Reviews

The middler by Kirsty Applebaum

Nosy Crow books, 2019. ISBN: 9781788003452.
(Age: 12-14) Recommended. Themes: Dystopian fiction, Future society, Friendship, Loyalty, Siblings, Betrayal. Maggie is looking for a way to make herself noticed. She is a middle child, not a heroic eldest, who will help to fight in the silent war to help her society. When you turn 14 you go to camp and then to fight, it is a tradition that no-one questions. But Maggie is not an eldest and laments the fact that she is often forgotten even by her own family, so finding and catching a Wanderer seems the best and most noble thing she can manage to change that. Maggie and all the other townsfolk are indoctrinated during their schooling to believe that the boundary of the town is there to keep them safe from the outside world and the wanderers - dirty, deceitful, dangerous people that don't have a town to call home. So why does the one that Maggie has met seem so nice and friendly? Una and her father are certainly dirty but are they dangerous? She has connected with them and she feels compelled to help. Una's father is badly injured, her mother is dead, so Maggie gets the medicine they need and gives them food. She tells herself that she will turn them in but when this happens facts are revealed that make her question everything she has ever been told about her society.
Maggie narrates the story, telling us about her family in such detail that we get to know them well: her eldest brother Jed, about to leave for Camp; her youngest brother Trig, who is special and needs extra care; her hard-working mother and father; a family living in the 20th century but at a time when the war has meant life is a struggle and they don't always have the things they need to live an easy life.
This book allows us to see that everyone has a different point of view and putting yourself in another's shoes often reveals the truth about life instead of the beliefs and prejudices that surround us. The story could link with discussions about refugees and how their lives are affected by the way society views their situation and life choices.
Gabrielle Anderson

100 ways to fly by Michelle Taylor

UQP, 2019. ISBN: 9780702262500.
(Age: Younger readers) Recommended. Themes: Poetry. I confess that I like poetry . . . for the play that can be enjoyed with woven words, for the power of a well-placed rhyme or of the quirk of an idea that stretches the imagination. And so, this book by Michelle Taylor is a delightful excursion into poetry for younger readers that I am happy to recommend. She manages to explore language in ways that are appealing to the young, but without being childish. Some of her poems, riddles or tongue twisters are very short - but incredibly potent in the way they have been squeezed into such a small space. Some of her explorations of metaphor or an idea can transport you to far away places . . . and perhaps even to fly; and her use of pattern and shape gives new examples of this form of expression.
This would make a great book for a classroom teacher looking for ways to inspire their students to love poetry or to modify their own thinking about what a poem might look like or sound like as the words trip off the tongue. Teacher's notes are available. And there are of course young readers who love to read something that does not take a long time. This poetry collection would appeal to them too.
Carolyn Hull

Daddy cuddle by Kate Mayes

Illus. by Sara Acton. ABC Books, 2015. ISBN: 9780733338021. 32pp., pbk.
Very early in the morning and as Little Bunny's eyes go ping, his brain thinks of only one thing! And he sets to work to achieve it. As Little Bunny does all that he can to rouse his sleeping daddy and get him to play, there is no response. But eventually, Daddy wakes up and despite all the plans that Little Bunny has suggested there is just one thing that they both want . . . and Daddy gets to stay in bed just that little bit longer!
Celebrating the special relationship between father and child, with its gentle illustrations, this is one that despite its sparse but repetitive and predictable text builds tension and anticipation as the reader wonders whether Daddy will ever wake up - and just how he will react when he does. This is a charming story that will resonate with both parent and young child because it tells a tale that we are all familiar with.
Barbara Braxton

The pillars by Peter Polites

Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9780733640186
(Age: Adult) Themes: Identity, LGBTQI+, Consumerism, Racism.
Pano, a Greek Australian gay guy has been commandeered by his housemate/landlord into campaigning against the proposed mosque in their neighbourhood, because of its posited impact on house values; and the schemes that he and Kane become involved in are both funny and horrible at the same time. Pano is an aspiring writer, he is sensitive and thoughtful, but he is always at the beck and call of others, powerless in relationships that verge on callous and abusive.
The author's style of writing is humorous and ironic, the reader is engaged by the wit, but the subjects are dark, dealing with racism, classism, exploitation, predatory sex and 'indifferent relationships'.
When Pano reaches an all-time low, it seems the only way forward is to play the same game as his abusers.
The novel is clever and well written; it exposes elements of Australian life we might not like to confront. Not a story for everyone, but no doubt authentic in its portrayal of marginalisation.
Teachers/librarians are advised the book contains explicit sex scenes.
Helen Eddy

The place on Dalhousie by Melina Marchetta

Noodle bear by Mark Gravas

Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781760651022.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Bears, Noodles, Food, Seasons, Friendship. One the first day of spring, Fox holds a party and invites all the other animals. But Bear does not come. Fox goes to his cave to see if he is alright and finds him snoring loudly, his cave littered with empty noodle bowls and packets. He has spent the whole winter bingeing on Noodle Knockout, a weird TV show, and eating noodles. He has eaten all the noodles he could find and now waking wants more. He searches but cannot find any and the other animals offer him their food. Each is rejected as being too crunchy or too flowery or too splintery. He cannot find anything to eat so decides to go to the city and become a contestant on the show where he can eat all the noodles he could wish for.
The digital illustrations will provoke laughter from the readers as they see the bear in his messy cave, watching TV incessantly, and rejecting the food from the other animals. Readers will recognise themselves in the bear, and empathise with his longing for noodles.
Of course, once in the city he is invited to be a contestant and wins easily, becoming a TV star with his own TV show. As good as this is, he begins to remember his friends in the forest and the good things they did together, and decides to return home. Once there he has enough noodles for everyone, and they find that they are just to their liking.
Fran Knight

Brave adventures, little girl by Iresha Herath

Little Steps, 2019. ISBN: 9780648267485.
Recommended. If you have a little girl (or boy) who sometimes feels anxious, or angry that things do not quite go to plan then this book is for you. Anika is a gorgeous little girl who loves visiting her Grandparents as there is always an adventure to be had. She wants to show them what she has learnt at Kindy but alas, things do not go to plan. She does not feel brave and she needs the help of her Seeya (Sinhalese for Grandfather). He takes her on a story time adventure through various countries and tells her fantastical things that he hopes will make her feel brave.
Iresha Herath is the author of this book and after doing some research on her, I found that she is a very interesting woman and many of her interests come through in this book. She is a lawyer, has a theatre company, is a social justice advocate and is in the process of redeveloping her late father's house in Sri Lanka. Her varied life shows through the multitude of countries presented, the text flows and Seeya (based on her late father) is an excellent main character. The bond between Anika and her Seeya is also a lovely touch when many children do not know much about the past lives of their grandparents.
We really loved the colourful pictures, and my daughter thought Anika looked 'just like her, a kindy girl!'
This book could be used to discuss feelings of anxiety and fear, discuss countries and travel, different names used for grandparents and even discuss visits to family members.
An interesting book, we give it 4 out of 5.
Lauren Fountain

The wolf wilder by Katherine Rundell

Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN: 9781408872352.
(Age: 9-13) Highly recommended. Themes: Wolves, Russia, Nineteenth century, Animals, Survival. A totally engrossing adventure story about Feo and her wolves, seeking to survive in the harsh Russian winter while being pursued by those who see wolves as a threat, something to be hunted down and killed.
While a wolf wilder, someone who helps wolves survive in the wild after years of living with humans, may be a fiction, there are many people around the world helping partially domesticated animals return to the wild. Rescue parks exist to return animals to the wild, their natural place rather than be dependent upon humans.
In Russia, the wolf is seen as a sign of strength and power and pups are stolen shortly after birth to be sold for large profits to the idle rich, in whose grand houses the wolves are trained to beg and sit, fed inappropriate food, discarded when they grow too big or become aggressive.
Feo and her mother take these abandoned wolves and show them how to survive in the cold snow covered wilds 1000 miles from St Petersburg, but into their area comes General Rakov, a man obsessed with ridding the woods of these wolves and their benefactors. Feo befriends one of the garrison, a boy her age entranced when he sees a pup born, Ilya, slipping away from his work to help Feo raise the pup.
But one breathless night he comes to warn the women: a cow has been killed and the general is on the rampage, death in his heart.
After seeing her mother bound and taken away by the soldiers, Feo flees, determined to find her and free her.
So she, Ilya, the three wolves and new pup set out on the journey to St Petersburg. They have the most extraordinary of adventures, meeting others, slipping past the soldiers, helping villages with their own survival as the soldiers move against anyone who helps Feo. Staying with others gives her the opportunity to educate them and the readers about wolves, their habits, habitat and lifestyles, and I can assure all readers that they too will come away from this book with a wolf sighting added to their to do list.
Rundell writes with incredible sympathy, engaging the reader in a story so real, you feel the need to brush the snow from your eyelashes, duck beneath the overhanging fir tree boughs and nestle your face in the warm fur of the new pup.
It is the last days of Tsarist Russia, and glimpses of that failed system of government can be seen throughout this amazing story. Teacher's notes are available.
Fran Knight

The flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold

Subterranean, 2019. ISBN 9781596068926. 96pg.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Themes: Science fiction. Lovers of Bujold's Hugo Award winning Miles Vorkosigan series will rejoice to discover a short stand-alone novel starring Ekaterin, Miles' clever wife who is determined to help Vashnoi exclusion zone that was been devastated by radiation when the Centagandans attacked the planet. With the help of scientist Enrique Borgos, she has attempted to use bioengineered insects to regenerate a region but when checking on the experiment finds that some have been stolen. Further investigation from the air uncovers the fact that there are four individuals living in the area. It is up to her to help them leave Vashnoi for medical treatment.
Ekaterin is clever and empathetic and readers will enjoy getting to know her character and her abilities in this short work. She emerges a formidable woman who is equally as compassionate and intelligent as her husband and is very good at problem solving. The unique science behind the bioengineered insects is also fascinating.
Fans who want to know more about the planet Barrayar and Miles' wife will not be disappointed and readers new to Bujold's work will discover a satisfying short stand-alone read that will have them searching for the Miles Vorkosigan series.
Pat Pledger

Every child a song by Nicola Davies

Illus. by Marc Martin. Wren and Rook, 2019. ISBN: 9781526361417.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Themes: Universal rights of the child, Human rights. A unique and moving picture book combines a tender story with information about the rights that children are entitled to under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It begins with the birth of a child: 'When you were born, a song began...' and goes on to show that the child needs to be 'nourished, cherished, celebrated.' Using a song as metaphor, the reader sees the child soaring and exploring and meeting other children 'unique and special', but the short lyrical text also shows what it is like to be exploited, imprisoned or part of war and needing refuge. It exhorts everyone to raise their 'voices for the right of every song to sing out loud, bold and unafraid'. In conclusion Davies has chosen some of the rights of the child to emphasise.
Marc Martin's watercolour illustrations complement the text and give the reader extra information to help understand the needs of the child. Dark colours show the tribulations of child labour and boat people, while bright colours portray the happiness of children when their rights are maintained.
This would be a wonderful book to use to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (30 November) and could be used at any time when discussing human rights and the needs of children everywhere. It is a book that would help children to show compassion and kindness and to stand up for human rights.
Pat Pledger

All aboard! True train tales by Pauline Deeves

National Library of Australia, 2019. ISBN: 9780642279392.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Subjects: Trains - History, Australian Railway History, Museums, Grandfathers. Eight-year-old Jack's family are train enthusiasts, his parents work for the railways and his grandparents worked on trains before retiring. His grandpa always has an interesting train tale to tell and Jack loves helping him at the local railway museum. Once a year, there's a special Open Day at the end of the spring school holidays. With the museum under threat of closing, Jack and his family come up with creative ways of raising enough funds to save the station, trains and memorabilia.
Each one of Grandpa's stories lead into a recount of historic events, the convict powered train in Tasmania, the Hawkesbury Crash, as well as Ned Kelly's stand at Glen Rowan. Before the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened it was loaded with more than 90 engines to test its strength! Each section has a Position Vacant box that lists the skills needed to be a guard, driver, even the fettler who kept the tracks in good condition.
Interspersed between the factual accounts, the story continues. The museum committee listen to the fundraising suggestions from Jack and his family; they veto younger brother Max's bank robbery idea! The local community, football club and service groups rally together to support the Open Day, providing food, help with preparation and clean up and managing the crowds. Grandpa surprises everyone, organising two smelly camels corralled in the old station yard, reminding everyone about the times when circus trains carried the performers and animals from town to town.
Pauline Deeves All aboard! True train tales is an engaging read, just right for families to share, discovering a very important part of Australia's past, linked with the fictional account of Jack's family and the journey to save the Railway Museum. Many of the photos included are from the National Library of Australia, showcasing the eras when trains connected the capital cities and inland routes. Presented in colourful boxes, with speech bubbles and captions added, each section of well researched information covers all aspects of the railways from signals, tracks to goods trains. An excellent HASS resource for Middle Primary classes investigating the importance of the rail industry, connecting the country, moving passengers and goods.
Rhyllis Bignell

Ella and Mrs Gooseberry by Vikki Conley and Penelope Pratley

EK Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781925335255.
(Age: 4+) Themes: Old age, Friendship, Neighbours, Caring, love, Family. With one in four Australians living alone, the impetus to write this book was to remind people about their neighbours and their need for love and companionship. Ella is aware that Mrs Gooseberry next door slams the front door and does not return her ball if it goes into her yard. But when she watches the old woman in her backyard she talks to her chickens and smiles picking the tomatoes from the vines. Ella asks her mother why Mrs Gooseberry can be so different. Mum's reasoning is that she has lost her love. With that Ella asks a variety of people what love is: her ballet teacher, her gran, her teacher and her mother all giving various answers that include warmth, caring and kindness.
Each of these answers will encourage the readers to think about what they think love is, and add answers of their own.
Ella tries to work out a response for herself and when her gran's cat has kittens she has an idea. She puts one of the kittens in a box on Mrs Gooseberry's front verandah.
The reaction of the old lady to the kitten is just what Ella expected as she hears the two talking to each other and sees the woman with the cat on her knees in the back garden.
Over the next few pages we see Mrs Gooseberry doing all the things that Ella's questioning elicited from people: dancing like a bird, singing, sparkling, sharing food, and having sweet dreams both day and night. Mrs Gooseberry is happy and radiates love. A neat resolution.
Through her kindness Ella and her family have brought love back to their next door neighbour and found a new friend.
This earnest book could provide a platform for discussions about love and kindness, neighbours, loneliness and friendship.
Fran Knight

Inland by Tea Obreht

Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9780297867074.
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. Themes: Historical fiction, Survival, Drought, Cameleers, Ghosts, Trust, Relationships. Set in the harsh drought ridden country of 1890's southwest America, Obrecht's Inland tells two stories that gradually draw closer together, both set in harsh inhospitable environments, with people struggling to make an existence, dealing with loneliness and ghosts of people dead.
Outlaw, Lurie, described as a 'hirsute Levantine' on the wanted posters, travels for a while with a band of cameleers attached to a US military expedition into the desert but pursuit by the relentless Marshal Berger sees him once again finding his own way, but this time with a strange companion for whom he feels a growing attachment.
The other story is one day in the life of homesteader Nora. With her husband gone to find water, and her two adult sons disappearing early in the morning, she is left with her anxious child Toby, a wheelchair-bound mother-in-law, and young helpmate, Josie, who communicates with the spirit world. With only the last dregs of water to contend with the scorching heat, Nora has to stand guard against hostile outsiders, and now, a phantom wild beast that has put fear into Josie and Toby.
Both Lurie and Nora are tough individuals each dealing with ghosts of the past. For Lurie it is past companions he continues to see and who infect him with their needs; for Nora it is the ghost of her daughter, dead from heat stroke many years ago. Both have to contend with loneliness, hardship, and distrust of others. Their stories are a journey of self-enlightenment and exploration of the human need for trust and companionship. The reader is drawn into the two stories, wondering how they will eventually come together. The twist at the end makes for an unforgettable ending.
It is a panoramic novel, each chapter written with a different voice, the language rich and poetic, evoking another time and place. It has many of the elements of the American western but is highly original in weaving in the little known history of the U.S. Camel Cavalry Corp, and the mix of Middle Eastern migrants, Mexicans, and Indians. It is a good reminder that America, like Australia, has always been a multicultural mix of people.
Helen Eddy

The secret dragon by Ed Clarke

Puffin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241360514. 239p.
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy. If life is a paradox, then The Secret Dragon is duplicitous to its core. Mari wants to be a palaeontologist like her father, who was tragically struck by lightning when she was a toddler. Her mother, Rhian, is not academically minded but invested in the living animals on their farm. Mari finds the dragon egg after the new vet's son, Dylan, sets off a landslide near her dig on the cliffs. Inside, is the stuff of folklore, a living red Gwiber or Wyvern, which Mari christens 'Gwebe'. The Gwiber is also conflicted - affectionate and troublesome. Mari thinks about making her father proud and naming her momentous find in his honour - Pterodactyl Jonathani. She deceives her mother and wags school in order to discuss the discovery with Professor Griff Griffiths, a palaeontologist working in children's television.
With Dylan as her assistant, Mari learns to connect to her own mammalian wisdom. Yet paradoxically, it is Dylan who is taken in by Ffion's charms, allowing their classmate to steal Gwebe from Dylan's shed. Tension between mum and daughter mounts when Dylan's dad, Gareth asks her mum out on a date. Rhian feels 6 years is long enough for Mari to get used to the idea of replacing her father. But, more lies surface . . .
The book captures the inevitable tension between different types of people and their motivations. Professor Griff turns out to be other than he seems and Dylan helps Mari to choose between the living dragon or her prospective career. When Mari sneers that being popular means both wanting to be like everyone else before being collectively mean to someone different, she echoes the nuances of the human paradox in Clarke's book. This is a novel ideal for group study. It ably demonstrates that very little is what it seems.
Ed Clarke is a film and TV producer versed in adult drama, but we eagerly await his next children's adventure, The Order of the Dragon, due in 2020. The 10 fossil facts appended, are mostly devoted to Clarke's inspiration, Mary Anning - the first person to find a 'sea dragon'(Plesiosaurus) skeleton. It was so strange at the time, it was thought to be fake. You see, in the best novels, the circle closes for the reader's plenitude.
Deborah Robins

The fated sky by Mary Robinette Kowal

Lady Astronaut book 2. Tor Books, 2018. ISBN: 9780765398949.
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) Recommended. Themes: Science fiction, Women astronauts, Space colonies, Mathematicians, Gender stereotyping, Racism. Fans of the award winning The Calculating Stars will devour The fated sky which is set a couple of years later. Lady Astronaut Elma York is now living on a colony on the Moon and may have the chance to be part of a trip to Mars. After an asteroid devastated Earth it had became imperative for new worlds to be discovered, and Elma is determined to be part of that journey. Along with 13 other astronauts of differing race and nationalities, she is assigned to the Martian mission and sets out into space.
Kowal examines what it would be like to live and work together in a space vehicle, where the Captain doesn't believe that women should be allowed into space, and where a South African man doesn't trust his non-white companions. This examination of gender stereotyping and racist attitudes as well as the dangers of the voyage, make for a breathtaking and thought provoking read in this alternative history. It is fascinating to ponder what would have happened if the NASA space program had continued in the 60s, and what effects the racism and sexism so evident then would have had.
The fated sky, like The calculating stars, is sure to be on many short lists and award lists and readers will hope for a third book, while looking out the short story, The lady astronaut of Mars (2014), which was the catalyst for the series.
Pat Pledger