Illus. by Dave McKean. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781406363197. 80
pgs.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: Ghosts, Death, Grief,
Beliefs, Coming of age. This dark, atmospheric graphic novel will
grab the reader's attention right from the first time the strange face with its gaping mouth on the front cover is glimpsed.
This is the fourth collaboration by Almond and McKean, (Mouse
bird snake wolf, Slog's
dad, and The savage) and as one would expect from two
such outstanding artists, it is stunning.
Davie is on the cusp of moving from childhood into his teen years.
He is interested Josephine Minto, and isn't sure of his beliefs
about God and ghosts. When Joe Quinn boasts of having a poltergeist
in his house and Davie sees bread and other objects flying through
the air, deep down there is a hope that ghosts do exist as that
would mean that his little sister might be one. The problem is that
Joe Quinn tells stories and when the local priest is called upon to
give his opinion, it turns out that he is not the holy person that
one would wish for.
Almond's exploration of grief and beliefs is dark and powerful. In
the introduction he writes about his childhood where St Patrick's
Church was full of believers but superstitions about ghosts abounded
and people flocked to Lourdes for its healing waters. And Davie's
story is full of the uncertainty of a changing world, one where even
the priest is questioning his spiritual beliefs.
Dave McKean's illustrations are as eye-catching and as
thought-provoking as in his previous collaborations with Almond.
They build on the story and give the reader a visual picture of all
the characters and their surroundings. The drunken, cigarette
smoking priest lurches into Joe's house, Josephine Minto shows off
her tennis skills and Davie, Joe and Geordie emerge as young adults.
This is a complex and clever book, certainly not for the very young,
with its dark themes and questioning of religious beliefs. It is a
coming of age story, with Davie throwing off his childhood and
realising that life goes on and his sister will be remembered 'in
memories and words'.
Pat Pledger
The go-away bird by Julia Donaldson
Illus. by Catherine Rayner. Macmillan Children's Books, 2019. ISBN:
9781509843589.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Friendship, Birds. A bird in
South African has a call that sounds like 'go away' and is so named
the go-away bird. In this story of friendship, of people needing
others to survive, the Go-Away bird tells all the other birds who
come to roost in her tree to go away. A wonderful series of birds
come into the tree only to be told to go away. The Chit-Chit bird
wants to chat with her, but is told to go away. The Peck-Peck bird
wants to eat with her but is told to go away. The Flip-Flap bird
wants the Go-Away bird to come and fly with her, but is told to go
away. Donaldson cleverly writes a six line rhyming stanza
introducing each bird as they come by, telling the reader what the
bird wants to do. Each stanza finishes with the two lines But the Go-Away bird just shook her head
And what do you think she said?
Each bird is rebuffed by the Go-Away bird, with the words 'Go Away'
forming a large part of her response, encouraging readers and
listeners to join in, each time more heartily that the last.
But of course, readers will know that something will happen to make
her regret her rejection of the birds, and it does, in the form of a
large, brown bird. This one does not want to share a meal with her,
or fly with her or just chat. This one wants to eat her.
The Go-Away bird is frightened, but just then a Come-Back bird
happens by and calls out, making sure the other birds return.
Together the loud, colourful group of birds is able to scare off the
larger predator and so stay with the Go-Away bird in her tree.
With beautiful water colour illustrations by Rayner, the book is a
treat, the birds wonderfully conveyed, impelling all readers to use
google to find out more about these birds. Kids will love the
rhyming nature of the lines, love the repetition and prediction of
what rhyming word will be used to finish each line. They will love
calling out, Go-Away, and joining in with the fun of the story. And
they will love the look of the illustrations, the feathery leaves,
the round pink of the berries, the wonderful endpapers, the bright
colours of the birds and the menacing brown presence of the predator
filling the pages as he eyes off his lunch. A wonderful book to
stimulate discussions about birds, bird calls, friendship and the
value of being in a group, the fun of the story will be a treat to
all readers.
Fran Knight
What a waste - rubbish, recycling and protecting our planet by Jess French
Dorling Kindersley, 2019. ISBN: 9780241366912.
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Subjects: Recycling, Pollution,
Conservation. Vet and author Jess French introduces this
thought-provoking information book What a Waste with 'humans
are now producing more waste than ever before and our planet is
suffering'. She presents a challenge: 'the power to make a positive
change is in our hands.'
Presented with current facts, figures, graphic representations,
photographs, dialogue boxes in the vibrant DK style, many
environmental issues are explored. Did you know '92% of the world's
people are breathing polluted air?' Discover why we need forests and
learn about the threat to the orangutan population with the loss of
their habitat. Deforestation and land clearing are major problems
with 15 billion trees cut down each year.
The site of 'The Great Pacific Garbage Patch' in the north Pacific
Ocean contains plastic rubbish that weighs as much as 500 jumbo
jets. Simple but effective solutions are shown as well to reduce
plastic in the ocean: take three for the sea by removing rubbish on
beach visits, organise your own clean-ups and join in International
Coastal Clean-up Day.
Each spread includes clearly defined explanations, questions and
ways children, students, families and communities can assist in
recycling, reducing waste and protecting our environment. E-waste,
food waste, water waste and industrial waste are key areas of
concern. Bold statements and facts presented as percentages, eg. 45%
of lettuce in the UK is thrown out, provide interesting talking
points for environmental science lessons. What a waste is another visually outstanding DK information
book which presents current environmental concerns and shows how
people are developing solutions, giving hope for the future. Jess
French encourages us all, including younger readers to speak up, be
a plastic-free family and make positive changes.
Rhyllis Bignell
Kingfisher by Patricia A. McKillip
Ace Books, 2016. ISBN: 9780425271766.
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Coming of age. Mythopoeic
Fantasy Award for Adult Literature (2017. In an unusual blend of
Arthurian legends and those of the Fisher King, McKillip has given
readers a unique tale that contrasts with many of the popular urban
fantasy stories that dwell on werewolves and vampires. Hidden away
by his sorceress mother Heloise, Pierce Oliver does not know that
his father is alive and that he has an older brother. After he
encounters knights being driven in a limousine and using mobile
phones, Heloise admits the truth and he decides to go to Severluna,
where his father is part of the king's court. On his way he meets a
chef at the Kingfisher Inn, Carrie, who also wants to uncover
secrets that Merle her father has hidden from her. And at King
Arden's court, Prince Daimon, the King's bastard, also learns about
his mother, who he always believed was dead. The fates of these
three characters, Pierce, Carrie and Daimon, are all entwined and
manipulated masterfully by the author as King Arden sends his
knights out on a quest to find the sacred and powerful artefact of
the god Severen.
McKillip skilfully blends tropes from legend and modern urban
fantasy and readers may well find themselves looking up the legend
of the Fisher King, working out who he was and where he stood in the
story, as well as keeping tabs on possible characters that might
belong to the King Arthur references.
The strange world of sorcery and modern technology, is peopled with
a plethora of important secondary characters - it was helpful to
keep a list - all of whom play an important role for each of the
characters.
Intertwined with the masterful management of the legends, are
age-old themes of coming of age, of forgiveness and love and some
mouth-watering glimpses of food. Kingfisher is a rich and complex story that will
be remembered long after it is finished, as readers ponder the
combination of technology and myth and the relationships between
parent and young adult.
Pat Pledger
What the fluffy bunny said to the hungry hippo by P. Crumble
Illus. by Chris Saunders. Koala Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781742997551.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Easter, Rabbits, Searching,
Hippopotamus, Animals. When Fluffy Bunny invites the Hungry Hippo to
slide down his hole in the ground to find some delicious eggs,
children will be delighted to see that the hippo has not a hope of
fitting in the little hole. But next he asks the mouse to follow him
down the hole and over the hill, and through the field, and later
the meerkat to climb down the hole, over the hill, through the field
and across the pond. As he asks each animal to follow him, Fluffy
Bunny gives another instruction as to where the animal must go. Not
only down the hole, but a series of other instructions leading to
the increasingly prized eggs.
Children will love following the bunny's instructions and enjoy
learning the string of directions, to be able to read along with
whoever is reading the book out loud. Listeners will add actions to
the instructions and join in with the telling, laughing at the hippo
still stuck with his head down the hole at the end of the book.
But when bunny asks the elephant, he is in for a shock as the
elephant has worked out for himself how to avoid the string of
directions and get the eggs more quickly.
A lovely book to introduce eggs at Easter, invite children to follow
directions, and teach them a few new animals as the bunny asks them
to follow him.
Teachers will be able to point out all the different words adding
detail to the eggs, introducing the significance of eggs to this
particular time of the year.
Fran Knight
Catch a falling star by Meg McKinlay
Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781925381207.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Family, Skylab, Death, Grief,
Loss, Friendship, Astronomy. Twelve-year-old Frankie Avery is trying
to navigate life in 1979 in a small town in Western Australia, when
she hears reports of Skylab falling. In between dealing with school
reports, friendship issues and her mother working long hours,
Frankie must look after her brother, Newt. Newt is too young to
remember much about his father but loves to make and create
scientific projects. For his birthday Frankie gives him the
materials and instructions to make an antenna and this sets him on a
path that forms a main part of the story. Frankie's mum is working
hard at the hospital and seems to be there more than she is home,
often forgetting to be home on time or to do promised activities,
leaving Frankie to pick up the pieces and ensure that she and Newt
are fed and get to school on time.
As the story progresses, Frankie and Newt become more engaged in the
Skylab reports and are affected in different ways with different
consequences. Frankie must negotiate her pain at the loss of her
father, the responsibilities that her mother is placing on her and
her relationship struggles with her best friend and her mum. As Newt
becomes more and more obsessed with Skylab, Frankie must ensure that
he is kept safe.
Meg McKinlay has written this book perfectly for younger readers, as
she explores the importance of having something to hope for while
negotiating the isolation that grief brings to individual members of
a family. Frankie's relationships with her mum, brother and best
friend, Kat, are very real and honest and truly reflect the place
between being a child and an adolescent. Teacher
notes are available.
Mhairi Alcorn
The book of dreams by Nina George
Simon and Schuster, 2019. ISBN: 9781471182976.
(Age: 17+) Recommended. This book was captivating. A powerful story
of relationships is told through the eyes of Henri, Eddie and Sam.
It tackles a subject of much debate - life after death.
The story begins as Henri Skinner is on his way to meet his son. He
rescues a young girl from the river and is hit by a car. He is in a
coma and visited by his son Samuel Noam Valentiner.
Henri is a hero in many ways and Eddie Tomlin is the woman he loves.
Eddie and Henri have a complicated relationship that has unfinished
business.'God' is a powerful figure in the book, guiding Eddie and
Sam as their journey alongside Henri through the in-between world of
coma unfolds. We see the characters Henri, Sam and Eddie slowly
developed through their perspectives on loss, missed opportunities
and reflections on the past.
The unfinished business of life is sensitively explored through
Sam's life experiences and the powerful dream sequences relayed by
Henri and Eddie. The intensive care unit provides Sam a
serendipitous meeting with Maddie, a young ballet dancer immersed in
a coma. Sam, as a synesthete, communicates with Maddie and Henri in
a way that enables him to connect with their current state and it is
this communication that drives the last chapters with a sense of
urgency and intensity that keeps the pages turning and evokes tears
for the reader. The resolution of the unfinished business between
Sam's mother and Henri brings clarity to a family relationship
offering hope to Sam.
This is a story told sensitively and evocatively as it explores love
- first love, fathers and sons, friendship, family and the
willingness to be open to and accepting of love. The book explores
the boundaries between life and death from differing perspectives
without judgement and leaves the reader with this...
'There's more between life and death than we can tell from here.'
Linda Guthrie
Lottie and Walter by Anna Walker
Puffin Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780143787181.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Themes: Fear, Swimming, Swimming lessons,
Confidence. When Lottie goes to the pool with her webbed feet ready
to swim, she cannot dive in. She knows a secret, one her mother or
baby brother or even the swimming teacher do not know; there is a
shark in the pool and it wants to eat her. Each Saturday morning she
goes to the pool, gets into her swimming gear, then takes them off
again when ready to leave. She does not even get wet.
One day mum tells her that the next Saturday will be the pool party.
She reminds Lottie how much she enjoys parties.
Lottie is confused, but when she looks into the puddle at her feet,
she sees, not a shark but a walrus. Walter follows her home, where
she discovers that he does not talk, but sings instead. He also
likes books and bubble baths and fish fingers, just like Lottie.
When she goes to sleep, Walter is there, singing away her fear of
the dark.
The next Saturday, Lottie goes to the pool, and sits back watching
her friends having a pool party. She does not join in but spying
Walter in the pool, singing, she takes a giant leap.
This delightful tale of overcoming fears will resonate with all
children who have a fear: fear of the dark, of spiders, of being
alone, of swimming, of something new.
The book allows children to see that Lottie can overcome her fear,
and encourages them to do the same.
The delightful watercolour illustrations will entice readers to seek
out Lottie and Walter as they turn the pages, contrasting Lottie's
worries with the enthusiasm of the rest of the group playing in the
pool. Readers will simply adore Walter, watching out for him as he
encourages Lottie to dive into the pool and join her friends. Mr
Huff (2014) also by Walker, has a similar underlying theme,
that of overcoming a fear, enjoining children to realise that their
fear has no base and can be overcome. Both books deal with mental
health in a way that encourages empathy. Teacher's
notes are available.
Fran Knight
Cocoon by Aura Parker
Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781742765129.
(Age: 4+) Themes: Metamorphosis, Moths and butterflies, Cocoons,
Insects. Dawn and her friends are larvae, aware that soon they will
change and become encased in a cocoon from which they will emerge as
moths or butterflies. The group cannot wait. They dream of weaving
their cocoon and developing wings while inside their cocoon.
The story then follows Dawn and her friends as this stage of their
development occurs. Parker creates humorous watercolour
illustrations to show the insects as they eat an enormous amount of
leaves, waiting for their cocooning. When Dawn feels that her time
has come, she begins to weave her cocoon, at first knitting one
which simply does not work. When she arrives at the correct method
of enveloping herself within the cocoon, she settles down, wondering
just when her wings will appear.
Young readers will be enthralled waiting with Dawn as her change
appears, and imagining what she will turn into. Parker's use of the
correct words will facilitate an introduction for young readers to a
natural science lesson leading on to a discussion about moths and
butterflies and their life cycles.
On the last endpaper, the author has included a number of things for
readers to seek out.
Fran Knight
Sherlock Bones and the natural history mystery by Renee Treml
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760523954.
(Age: 9+) Themes: Mystery, Graphic story, Museums. This book could
best be described as oddball. With a simple cartoon-graphic style,
the main character, aptly named as Sherlock Bones, is shown as a
tawny frogmouth skeleton 'living' in the Natural History Museum. His
sidekick, Holmes, is an avian taxidermy specimen! When a blue
diamond in the Museum goes missing, Sherlock is 'on the case'. A
raccoon is a bizarre associate and occasional annoyance.
With exceptionally lame humour and quirky illustrations, this is a
few minutes of entertainment that will require the 'suspension of
disbelief' as it is far from a credible tale. It is really suited to
children who struggle with reading and need a 'graphic' text, or
more able readers who need a few minutes of distraction, and the
eccentricity of the book will probably drive its own interest. Teacher's
tips are available.
Carolyn Hull
One tree by Christopher Cheng
Illus. by Bruce Whatley. Puffin, 2019. ISBN: 9780143786733.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Environment, Change,
Urbanisation, China, Gardens. A boy who lives in an apartment in a
city is saddened that his Grandfather who lives with them rarely
speaks; his father has told him that this man was always full of
stories, particularly about his farm where he lived beneath a large
tree.
The boy knows well the story of the old man, taking his produce to
the village market, where if someone asked where he lived, he
proudly pointed to the large tree on the hill.
But now the crowded apartments block the old landscape, and he is
unhappy, looking only at a picture on the wall of his farm. But a
chance sighting of a small seedling growing in the footpath gives
the boy and his grandfather a way of communicating, a way to talk to
each other, one to tell his stories and teach the younger child, the
boy to listen and learn from his grandfather.
Christopher Cheng's heritage gives a resounding strength to this
wonderful story of youth and age, of change and adaptation. The
apartment houses represent a new way of life, one that the old man
finds hard to accept, remembering instead the open fields and hills
where he once lived. His memories come back when the boy brings home
the seedling, Grandfather gradually becoming involved in the growing
of the seedling, buying soil and a pot, telling the boy he must talk
to his tree, leave it on the balcony for warmth and sunlight, and
bring it in at night against the cold. The two sit together as their
plant multiplies, and the boy is proud when they can go to the
market and look up and recognise their flat by searching for the
green on the balcony. Sharing the seedlings means others put pots on
their balconies and the small act by one boy stimulates others in
his neighbourhood.
Whatley's masterful illustrations, using new techniques which
reference ages old lino and woodblock printing, will engage the
readers as he contrasts their lives. The life of the older man on
his farm, with his life today in the crowded city, the boy's life,
swamped by rows of moving feet on the footpath with Grandfather's
lone years tending his land. The images evolve through the story,
showing a reclusive old man becoming one who is engaged and
communicating, the landscape once open and forested to one filled
with apartment blocks, a boy who is puzzled to one who is rapt in
the attention of his grandfather. Poignant and evocative, Whatley's
detailed illustrations will remain with the reader as they close the
last page and think about the boy and his family.
This is a beautiful testimony to the place of older people within a
family, the wisdom they can pass on, the changes they have seen and
their evolving relationships with the younger generation. Cheng
inhabits his story with an almost mythic quality; it is like reading
a fable which readers will ponder long after the story has finished.
Teacher's
notes are available.
Fran Knight
Kids who did - Real kids who ruled, rebelled, survived and thrived by Kirsty Murray
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760524470.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Children; Biography;
Survival; Overcoming difficulties; Fear; Prejudice; War; Sports;
Heroes and heroism. This is a collection of biographical accounts of
the lives of young people who have made a difference or who are
worthy of being noticed. Beginning with stories of ordinary kids and
their acts of bravery in extreme circumstances, it moves through an
array of amazing stories - whiz-kids using their extreme
intelligence; wild and feral children from history; historical
rulers who struggled to maintain power; rebels, battlers, change
agents and survivors who, despite their youth, were doing more than
might be expected of people so young.
This is an amazing and inspiring assortment of young people, many of
whom are not well known, and from all corners of the globe. The
consequence of this selection is that the reader discovers
motivation from the 'ordinary' beginnings of many of these
change-makers. Often their mark on the world has been significant
and is still evident. Some stories from History are quite
confronting - Holocaust and Child exploitation survivors; but there
are also uplifting accounts of heroism and personal resilience.
This book is written in an easy-to-read style with segues into each
section written in bold font to introduce a new direction. Kirsty
Murray's clear style will appeal to young readers. This will
certainly be a book that I will be recommending to encourage the
reading of the Biography genre.
Highly recommended for ages 10+.
Carolyn Hull
Dig by A.S. King
The Text Publishing Co., 2019. ISBN: 9781925773521. 391p.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Themes: Bildungsroman/Family. The
Shoveler moves to town with his drifter mother. He begins the
familiar process of grappling with a new school, making friends and
finding a part-time job. In order to deal with ongoing domestic
violence, Loretta constructs a scripted fantasy world centring
around her Flea Circus. Malcom spends weekends off-shore with his
dying father as his anxiety mounts. CanIHelpYou is a drive-thru
attendant and local drug dealer tortured by her mother's racism.
Throughout the book, our delight in unearthing how the characters
are entwined is palpable. Dig begins as a play with a cast but quickly changes into a
novel - a postmodern feast of cumulative scenes mostly written in
the first person by alternating characters. Only The Freak, Jake and
Bill, and Malcom's grandparents Marla and Gottfried, are chronicled
by an all-seeing narrator. The Freak has the ability to astral
travel anywhere, frequently to be of assistance to the other
characters. Brothers, Jake and Bill have a strained relationship as
do Marla and Gottfried. Jake and Gottfried never meet but are linked
by a twisted subservience and loyalty towards their respective
'partners'.
The lack of nomenclature and ambiguity seems unsettling at first but
as separate lives progress, we know they are converging and we are
utterly fascinated. The amusing technique of not naming characters
explicitly is reminiscent of Anna Burns' Milkman, which won
the 2018 Man Booker, however King's chapters are tantalizingly brief
scenes or flashes in a fast moving montage.
A shared history of the ancestral potato farm, is a sustained
metaphor which connects all the estranged family members. Sebold's,
The Lovely Bones, will come to mind as we approach the final
scenes. Family patriarch, Gottfried, delivers one final epiphany of
complacency and regret. We ponder how often do our children become
our teachers? Dig represents the counter-intuitiveness of
the best of the YA genre in being an ingeniously choreographed
cautionary tale for all ages.
Deborah Robins
Boss Girl by Hilary Rogers
Girltopia Trilogy, book 2. Scholastic, 2019. ISBN:
9781742994598.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Female Empowerment; Viruses; Science
Fiction. Set in Melbourne after a vicious virus has debilitated all
the males in the city leaving them unresponsive and needing constant
care. This story follows on from the first book in the series, Girltopia,
which saw 12 year-old Clara come to the fore as a well-known
identity after her exploits to rescue her father. In Boss Girl,
Clara is displaying her 'good girl' traits again, looking after the
sick, running activities for young girls, supporting her friends and
following the directions of her mother, who works as a scientist
searching for the cure to the virus. But Clara hides a big secret -
a hidden healthy male. This is a secret that she needs to keep from
her mother, she doesn't want Jack to become a scientist's 'guinea
pig'.
As this story unfolds, we see the developing society under female
rule, the entire community responding to the shift in the balance of
power. Some things seem to be moving forward smoothly, and yet a
visit to Clara's mother's work place leaves her with questions. Big
questions! Clara's role and notoriety also places her at the centre
of attention wherever she goes, and she is starting to wonder
whether there is a conspiracy at the heart of the viral attack. Who
can she trust? This book ends with a cliff-hanger - readers will not
be satisfied until the third part of this trilogy reveals what will
happen to all the male Melburnians, and whether there is a solution
and author of this major attack on society.
Written with a light touch, so the horrors of ill-health are merely
the backstory, rather than in the forefront for young readers, this
almost feels more like a Baby-sitters Club story at the
start. Clara is a character who is a 'good girl' role model who
struggles with her parent's separation, fame and even disobeying her
mother's instructions. As the story progresses, we do see more of a
social commentary and there are issues to ponder as the 'female
rule' is played out. Consequently, this book could stimulate
thinking for young readers and therefore is worth recommending.
Carolyn Hull
The Silver Thief by Cosentino and Jack Heath
Illus. by James Hart. The Mysterious World of Cosentino book 4. Scholastic, 2019.
ISBN: 9781742999326.
(Age: 7-9) Themes: Magicians, Adventure. Cosentino, the Grand
Illusionist returns in his fourth entertaining story, once again,
filled with magic, illusions, underwater adventure and daring
escapes. The Silver Thief steps off immediately after the
previous novel The Lost Treasure and these junior
illustrated novels need to be read in order.
Cosentino is excitedly preparing to open his new Coppertown magic
theatre and is practising an escape from a big block of ice. While
the dummy in the ice fools the crowd, the disguised illusionist
takes a walk in the park and has a chance encounter with a
mysterious figure. Cosentino is told about the evil King of Diamonds
who has slaves working in his silver mine and is keeping the profits
out of Coppertown.
With friends Ace and Princess Priscilla, Cosentino adopts a creative
disguise to fool the Svengali guards and enter the mine. Is it a
trap? Who does the King have slaving away in his mines? With the
help of some clever tricks Cosentino rescues the slaves, just in
time for his opening performance.
Jack Heath and Cosentino have created a cast of interesting
characters, added plenty of adventure and some exciting tricks.
James Hart's black, white and turquoise cartoon illustrations add
drama to this easy-to-read novel for ages 7-9. For the budding
magician, there are step-by-step instructions to make a vision box.
Rhyllis Bignell
