Orchard Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781408350669. 460 pages, paperback.
(Age: Teenagers+) Recommended. Fated is an exciting origin story to
the Slated series. It tells of the chaos that started when
the borders closed around the UK and the forceful control the
government imposed, the start of rebellion from both those who wish
harm to others and those who just want peace, and lastly the
consequences of the actions made by all. The story follows Sam, the
daughter of the deputy prime minister, and Ava a scholarship student
who goes to school with Sam. Both are thrown into a flurry of events
when the government starts to lay blame on the youth, imposing rules
and restrictions that only apply to them.
This story is truly a gripping read and the perfect choice to help
you decide if you want to read the Slated series. Sam's
character is very intriguing as she is still figuring out what she
wants to do with her life, she knows what she likes but doesn't have
the motivation to pursue it. Though thankfully with the help of Ava,
she slowly comes to find something to believe in and that provokes
her to take action. Ava is different from Sam as she is very driven
in her studies, and knows that sometimes it's best to keep her head
down and focus. Both girls are discovering themselves and with all
the chaos that unfolds around them, it isn't easy.
Overall, this is a wonderful and enticing story that has definitely
gotten me interested in the story enough to want to read the
trilogy. I would recommend it to teenagers and up.
Kayla Raphael
The beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
Zaffre, 2019. ISBN: 9781785768934.
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Highly recommended. Lefteri tells
the story of a Syrian couple, Nuri and Afra, traumatised by the
destruction of their home and the death of their young son Sami,
setting out on a path with other refugees to seek safety in another
country offering some kind of hope of a normal life. Afra has been
struck blind by the same bomb that killed their 5 year old son. She
is dependent on Nuri to dress her, care for her, and find some kind
of livelihood. Yet as we read on, we gradually come to realise that
Nuri himself is a broken man, haunted by images and memories that
will not let him rest.
The two of them cling to the hope of reuniting with another Syrian
couple, close friends, Mustafa and Dahab, joint partners in their
former bee-keeping venture in Syria, who have now found safety in
the UK. Their dream is to care for bees together again in England.
Bees are an amazing community that works together for the benefit of
all.
Lefteri interweaves stories and experiences of other desperate
refugees, people who shared their stories with her whilst working as
a volunteer at a refugee centre in Athens. That experience stayed
with her of people who had been through the most horrific of
circumstances in their journey towards survival and renewal. As she
says The beekeeper of Aleppo is 'about profound loss, but it
is also about love and finding light'. It is to be hoped that her
book will provide some greater understanding of the global refugee
problem and the need for all people to open their hearts to caring
about fellow human beings, who from no fault of their own are in
desperate need of refuge and support.
Helen Eddy
Holly the honeybee dancing star by Gordon Winch
Illus. by Stephen Pym. New Frontier Publishing, 2019. ISBN :
9781925594492.
(Age: 3-7) Themes: Honeybees, Dancing. Holly is a honeybee who just
loves to dance and all the other honeybees liked to watch her.
'She's a real dancing star' they thought. But Holly is also a worker
bee and she loves to work. Her job is to collect pollen and nectar
from flowers and take it back to the hive. When she takes it back to
the hive she does a special dance, wiggling and waggling her body.
'Why does Holly keep waggling?' the other bees wondered. One of the
other bees discovers that her dance points in the direction of the
flowers rich with nourishing nectar and powdery pollen. The next
summer when the land is dry and the flowers are dying, Holly's
dancing helps to point the other bees in the direction of a fertile
green forest, saving the day for the hive and the bee colony. The
illustrations are an odd combination of painted, realistic flowers
and landscapes and cartoonish bees, however this does help with the
personification of the bee characters. The text is kept nice and
short and simple but it is a little clunky and it misses the chance
for rich vocabulary by using the same descriptors over and over.
There is a page of factual information about the honeybee in the
back of the book but the story itself does a relatively good job of
including lots of this information. The book and included facts draw
attention to the threat facing bees because of deforestation,
insecticides and pests. It also reminds us that 'without this little
insect, we would not have three-quarters of the food we eat' because
of their pollination. This would work as an introductory book for
young children about bee colonies and the roles of bees both within
their colony and within our ecosystem.
Nicole Nelson
Sea-ing is believing by Steven Butler
Illus. by Steven Lenton. Nothing to See Here Hotel. Simon
and Schuster, 2019. ISBN: 9781471178733.
(Age 9+)Recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Ghosts, Hotels, Secrets,
Strange fantasy creatures. The Nothing to See Here Hotel is more
than unusual - it is positively disorderly and rambunctious! And if
you thought rambunctious was an unusual word, 'you ain't seen
nothing yet'! Steven Butler has created a spirited (in more ways
than one) and rollicking fantasy tale with strange creatures and
more created words than you can throw a ghost at! In the third book
of the series involving the 'hidden' Hotel that caters for magical
creatures of all variabilities and quirks (some bad and some good),
the return of their feted ancestor Abe as a ghostly apparition
presents all sorts of interesting questions. He also reveals the
grand Ballroom which has been magically missing and presents all
sorts of astounding possibilities and there is an amazing ride to
get there. The drama unfolds when things are uncovered that suggest
that all is not what it seems.
The quirkiness of this book and the array of weird and wonderful
creatures will be enjoyable for young readers . . . it is a literary
roller-coaster with exploding and fantastical creatures dropping
from all angles to impact the passage of the story. The explosion of
created words (reminiscent of the BFG's classic vocabulary) is also
immensely entertaining in an explodiferous and confusaplonking way!
Illustrations by Steven Lenton help to reveal what the imagination
cannot quite fathom.
Carolyn Hull
Rogue by A.J. Betts
Pan Macmillan, 2019. ISBN 9781760787202.
(Age:12+) Recommended. Themes: Dystopian, Future, Global warming,
Climate change, Refugees. A sequel to the award winning Hive
(2017), Rogue takes up the story as Hayley leaves her home
beneath the sea floating in the ocean until she lands on an island,
there taken in by a family after their grandson stuns her.
Recovering she listens and watches: the family does not speak
outside their roughly made house, the older man and his suspicious
granddaughter go off hunting, while gran stays in the kitchen.
Hayley is told of the boatloads of people who try to find their
island, and why they must not allow the refugees' equipment to pick
up their voices and come ashore. Refugees are meant to go to
Tasmania, Terrafirma, where they can be housed, not Maria Island, so
they must remain vigilant, alerting the authorities if they see an
incursion.
As in Hive, the story moves along rapidly, Betts giving
little away hinting of the life being led and what is to come. Full
of anticipation, teens will read this eagerly, noting the parallels
to our current position within the world and our treatment of those
who come to our shores for refuge.
Bitten by a snake, the family risk their lives to cross the water to
find Buckley the healer to help her. Here Hayley finds that their
blood type keeps them confined, they have opted to stay on Maria to
alert authorities about the drifters, but the daughter would love to
leave.
Everyone has had a DNA test and their blood type analysed, making a
simple test an easy way of telling whether they are allowed into
Australia, the Mainland. Drones test from above, but Hayley is
undetectable. When she decides to remain on Tasmania and find her
own way, she becomes the target of those who see her as a tradeable
item and readers will thrill with the story at her attempts to
survive alone. Meeting Jacob she goes to Davenport, there to cross to
Australia, but confused with a group of drifters, she is taken up
by a drone and finds Australia is not what it seems.
A marvellous survival story rich in detail of the possibilities of
science used to track our every movement, of DNA and blood tests
able to pinpoint every one of us, the implications of this dystopian
world seem very real, a position not that far away.
Fran Knight
Squidge Dibley destroys the school by Mick Elliott
Lothian, 2019. ISBN: 9780734419422.
(Age: 8-11) Recommended. Themes: Humorous stories, School. School
can be a very funny place, but Mick Elliott has made the Craglands
South Primary School into the most hilarious place in the universe.
The story of the arrival of Squidge Dibley (a most unique student
with bizarre 'medical' anomalies) and his interruption into the life
of 6PU is narrated by Padman O'Donnell, one of the students who has
his own quirky attributes and family life. The class is an
accidental nightmare as it seems that all the kids who might cause
trouble in a school are all co-located in the same class and
teachers are falling like deciduous leaves (there is a small glimmer
of hope along the way . . . but she does not last long either). The
final replacement teacher would have to be the worst (multiplied by
3) possible option for the class who have perfected the art of being
gross and uncontrollable. With explosions of body gases, weird
behaviours, tricksters, a blow-fish as a class pet and plots of
diabolical fiendishness, this account of school life is just one
amusing moment after another . . . with multiple detentions along
the way.
Written for the generation of readers who love Diary of a wimpy
kid, Tom Gates and other books designed to cater for
readers who love quirky and silly humour with crazy illustrations,
this will be another series that will be easily consumed and peer
recommended.
Carolyn Hull
Fashionista by Maxine Beneba Clarke
Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9780734418975.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Fashion, Individuality, Self image. A
bright and breezy homage to being yourself is offered by Clarke in
this exciting book. Each page offers a different set of clothing and
movements as the young person dons different swathes of clothes, all
individually teamed with a choice of other accessories to make a
statement. This is me!
Each page exhorts the reader to stand out from the crowd, be
individual, be different, follow their own hearts rather than follow
the restrictions others may place on them.
In bold rhyming lines, which encourage the reader to predict the
rhyming words, the text flows across each page, using differing
fonts to engage and attract the reader.
But the images are outstanding: each page is full of movement as the
characters show off the clothes they are wearing, sometimes just the
heads are shown, displaying the hair colour, hair cuts or hats,
sometimes the feet are shown with different shoes, but mostly each
page has a full body image, full of life, humour and colour as each
image says quite clearly -
This is me and I am proud.
Nods to fashion icons, Prince, Beyonce and Serena Williams appear in
the book, along with the everyday clothing bought from stores,
recycled from friends or the charity shop, handed down from family.
Clarke uses collage effectively, teaming her watercolour pencil with
magazine cut-outs placed onto textured paper. Some classes will have
a great deal of fun using her techniques as a basis for their own
work after reading this book.
Full of bounce, verve and humour, readers will love looking at the
variety of colour and style Clarke shows in her salute to being an
individual, encouraging the readers to look differently at what they
wear.
Fran Knight
DEV1AT3 by Jay Kristoff
Lifelike book 2. Allen and Unwin 2019. ISBN: 9781760295714.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Themes: Dystopian fiction, Robots,
Artificial intelligence, Memory, Extrasensory perception. Lemon
Fresh is on the run after the battle in Babel in LIFEL1K3.
She has been separated from Ezekiel and Cricket and is being hunted
by corporate operatives because of her ability to manipulate
electricity. She meets some other Deviates who are hiding out with a
man known as the Major. Meanwhile Cricket has been taken by the
puritanical Brotherhood and Ezekiel searches for Cricket, while
still hoping to be reunited with his beloved Ana. And Eve is still
inside Babel.
Kristoff is a master at writing an engrossing, engaging
rollercoaster ride of a book. This time Lemon is the main character
and readers will be holding their breath as she lurches from one
adventure to another, with the enigmatic Major perhaps holding some
clues to her background. The Brotherhood is described in detail and
readers may find some parallels with religious cults of today.
Cricket continues to add humour to the story and his friendship with
another robot adds zest to often dark occurrences in the book. But
the one theme that really runs through the book is the importance of
friendship and loyalty. Lemon, Cricket and Ezekiel are all
determined to find and help each other, and new characters
introduced also show these traits.
It is best to have read the first book in the series to understand
the background to Babel and why Eve is acting like she is.
Action galore, explosions, humour, religious fanatics, corporate
baddies, robots, wild chases across the desert, sacrifice and a
cliff-hanger of an ending make this a must read for adrenaline
junkies and readers who like to think about artificial intelligence
and robotics.
Pat Pledger
Wombat, mudlark and other stories by Helen Milroy
Fremantle Press, 2019. ISBN: 9781925815818.
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Themes: Aboriginal stories, Pilbara, Western
Australia. Eight stories about the environment from Helen Milroy
descended from the Palyku people of the Pilbrara region of Western
Australia, adds to the number of stories told with an Aboriginal
perspective which encourages people to more appreciate our shared
heritage.
These stories, from Wombat appreciating Mother Earth and her
allowing him to burrow deep down into her soil to let him sleep, to
the Mudlark singing to the Sun each day as he warms the pool to let
the bird splash in the mud without getting cold, each story tells of
the relationship between the animals and their environment in which
they live, detailing their friendship and dependence one upon the
other, underlining the fact that we are all responsible for our
environment and at the same time giving a social dictum for younger
readers to live by.
The book is one of a group published by Fremantle Press, Eagle,
Crow and Emu (2016) Cyclones and Shadows (2017) and Bush
and Beyond (2018) each presenting Indigenous authors and their
stories. Traditional Indigenous stories share information about
their cultures, wrapped in a story that captivates, enlightens and
amuses. So we see how animals came to be, their link to the Mother
Earth, the Sun, Moon and Comets, and learn a little of the
spirituality of their beliefs. But at its heart is a good story well
told and these four books offer stories that present basic
understandings to the readers.
In the story, 'Gecko and Big Rock', for example, the two are
friends, and when the sky darkens and blocks the sun, Gecko is cold.
He asks his friend, Big Rock to help, and he goes off to bring back
many rocks to pile on top of each other to reach into the sky,
allowing the lizard to access the sunlight to keep warm. The story
tells of the relationship between the animals and their environment
in a way that everyone can understand, emphasising the need one for
the other, giving reasons why these things occur and how they
evolved back before time. Each of the eight stories gives new life
to a tale of the environment, helping readers see how each can apply
not only to the animals but also the people who inhabit this
country.
Fran Knight
The Emerald Tablet by Meghan Wilson-Anastasios
Macmillan Australia, 2019. ISBN: 9781760552633. paperback, 401pgs.
(Age: 16+) Oh what an action packed adventure from start to finish!
I loved how I was taken on a journey through the adventures of the
two main characters, Essie and Dr. Benedict Hitchens. This was one
novel I really enjoyed reading. If you like historical fiction with
an archaeological feel, Meaghan Wilson Anastasios brings her second
novel in the Dr. Benedict Hitchens' series alive with a treasure
hunt for The Emerald Tablet. Wherever Benedict and Essie go,
danger follows them. This kept me reading into the late hours. I
found that there was an Indiana Jones or Lara Croft feel while
reading this adventure.
Anastasios takes us to the Suez Canal in 1956. The world is on the
brink of a nuclear war while also at the same time Benedict and
Essie are on a race against each other and other parties, on who
will to locate and unearth the secrets of The Emerald Tablet. If the
Tablet falls into the wrong hands it could mean the annihilation of
humankind. I was kept guessing on who the other parties were working
for: Nazis, Russians or villains that wanted to control the world.
And yes, the Tablet is a real artefact that I googled once I
finished reading.
I liked how both characters past kept coming up along the way to
haunt both and which made me understand who they were. I want to
learn more about them both and now am interested to read the first
book in the series. Throughout the book you could see how
Anastasios' knowledge as an archaeologist and working in
Mediterranean and Middle East made this novel come alive as she took
me on a journey through Turkey, Egypt, Israel and parts of Europe.
Oh, I nearly forgot. If I ever see the main villain Garve in real
life, I'm running. I do warn that there are few graphic sexual
activities mentioned. One of the main reasons I would say 16+ age
group.
If you are looking for a book with drama, action, history, love,
loss and greed, then I recommend this novel. I am so looking forward
to the next book in the series.
Maria Komninos
Joey and Riley by Mandy Foot
Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9780734419217.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Dogs, Family life, Rural life,
Grandparents, City. When Joey must move to the city with his mother
from his grandfather's farm, he is devastated. He knows that Mum
must find work, times are tough and the farm must be left behind.
But Joey must also leave behind his dog, Riley, his best friend, the
one he does everything with. They hunt mammoths, ride a rocket ship
to the top of the hill, do their ABC's together with distance
education. Each day holds a different treat for the pair until the
day Mum announces that they are moving to the city. And Riley cannot
come. Joey is inconsolable until his grandfather tells him that he
will write everyday telling Joey what Riley is up to.
So begins a series of letters telling Joey what Riley is doing on
the farm. These delightful slices of farm life will enthral the
mainly urban audience, entranced with the images of Riley drawn over
a sliver of the letters Joey receives. Each double page illustrates
Joey in the city, contrasting his city life with the of Riley back
on the farm. Children will love looking at the differences the lives
these two friends now lead, to be brought abruptly to an end when
Grandfather must tell Joey that Riley has disappeared after a
frightening storm. A lovely ending will have all readers sighing
with relief as the two find their way to get back together.
This is a charming story of the relationship between a boy and his
dog, sure to please all readers who will scan the wonderful
illustrations to see the sort of life led on farm. I was entranced
with Foot's illustrations of rural life and the pages comparing the
life of the dog on the farm with that of the boy in the city through
evocative letters and soft edged illustrations, all revealing the
emotional ties between a boy and his dog.
Fran Knight
Roald Dahl's ABC illustrated by Quentin Blake
Penguin Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780241370308.
(Age: 1-5) Recommended. Board book. Quentin Blake's marvellous
illustrations are on display in this alphabet book which will be
fabulous for young children. The famous enormous crocodile from
Roald Dahl's book is featured, bringing lots of humour and
excitement to the book.
'A is for . . . Anteater
B is for . . . Books
C is for . . . Crocodile
D is for . . . Delicious!' (Publisher)
Each page has the upper case letter as well as the lower case letter
in bold print that would be easy for little fingers to trace and to
gradually remember. The background against which each letter is
situated is done in bold colours so that the letter stands out well
and this will make it easy for children to gradually learn to
recognise them. The board book is very sturdy, and should hold up to
a lot of use from young children.
Of course the drawings are wonderful. As well as the fun with the
snapping crocodile, children will delight in the 'F is for fox',
that has the fox chasing a terrified chicken, and the 'U is for
upside down' is hilarious. Not to mention the 'V is for vegetables'
that has an elderly man spitting out a cucumber and will have
children and adults in stitches. The 'X is for xenopus (A particular
sort of frog' is also cute and children will love to try and say the
new word out loud. The familiar illustrations have come from Roald
Dahl's books and will be recognised by adults and will be a pleasant
introduction to the books when the young child grows is old enough
to read them.
This is a lively ABC book that should prove to be a keeper.
Pat Pledger
The Big Kahuna by Janet Evanovich and Peter Evanovich
Fox and O'Hare book 6. Headline Review, 2019. ISBN:
9781472260925.
(Age: Adult) Themes: Thriller, Humour. Nick Fox and Kate O'Hare are
on the trail of the disappearance of a Silicon Valley billionaire,
known as the Big Kahuna. His wife, turned Instagram model, and his
business partner seem to be more interested in his money while his
drop out son who is living in Hawaii doesn't appear to know where he
is.
This is the first Fox and O'Hare book that I have read but it was
really easy to get to know the two main characters and pick up bits
of previous escapades. The big Kahuna is a very easy to read thriller, with some
laugh out loud moments, a beautiful setting in Hawaii, and some
tense action, perfect for a quick bit of escapism at the beach.
Other books in the series were written by Evanovich with Lee
Goldberg, and may have more depth.
Pat Pledger
Sensitive by Allayne Webster
UQP, 2019. ISBN: 9780702260483.
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Themes: Skin diseases, Eczema,
Psoriasis, South Australia, School, Growing up. In moving to a new
town where her father now teaches, Samantha wants to hide her old
self, calling herself SJ and hoping that the others at school do not
notice her flaky, sensitive skin, prone to redness and itchiness.
She has chronic eczema, and is prone to relapses of horrid flaking,
burning skin, often red with scratching, weeping and raw.
Webster details the gratuitous solutions offered by people around
her with wonderful understanding; people's opinions are given
without thought, and certainly not asked for, her desperate parents
at the rough end of the questioning and uncalled for solutions.
SJ is on the cusp of teen age and her emotions are fraught, body
image is all, her periods have started, she is interested in a boy
in her class, also called Sam, and she has to navigate the trials of
being new in a small school where long term relationships have been
established. Along with this pain at school, she must endure an over
protective mother and a new doctor who thinks she knows the solution
to the problem. At their wits' end, they try her solution but this
ends up with SJ in hospital, her raw wounds and poor diet leaving
her open to life threatening infection.
Transferred to Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital, she meets a
fifteen year old, suffering from psoriasis and the two develop
a bond, a friendship born out of having a similar problem, and their
honesty with each other develops an honesty within Sam that she can
now use when dealing with other people.
Back home in Kingston, South East, she opens up to her new friend,
Livvy, and calling in to see her at home, meets her morbidly obese
mother and together the two share their thoughts, surprising both of
them.
Sam develops throughout the novel, learning to accept her disease
but equally hoping a cure will be found, relying on specialists for
advice, and learning to ignore the often ignorant advice from non
practitioners.
A truth rings through the story as Webster suffers from this disease
and many of the incidents she relates in the book happened to her as
a young girl. It is hoped that a book such as this will draw people's
attention to the fine line that some walk everyday, navigating their
way through the many things which may enhance an allergic reaction,
but of course also reading a good story well told of one young
girl's development. Teacher's
notes are available.
Fran Knight
Rabbit's hop by Alex Rance
Illus. by Shane McG. Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760524449.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Rabbits, Tigers, Kindness,
Humour, Goals, Strength, Endurance. Jack Rabbit is the best at
almost everything on his home of Rabbit Island. He can hop and jump
and run, beating every other rabbit, but he is second best at
zigagging. Zigga Rabbit always beats him. But he is also looking at
broader things, he is restless and unsettled so when his cousin, Roo
suggests a visit, via a message in a bottle, Jack is all ears.
But Roo lives on Big Island and that is a problem as it is across
the sea. Zigga Rabbit shows him how to zigzag his way cross the ice
flows to the mainland, and off he hops. But the waves are enormous,
almost engulfing him, until he puts his mind to one of his many
skills and jumps over them. He meets a whale caught up in a net and
again reminding himself that to work hard and be kind are two of his
mantras, he chews the whale free. In return, the whale takes him to
Big Island, where he finds he is a little afraid, but the whale
tells him to work hard, be kind and enjoy yourself, and he does just
that.
Jack Rabbit is a kind, hard-working animal who faces challenges
throughout his days spent on Rabbit Island and is keen to test
himself in a new territory. His mantra, work hard, be kind and enjoy
yourself, holds him in good stead as he races against the others on
Rabbit Island, and he is known for his kindness. This comes to the
fore as he tries to cross the water to Big Island, his kindness to
the trapped whale resulting in it giving him help to achieve his
goal. On Big Island, he again uses his skills to befriend a tiger
and together they race against each other.
The sequel to the popular Tiger's
roar (2018) promotes the same qualities, of being
yourself, of being kind, working hard and enjoying yourself. Subtly
promoting activity and sport the story will be eagerly looked for by
readers who recognise the Richmond colours, and are eager to see
another outing for Tiger and his friends. Teacher's
tips are available from the publisher.
Fran Knight
