional resilience,
friendships and finding your place in the upper years of primary
school. With different font styles and sizes and Pete Petrovic's fun
characters this a fun novel for hi-lo readers. Perry worked with
students from Years 4-6 to inspire her and she presents a genuine
understanding of Amelie's personal growth and her willingness to
change.
Rhyllis Bignell
Arabella and the magic pencil by Stephanie Ward and Shaney Hyde
Exisle, 2019. ISBN: 9781925820010. 32pp., hbk.
Arabella was the only child of a duke and duchess who doted on her
and enabled her to be granted one special wish each year. So far she
had wished for a pink puppy, an amusement park, even a real-life
fairy. The one thing she did NOT wish for was a baby brother but she
got one anyway. And Master Archibald Vermillion Remington XV (aka
Avery) was 'a master of mayhem' with 'ear-splitting acoustics' so
that while Arabella loved him, she did not always like him. For her
next wish, she asked for a magic pencil, one that could make
everything she drew real. She had a lot of fun with it until the day
she drew a magnificent garden party and Avery invited himself to it.
So Arabella pulled out her pencil and did something . . .
Dedicated to all those who have become an older sibling, this will
resonate well as sometimes it is hard to adjust to the changes.
While it might be nice to wish for things to return to what they
were, if it actually happened the results might not appeal. A
modern-day cautionary tale.
Barbara Braxton
Beast by Bill Bennett
Palace of Fires, book 3. Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780143783824.
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Beast is the third instalment in the
Palace of Fires series and follows the empowerment of a
previously average girl to the leader of Cygnet, an organisation of
white witches trying to keep the dark forces of the Two Evil at bay.
Doomed by a distant relations' pact with the Two Evil more than two
hundred years before, Lily's life, like that of all those who came
before her, is tormented with the knowledge that someone is coming
for her and her line. After unsuccessfully interrupting Lily's
initiation in the previous book, Baphomet is turning their focus
inwards as they try to apprehend Kritta, the vicious witch now in
possession of Lily's Book of Light. Without the book and Angela,
Cygnet is significantly weakened and it is almost time to strike.
With agents poised to bring chaos to more than half of the US with
Ganglia, it's up to Lily and her agents to stop them, but first,
Lily must got to Japan to complete her training and realise her full
power.
While slow in places, Beast picks up towards the end when
the mystery of the Baphomet witch who killed Lily's mother starts to
unravel. With a whole host of characters, this book presents a
diverse range of characters inhabiting the space between good and
evil. KJ's true nature shines through and despite having committed
patricide in the previous novel, he risks everything to do make
things right.
I would recommend Beast for readers of the previous novels,
Initiate
and Unholy,
and those interested in the fantastical battle between good and
evil.
Kayla Gaskell
Macca's makeover by Matt Cosgrove
Scholastic Australia, 2019. ISBN: 9781760669195. hbk.
(Age: 4-8) Highly recommended. Themes: Alpacas, Self-perception,
Individuality. The Macca the Alpaca has been a very popular
series with children and adults of all ages. This is the fifth book
and I think it is the best yet.
Macca the Alpaca looks at his friends and wishes he could be as cool
as they are. He goes to each of them to try to work out their
secrets and tries a few things to emulate their cool looks - a new
hairdo, some cool accessories or maybe a gym body? Nothing seems to
suit Macca and his friends step in to assure him he is cool just
being himself, a very good message for everyone. Children really
identify with Macca as he navigates the world around him, and I hope
this series continues to grow as I think the books all have a great
message.
The rhyming in the story is lots of fun and the story provides such
a wonderful variety of vocabulary for all the things Macca tries to
achieve. The clever, colourful illustrations keep the children
giggling as you read and is perfect as a book to be shared with
classes across the Primary school.
Gabrielle Anderson
