When I saw that In the Blink of An Eye had won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2024 and 2024 CWA ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and read the blurb about artificial intelligence aiding police work, I thought it sounded original and current. I was not disappointed – the book is a compulsive read and very difficult to put down. Recently bereaved police detective Kat Frank is given a cold case featuring the disappearance of a young university student. She is chosen to lead a pilot program researching the use of artificial intelligence, and partners with AIDE Lock, AIDE meaning ‘Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity.’ She and her bosses are very sceptical about the use of Artificial Intelligence, and trust in old fashioned experience and knowledge to solve cases, but Kat soon finds that Lock’s ability to analyse data in seconds can be helpful, and when her colleagues don’t trust her instincts, it is Lock who stands by her as the cold case become live and personal.
This is a wonderful police procedure that showcases the way clever humans work a case. Kat is very experienced and has previously solved a major case. She uses her ability to read body language, her sense of smell and knowledge of human motivations to hone her investigation. Meanwhile AIDE Lock can produce predictions of probability within seconds, and analyse phone data and CCTV images in a flash, work that would take humans days to conclude. Along side the descriptions of police procedure, the background of the main characters adds a depth to the story, making it easy to relate to them. Kat’s husband has recently died from cancer, her son Cam is recovering from depression and her offsiders all have personal problems to contend with.
A fast-paced thriller that gripped me to the end, I liked the combination of Kat with her experience and Lock with its emotionless analysis so much that I immediately obtained the next in the series, Leave no trace.
Text Publishing, 2024. ISBN: 9781922790712. (Age:9-11) Recommended.
Penny Lowry is in Grade 5 and is sometimes troubled by anxious thoughts. When her class gets given an opportunity to visit New York, she manages to swallow most of her fears to experience the Big Apple. But first she has to deal with a friendship dilemma with her former friend Violet, who has been made her trip buddy. Learning how to work together with her classmates and overcome her own uncertainties reveals that Penny is learning strategies that reveal a potential for leadership and for helping others.
This is a charming story, told through ‘letters’ to Penny’s pet dog, and illustrated with short graphic-novel style comic strips. With pre-teen issues and solutions for friendship and anxiety concerns, this is a light but warm story. It has occasional funny moments, but it is mostly a gentle child-friendly story set on a school trip in a recognisable USA location. This is Book 4 in the series, and it is good to meet a central character who must overcome her personal issues in psychologically healthy ways.
Recommended for readers aged 9-11.
Themes Anxiety, New York, Friendship.
Carolyn Hull
Our dreaming by Kirli Saunders. Illus. by Dub Leffler
Two echidnas are walking together, the older one telling the younger one stories as they go. They keep their Dreaming alive in their mother tongue, by talking with each other, sharing stories of the land and what it means.
Through the story, Language is used which provokes the children to think about what the word may mean by its context, and which can be checked using the glossary at the end.
Our Dreaming tells us about creation, sacred sites, how the spirits guide, it reminds people where they belong. Timeless, it is kept alive when the Dreaming is shared with others, yarning.Their environment and animals are known to the people, and stories about them are incorporated into their story. When the environment and living creatures are protected it helps us all. Sharing is a big part of the Dreaming, a word which incorporates the past, present and future. Dreaming incorporates the past with stepping stones which point the way forward.
The illustrations are superb, Dub Leffler’s style will engage the readers, as they follow the echidnas on their journey which takes them through forested area, desert, past a lyre bird’s nest, over a log where they watch dragonflies, past a bottlebrush bush with a honeyeater sipping the nectar. All are part of the environment which is held dear, not only now but into the future.
A reading by Kirti Saunders can be accessed here. This lovely reading of the story speaks the Language words used in the text, showing children how to say these words. Land, culture and the lore are all part of the Dreaming, and we must work and walk together to ensure that all is protected for those who come after us.
The unusual font may put off less capable readers and so extra help may need to be given.
Themes Environment, Dreaming, Aboriginal stories, Echidnas, Australian animals.
Fran Knight
Medici heist by Caitlin Schneiderhan
Atom Books, 2024. ISBN: 9780349125411. (Age:15+) Highly recommended.
Rosa Cellini has grown up in a family known for its crime-filled subterfuge. She has become a master in her own right, and the unpleasantness of living under the Medici ‘touch’ has inspired her to create an assault on their wealth and power. In a manner that Danny Ocean (from Oceans 11) would be proud, she creates a band of misfits, muscles, brains and scammers to infiltrate the Medici stronghold and commit a heist that twists and turns in its intricacies. The environment of Florence in 1517 is filled with brocades, riches, frescoes, guards and yet poverty also walks side by side with those who have the stranglehold on power. Rosa Cellini’s band of swindlers are attempting to right wrongs and restore some opportunities for the oppressed, they just don’t follow a linear path in the process.
This is a story from a screenwriter and its colour and pace would definitely make an awesome film or TV series. The historical setting with its drama and power imbalances creates a perfect backdrop for the heist action. With physical violence and corruption playing out (even in the role of the papacy) there is a backdrop of evil to the story. But essentially this is a well-paced drama weaving the stories of each of the swindlers into the tense action of a risky heist. And as readers, we are always on the side of those who are trying to bring down the Medici power and authority in Florence and redistribute their wealth. A little bit of danger and romance is possible en route for some of the characters. This is a book that you will not want to put down.
Themes Florence - 1500s, theft, Medici family, power and corruption, Michelangelo, Romance, Same-sex attraction.
Children who are just beginning to read early chapter books will welcome this addition to the Bluey series of books, as the characters and setting will be very familiar to them. Bluey:Trains is based on the TV episode Trains and features Bluey’s family playing a game of Trains. It focuses on Dr Glenda and Poppy catching a train, Dr Glenda dropping Poppy off at her Day Care Centre and then travelling on to work at her Vet clinic. Meanwhile, a careless passenger on the train drinks bubble tea, puts their feet up on the seats and uses a cat to take up a seat which is needed by an elderly woman. Chaos follows as he plays pranks on the conductor and the train begins to run late, having unforeseen consequences.
This chapter book, illustrated with black and white pictures that complement the story, will be a boon to beginning readers, whowill be very familiar with the story and will be able to concentrate on predicting what the words will mean. It will be a thrill for them to be able to read about an episode that they have liked and is sure to encourage them to learn to read and to enjoy stories, while learning about good behaviour on trains.
Others in the series, Bluey: Bus and Bluey: Taxi are sure to please, helping children to begin their important journey to learn to read.
I quickly became immersed in this historical mystery as I followed the path of mounted trooper Augustus Hawkins who discovered the bodies of three of the children of a wealthy landowner, brutally murdered on an isolated country road in northern New South Wales. He should have been patrolling the road as part of his duties, instead he spent time with the local schoolteacher. It is 1911, and Hawkins is a traumatised veteran of the Boer War, who suffers from terrible nightmares and drowns them in drink. Detectives are sent up from Sydney to investigate but they are out of depth in the unforgiving countryside. Hawkins is scrutinised by the detectives and he is determined to defend his honour and find the murderer. As he rides around the countryside, he uncovers dark secrets about people he knows well and the deep divide between the rich and poor, landowner and worker becomes increasingly evident.
What makes Bone Lands stand out as a novel is the rich historical background that Fioretti brings to the story. It is easy to imagine the large homesteads of the wealthy graziers, their flocks of sheep and the backbreaking work that the men must do to keep the properties going. The doggers, men are employed to kill dingoes, become used to the violence of slaughter, and piles of kangaroo, wombat and rabbit carcasses are common. The poverty of the very poor, with children dressed in clothes made from flour bags and suffering from scurvy is heart rending. The lot of poor women, the housekeepers and cooks, as well as the Aboriginal people, is also one of poverty and deprivation. The daughters of the rich must settle for marriage with men from their own class. Lack of birth control also makes their plight even more difficult.
The divide between the rich graziers and working people is pronounced. Even though Hawkins has gone to Kings, an elite school and is considered good enough to be invited to the Kirkbride’s home, he is not wanted as a suitor for the grazier’s daughter or even as an investigator of the three murders. But Hawkins cannot accept the verdict of the Sydney detectives and gradually uncovers the truth, with some surprises for the reader along the way.
Bone lands’ rich descriptive prose and wonderful historical background makes this a riveting read that is very difficult to put down. An interesting interview with the author can be found here. I look forward to more books by Fioretti.
Themes Murder, Historical fiction, Mystery,.
Pat Pledger
Princess Mitchell by Christian Wilkins. Illus. by Meng Koach
Simon & Schuster, 2023. ISBN: 9781761420788. (Age:6+)
Mitchell and his cat, Kylie, love to practise ballet, and play princesses together. He also loves soccer and wears his tutu over his uniform. Damon loves playing soccer too, but baulks at Mitchell’s choice of clothing. He tells Mitchell that he cannot play when dressed like a girl. But next Saturday is Mitchell’s birthday party and he intends to have a princess party. All week he prepares for the party. But when it comes to playing soccer in the morning, he is worried about Damon and what he will say. They play the game and with only ten minutes left the other team scores a goal, because Mitchell has seen a beautiful flower that he must smell.
Damon loses his cool and yells at Michael, while Beck puts her arm around Mitchell and tells Damon not to be so mean. In the next half of the game, Mitchell makes a great save and everyone congratulates him.
Later at the party, everyone has dressed as a prince or princess.
Just as the birthday cake is being cut Damon knocks at the door. He is wearing a crown and offers an apology and gives Mitchell his present.
A story about diversity, Princess Michael will be read by all, but particularly by kids who have come across such bullying. Through this story their stories of discrimination can be shared, and suggestions raised about how to deal with it. The story shows how one boy, Mitchell, contends with the attacks he receives, and how he deals with it. The story heralds diversity and non discrimination, and points out how words can undermine. The kids at the princess party all look cool in their finery, and when Damon knocks on the door he is accepted without question, learning from the situation that diversity is the lynch pin of acceptance and friendship.
Themes Friendship, LGBTQA+ people, Discrimination, Diversity, Soccer, Princes and princesses.
Fran Knight
The Riding Gallery by Sally Murphy. Illus. by Martina Heiduczek
Walker Books, 2024. ISBN: 9781760657345. (Age:8+)
Throughout the year, Anton Weniger travels the countryside with his swing boats, shooting gallery and little merry-go-round, settling in St Kilda in Melbourne for the summer. But Anton has a dream - to build a ride like those he experienced in his boyhood Germany. "a ride of such magic, and beauty and awe that all who sat aboard and all who witnessed would be amazed" and music that sounds like there is an orchestra inside.
But this is 1914 and war between England and Germany is imminent. Evelyn's dad is a newspaperman and because he must be "where the news is" he is moving his family again, this time from Wodonga to St Kilda. Evelyn is not impressed by yet another move, although being close to the sea appeals, and on her last night before she is uprooted again, her mum takes her to the fairground and there she meets Mr Weniger and she is delighted to discover that his rides will be in St Kilda each summer. Perhaps the move won't be so bad after all. In fact, once she meets Rory-over-the-fence, who despite being a boy, becomes her BFF and Mr Weniger arrives with his rides, St Kilda becomes a place of wonder and fun. Until it's not.
Because Mr Weniger is a German immigrant suspicion and hatred run deep. When Rory's three older brothers join up to fight "the Hun" Evelyn's relationship with him starts to splinter because while she enjoys the magic of the rides, even more so when Mr Weniger's dream carousel comes to fruition and she is among the first to ride it, Rory sides with those who have a hatred of all Germans and all things German, made more acute when one brother comes home badly injured and the other is killed....
Based on true events, this is a verse novel told by Anton Weniger, Evelyn and Rory which explores the perspectives of each as their worlds collide and a faraway war has an impact on each of their lives, a technique which allows the reader to see inside the thoughts and feelings of each character and understand their point of view. Each of their poems is interspersed with "found poems", created by "using only words and phrases that appeared in original articles from 1914-1918", which tell the story of the progress of the war itself.
While, for younger readers, this is a poignant story that introduces the concepts of perception and position in a story and how friendships can grow and change through circumstances, for older readers, excellent teacher's notes explore the characters and their relationships, and the impact of outside influences on those, as well as the choice of format in much greater depth.
For me, the ending was the twist because it fast-forwards 50 years when Evelyn watches her granddaughter on the very carousel that gave her so much joy - a carousel that has given my own son and granddaughters just as much joy on a regular basis as their childhoods have been spent in Canberra. All Anton Weniger ever wanted to do was build a riding gallery that provided wonder and happiness for those that rode it. With its "fifty two horses running four abreast carved with spectacular detail, decorated with glass jewels that sparkle in the light, two wooden elephants safe enough for the littlest children, panels painted with scenes of Australia, of the world of happiness, mirrors that dazzle and reflect riders and spectators and an organ that plays such lovely music" he would be thrilled to know that 110 years on, not only did his dream come true but it lives on.
At first glance, this deceptively simple picture book with short conversational text, appears to be about two adults, one a Knight and the other a Viking, trying to outdo each other while their children play contentedly together at their feet. After carrying on in this manner they finally both decide to build their own wobbly wall on their side of the book with unfortunate consequences. Firstly, they change the natural flow of the water course and secondly both walls are so unstable that they collapse and cause more damage. The two children, so much wiser and thoughtful in their actions, show how the simple act of communication can solve the adults’ differences and help find a resolution.
The colourful and striking cover cleverly depicting the title built in bricks, and the endpapers showing the children happily using an old-fashioned method of communicating by two tins connected by string, add to the interest and wonder of what this book may hold. This story is really a conversation, shown clearly by the use of speech bubbles, and providing an ingenious introduction to pronouns for younger readers.
However, there is also an unexpected depth to this tale. The more the reader examines the themes of competition and conflict, briefly portrayed in this book, and perhaps then considered on a more worldwide scale, the more the realisation that all grievances can be solved with conversation and compromise. There is certainly a lesson to be learnt.
I confess that I have not previously read any of the Skulduggery Pleasant books that weave magic into the mortal world and introduce Skulduggery Pleasant (the skeletal and brilliant magical ‘detective’) and his god-like and magical sidekick Valkyrie Cain. I can understand why they might impress lovers of magical fantasy and detective tales, as the two are intriguingly woven together in this intense murder mystery that defies mortal wisdom. Skulduggery utilises his incredible intellect to solve clues and leads Valkyrie right into the heart of a murderous attack in order to prevent further calamity. The attacks are violent and woven with magical ferocity and both the heroes of this tale must contend with incredible evil, the magical bureaucracy and the twists and turns of a magical adversary that is hard to predict. Woven into this story is also a rebellion that entangles Valkyrie's young sister.
With an incredible background that implies that the world ended six years ago, but still exists in a parallel universe, there is much in this book to confuse. The likeable main characters variously display impossible skills eg teleporting, magical shielding, physical transformation, incredible combat capabilities that defy human logic, and yet there is an inherent thread of the logical detective genre flowing through the impossible. This is only for the lovers of dark magical fantasy who can also cope with the violent action, even though there are some light-hearted moments. Names of characters are particularly humorous, but this is just an authorial device to build a sense of the warped world in which the story unfolds. Detective skills are also woven with extreme logical reasoning and this is appealing to those who like ‘acrobatic thinking’.
I am not a personal fan of this book, but I am sure that there must be some in the 16+ - adult range who would enjoy this darkly torturous story. Note: Landy has published more than 20 books incorporating Skulduggery, and this book begins a trilogy.
Themes Magic, Murder, Mystery, Power, Revenge.
Carolyn Hull
No. 5 Bubblegum Street by Mikolaj Pa. Illus. by Gosia Herba
No. 5 Bubblegum Street is a very busy picture book that shares with the reader the day in the life of an apartment block full of different animals. Translated from Polish and told by an insect narrator who lives in apartment eleven, it is an opportunity to explore how each of the animals live and look after each other.
As well as the tiny insect, there is a famous rapper mouse, monkeys who bake, an owl who plays checkers with hippo, a cat who records bird sounds, a panther who is crazy about houseplants, a family of musical spiders, a hippo who loves adventures, frogs who compose songs, a dog who sculpts and a bat who practises dance routines. All of the animals meet at the end of the day for their weekly party. They all get along and have a great time.
This is an imaginative book full of colour and fun. The bright illustrations are cleverly contrived and the detail in each warrants a very close look. As an added bonus is the use of positional language: behind, under, left, right, over, above and will reinforce this concept for Early Years students.
Happy Farter's Day by Zoe Foster Blake. Illus. by Adam Nickel
Puffin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761345678. (Age:4+)
What can I say? As an adult I might cringe at the jokes, but the target audience of children who love the word 'fart', and there are many, will be thrilled to shock everyone in their family with the wild and silly jokes in Happy Farter’s Day. It is subtitled A Mix of Dad AND Fart Jokes to Blow You Away, and the book contains just that. Every double page contains two fart jokes, eg. opening the book, the question on one side of the page is 'What’s Dad’s favourite dinosaur?' Answer: 'A Fart-a-saurous Rex', and on the other, 'What does a dod’s fart smell like?' Answer: 'Ex-stink-shun'. These two jokes are illustrated on the double page with a huge green dinosaur chasing a blue dodo and farts emitting from both.
Children will have lots of fun trying to guess the answers to the questions, and even more fun trying out the jokes on their long-suffering fathers.
Adam Nickel’s illustrations are hilarious, all done in bright colours with wonderful expressions on the faces of the farts and the children and dads. They really enhance the text and add another dimension to the humour of the jokes.
This book is the very definition of poignant! Sarah Crossan has woven a love story into the dreadful times of the potato blight in Ireland. With famine, death and disease a constant companion for the poor Irish workers, they must live alongside English landholders who treat all the Irish with unveiled contempt. Nell, the central teenage character of this book, has obtained a service role as a scullery maid in the local landholder’s home at the beginning of the period of the failure of the potato crops. Her connection to the Landholder’s nephew Johnny grows to become an impossible romance, with both threatened by their interest in one another. But sadly, the scourge of the potato blight leads to the death of many and the subsequent desperation leads some to seek drastic solutions. Will Nell and Johnny’s love survive separation, famine, grief and violence?
Written in Crossan’s beautiful prose poetry, this book resonates with simplicity but unspeakable sincerity as it deals with a fictional account of impossible love in difficult times. The romance element is always charged with danger in the face of societal pressures, and Nell’s wisdom and intelligence shine through the pages. This book will echo through the memory for readers who love historical fiction and romance fiction, but the writing style of prose poetry adds an emotional and lyrical beauty to the harshness of the times and the awfulness of grief and famine. Not every detail of the historical period needs to be explained, but the essence of the history is revealed with a gentle touch despite the dire circumstances.
When the lights went out by Lian Tanner and Jonathan Bentley
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761180019. (Age:3+) Highly recommended.
Lian Tanner and Jonathan Bentley, creators of the award-winning Ella and the ocean have joined forces again to produce another stunning picture book. Mum, Dad and a young boy are all snug and cosy in the kitchen when the lights go out. Oh no! It is very dark and the little boy is scared but Dad strikes a match and the family could see that all the lights have gone out in the street. The family creep up the stairs to find more candles, imagining that they are explorers, and after lighting all ten of the candles, they look out the window, to see that the neighbours have come out, and together they sing brave songs and songs that they made them’ tap and sway.’ Then they all dance ‘with the moon and the owls and the little red foxes’ until suddenly the lights come on again.
Tanner’s narrative flows along smoothly, ideal for a read aloud, and children who are afraid of the dark will be reassured with the way the little boy’s parents manage the sudden blackout. Community togetherness is emphasized, and it is lovely to see all the neighbours gathering, singing and dancing.
Bentley’s illustrations are wonderful. He captures the darkness of the night with deep blues and the highlights that the candles make shine with bright gold. The family’s faces are very expressive, showing the fear on the little boy’s face, while Mum and Dad's expressions are calm and soothing. Little details like the family’s cat and foxes in the neighbourhood will intrigue readers who will want to go back and follow their journeys as well.
This lovely story about being scared in the dark and then joining with neighbours to celebrate the dark is a keeper and likely to win more awards for this talented duo.
Themes Fear, Dark, Community life, Electricity.
Pat Pledger
Is my phone reading my mind? The real facts about artificial intelligence by Dr Matt Agnew
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761180446. (Age:7-12) Recommended.
When Dr Matt asked ChatGPT for a list of titles for a book on artificial intelligence for ages 8-12 one of the serious titles it offered was AI Adventures: Discovering the Secrets of Smart Machines; a title that could easily suit the book. The success of the exercise tells us that we need to know more about how AI is changing the way we live and to understand something about how it works. The book uses cartoon illustrations and coloured pages and fonts with breakout boxes for examples and explanations to break up the text and allow for the inclusion of a lot of material. Starting with an explanation of artificial intelligence (AI) and the importance of algorithms, the building blocks of AI, it then goes on to look at where we find it in our everyday lives. That chapter swerves into a detailed mathematical explanation of how machine learning can predict whether a dog is more likely to be a labrador or chihuahua with calculations using averages, means, modes and medians. The coloured fonts on coloured pages sometimes make the numbers indistinct and a picture of a dalmatian in one of the illustrations doesn’t help the either/or exercise. There are good examples of AI use in our lives, like ordering something from Amazon and some history in a breakout box about the first time a computer beat a human at chess. The difficult concept of ethics dominates the next section where we learn that ethics are guidelines that help us understand if an action is right or wrong and that laws are more formal, stronger and carry a consequence. In explaining Kantian Ethics the example is stealing chocolate, which is against the law so it is a poor example, and in explaining Utilitarian Ethics the classic trolley problem clearly highlights the ethical dilemma but the Pokemon card example really should include the option to leave the card on the ground and do no harm; not including it just makes the question more confusing. These examples highlight the difficulties of the subject and should not discount the value of the book which covers a lot of ground; any attempt to increase understanding and raise awareness of how AI might be misused in deep fakes, echo chambers and through influencers must be commended. The author is well qualified to comment on the subject, the tone is friendly and the language accessible without condescension. Teachers might find some good examples to use in class discussions and parents should read this book with your children and then get them to explain AI to you.
