Reviews

My Storee by Paul Russell and Aska

EK Books, 2018. ISBN 9781925335774
(Age: 5-8) When he is at home the stories running through his head keep him awake at night - stories about dragons and rainbow eggs at the bottom of Grandma's garden; his teacher being eaten by a gruesome ogre; unicorn detectives chasing robotic pirates up alien volcanoes. The wonderful, magical ideas just keep flowing and he writes and writes and writes. It's all about the adventures and not about the writing rules.
But at school, the adventures dry up because the writing rules rule. And the red pen is everywhere,
"But at school their are too many riting rulz and with all the rulz I can never find my dragons."
At school he doesn't like to write
Until a new teacher comes - one who is a storyteller himself and knows writing is about the story and not the rules.
In the 80s I was lucky enough to be deeply involved in the process writing movement where we truly believed that writing had to be about the ideas and the adventures and that the processes of reviewing, editing and publishing came later once there was something to work with. Children were just happy to express themselves and as teachers, it was our job to guide them with spelling, punctuation and grammar, semantics and syntax, so that if one of their ideas grabbed them enough that they wanted to take it through to publication then we would work together to do that. Words were provided as they were needed in context, and punctuation and grammar tackled on an individual's needs rather than one-size-fits-all lessons. And if the effort of writing was enough and the child wasn't interested in taking it further, then we had to accept that - flogging a dead horse was a waste of time. In pre-computer days, how many nights did I spend on the typewriter with the big font so a child could have the joy of their own creation in our class library? Children enjoyed writing for writing's sake, were free and willing to let their imaginations roam free and were prepared to take risks with language conventions for the sake of the story.
But when publicity-seeking politicians whose only experience with the classroom was their own decades previously declared that "assessment processes need to be more rigorous, more standardised and more professional" (a quote from "Teacher") we find ourselves back to the red pen being king and our future storytellers silenced through fear. While the teachers' notes tag this book as being about a dyslexic child, it really is about all children as they learn how to control their squiggles and regiment them into acceptable combinations so they make sense to others, a developmental process that evolves as they read and write rather than having a particular issue that is easy and quick to label and therefore blame. We need to accept what they offer us as they make this journey and if they never quite reach the destination, or are, indeed, dyslexic, then as well-known dyslexic Jackie French says, "That's what spellcheck and other people are for." So much better to appreciate their effort than never have the pleasure of their stories.
So many children will relate to this story - those whose mums have "to wade through a papar ocean to wake [them] up" - and will continue to keep writing regardless of adults who think they know better. But who among those adults will have the conviction and the courage to be like Mr Watson? Who among the powers-that-be will let them do what they know works best? If the red pen kills their creativity now, where will the storytellers and imaginative problem-solvers of the future come from?
Barbara Braxton

Just breathe by Andrew Daddo

Penguin, 2018. ISBN 9780143573623
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Who doesn't love a modern-day Romeo and Juliet? A schoolboy athlete, Hendrix has no social life, thanks to his father's ambition for his son to win both the State and National titles. Paul isn't just Drix's coach but a drill sergeant, demanding 100 percent dedication to: training, diet and even clandestine oxygen therapy. But Dad didn't bargain on a distraction like Emily.
Emily and her mother Anna are from Benalla. They are only living in the big smoke temporarily, so that Emily's medical condition can be monitored closely by a Melbourne specialist. It's Emily's new puppy Lucky, who brings the unlikely pair together. First love proves to be so intense that escaping overprotective parents occupies most of their time. The alternating narrations in Book 1, quickly dissolve into one single all-seeing narrator in Book 2. This strategy works well to strengthen the connection between the main characters.
With Hendrix's phone confiscated, reunions after even a few days separation, only heighten their attraction.
"They didn't even kiss. They just stood on the platform together as one. Hendrix thought she was laughing because she was jiggling so much, and when he pulled his head back to look at her she burrowed deeper into his shoulder. That's when he knew she was crying. The way she let go loosened the tap for him as well. By the time the platform had cleared, Emily and Hendrix had practically melted into each other. Anna hung back inside the station, watching. 'Thank you', she whispered to no one in particular'."(p 298)
As romances go, this one is not intentionally sentimental, likely due to the amount of detail about athletics training. Adding depth are a number of other complex issues eg father/son and mother/daughter relationships, the city/country divide, bioethics and more. Andrew Daddo has penned his best YA novel yet, with this heart-rending romance that should appeal to both sexes.
Deborah Robins

Splat the fake fact by Adam Frost

Ill. by Gemma Correll. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408889503
When it comes to free reading choices, young boys, particularly, tend to go for the non fiction titles about sharks, dinosaurs, motor vehicles and the "Guinness Book of Records". They are fascinated by the world of the weird and wonderful that they can pore over and learn so much from in discussions with their friends as they examine the pictures even if they can't read the text yet. They are laying their foundations of the basic concepts of information literacy but their interest is driven by the illustration rather than a need for specific information.
Splat the fake fact takes this interest up a notch, encouraging the reader to actually think about what they are being told, discover the correct answer through some research and then do something about it. On every page there are incredible, hilarious, unlikely facts that are completely true... and one fact that isn't! The reader is invited to find the imposter fact and reveal it before it goes out into the world - and then take some action like scribbling on them, lasering them, drawing silly hats or crossing them out. While that might not be the recommended action for a community library book, nevertheless the combination of humour and cartoon presentation will engage young readers into understanding that not everything they read is true; that there is real "fake news" and the need to verify what they see and hear through some basic research.
While this would make an ideal read for that young person moving on to independent reading and research, it could also have a place in information literacy levels with each page being a jump start for an aspect of the information literacy process. Starting with "What do we already know?" and "What more do we need to know?" and "Where could we find that information?" students can be led on that journey of lifelong learning, developing those core concepts in a way that connects to the interests of the age group.
While many teachers like to use websites like Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus to have students to learn to test what they are reading and evaluate the validity of it, Splat the fake fact is a few steps before this with its accessible language, funky illustrations, and graphic layout. Each fake fact is identified, often in another crazy puzzle that requires more learning to decipher, but more complete explanations are given at the end of the book.
Some students might even like to use the puzzles as models to create their own fake facts, setting up a weekly challenge for library users to investigate, learning to use the library's resources as they do.
What looks like a book that might be used as a child's Christmas stocking stuffer, might just be the best investment you make in your library collection this year!!!
Barbara Braxton

Front desk by Kelly Yang

Walker Books Australia, 2018. ISBN 9781760650469
(Age: Young adult - Adult) Recommended. Front desk is inspired by Kelly Yang's personal experience immigrating from China to America, and her journey of running motels with her parents from when she was eight to twelve years old. Many of the events that transpire in Front desk actually happened in Yang's life. The story follows ten-year-old Mia Tang who after moving to America with her mother and father has to help out in running a motel, all while overcoming the issues of language barriers, discrimination, and finding courage and confidence to make a difference for herself and her family.
This was a well-written and easy to read novel that really focused on Mia's journey growing up, and facing and overcoming tough issues for a ten-year-old. And while Kelly Yang did not shy away from expressing the harsh truths of discrimination, she balanced it out with heartwarming moments that made the story flow smoothly. While the themes explored are heavy ones she addressed them in a way that made you really think about them. I myself sat down after reading this book wanting to know more about what it was like for immigrants coming to America from China in the 80's and 90's. Kelly also wrote about Mia's character in a way that made her attitude seem older than that of a ten-year-old, especially considering the issues she went through in this story. Lastly, I found that Kelly's use of metaphors throughout the story to be very clever as Mia seemed to use them as motivators throughout her journey.
I would recommend this to young adults and adults as the themes explored in this story are important but also not too heavy.
Kayla Raphael

The mystery of the squashed cockroach by R. A. Spratt

The Peski Kids series. Penguin, 2018, ISBN 9780143788812
(Ages: 8-12) Recommended. Themes: Spies. Brothers and sisters. Country life. Missing persons. When a gun-wielding masked woman kicks in the front door, siblings Joe, Fin and April's lives change dramatically. Their palaeontologist mother is missing, caught at an Eastern European border crossing with a USB hidden inside the ulna of a stegosaurus. Professor Maynard, their mother's boss needs to quickly move the children to safety away from the clutches of the evil Kolectiv hit team. There's no going back when the Professor blows up their suburban house.
Their horticulturalist father who left the family when April was a baby lives in a tiny country town called Currawong. The quirky townsfolk are obsessed with cockroaches, holding the annual cockroach race. Given a new surname, the Peski kids are left with a father they don't know, a lifestyle unfamiliar to them and a town filled with cockroach obsessed people.
After a disastrous first day of school, except for Joe's surprising aptitude for lawn bowls, the children decide to try and fit in. Searching for cockroaches to enter into the race, involves breaking into a neighbour's house with the help of a teenage whirlwind Loretta Viswanathan. When Loretta's expensive Madagascan cockroach is found dead in its aquarium, the Peski kids set out to solve the mystery. When the competitors for the annual race start dying off as well, Joe, Fin and April accompanied by Pumpkin the ankle-biting dog become detectives searching for clues.
The mystery of the squashed cockroach captures the reader from the prologue. Joe, April and Fin argue, bicker and generally get on each other's nerves, however they pull together in times of crisis. Each of their skills is needed to uncover the villain. Currawong's cast of characters are unique and unusual adding humour to this fast-paced adventure. R. A. Spratt's witty writing style and fast-paced plot make this an exciting new series. Life will never be the same, what adventures await in the next Peski Kids' adventure? An exciting class novel for middle primary students.
Rhyllis Bignell

The 104-storey treehouse by Andy Griffiths

Ill. by Terry Denton. Pan Macmillan, 2018. ISBN 9781760554170
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Themes: Humour. Join Andy and Terry in their wonderfully wild and wacky 104-storey treehouse. Andy and Terry and friend Jill return for another wacky adventure as they add another storey to their treehouse, making it 104 storeys tall and full of fantastical inventions and creatures. The storey is introduced at the beginning of the book, with all its wonderful inventions. A money making machine is sure to appeal to all, except when Terry hits the wrong button and it turns into a honey making machine, and the drawings of the trio climbing the never ending staircase will have readers giggling. Poor Andy has a terrible toothache and the different remedies to pull the tooth suggested by Terry will resonate with young and old alike as they recall losing a tooth. There are bears, joke writing pens and Mr Big Nose who expects the latest book to be delivered on time.
As popular as the previous ones in the series, I had to wait in line to read The 104-storey treehouse, as both grandchildren and visitors to the house devoured it and had no trouble recounting the plot lines in detail. The jokes at the bottom of the page were funny, and often groan-worthy, and make a wonderful addition to a family's joke repertoire.
This is sure to be a hit at home and in classrooms, with young and old, and will be welcomed by all the creators' many fans.
Pat Pledger

Fergus the farting dragon by Monique Mulligan

Ill. by Veronica Rooke. Serenity Press, 2017. ISBN 9780995410435
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Themes: Dragons. Similarity. Stealing. Humour. "Fergus is different to other dragons. But when people make fun of him, he has an ear-splitting, eye-watering, toe-curling, stink-making response. He farts! When a cheeky knight in a fire-proof suit steals a precious dragon egg, the other dragons are at a loss. It's left to Fergus to get the egg back from the thieving knight." (Publisher)
Fergus is a very unfortunate dragon. Because he can't breathe fire like all of the other dragons, they tease him. Even though Fergus can't breathe fire he is really good at farting. Fergus shows the other dragon that being different is not always a bad thing. When all of the other dragons fail to save the golden egg, Fergus is the one who saves the day.
This book has a great message in it, that it is ok to be different. Just because someone is different does not mean they are not as good as everyone else.
I highly recommend this book. I think it will appeal to both children and adults with the fart humour. Activities to complement the book are available from the publisher.
Karen Colliver

Puddle hunters by Kirsty Murray

Ill. by Karen Blair. Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760296742
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Rain. Puddles. Family. After a rainy morning, the family goes out puddle hunting. The sky has almost cleared as Ruby and Banjo find their boots and set off with mum to find some puddles. There are no puddles to be found in their garden as the flowers have soaked up all the rain. There are no puddles on the glistening footpath and once in the park, they hunt under bushes, beside the path and on the hillside, still without any success. But walking over the bridge to the river flats they find all the puddles they need.
Each of the children, sometimes together sometimes alone, jumps into the puddles they find, making a splash, and squelching in the mud. What fun!
Perth freelance illustrator, Karen Blair has impressed with her wonderful illustrations. I loved Granny Gromet and me, all of her pictures redolent of the great outdoors, reflect her childhood on a farm.
Her illustrations for Puddle hunters are delicious, showing two small children and a quick thinking mum taking their walk through the puddles in the park. Full of movement, each picture reflects the love and familiarity between the three as they do something which in the end renders them all wet and muddy, necessitating a bath when they get home.
This engrossing story will be fun to read aloud and act out. Its repetition will engage, its movement both in the story and in the illustrations on each page will delight all the readers, young and old.
Fran Knight

Bonesland by Brendan Lawley

Text Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9781925603583
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Explicit content. Shortlisted, The Text Prize, 2017. A multi-layered coming of age story about family, mates, bullies and maybe hooking up with the hot American exchange student. Set in country Victoria, Banarang is a fictional town.
But it's not pretty when you live in it every day. If you don't escape Banarang straight after Year Twelve, you've got two options - you make a bunch of kids with your high-school girlfriend or you smoke ice all day and start pub fights at night. There are plenty of guys who manage to juggle both.
In the first chapter Bones demonstrates that Banarang is a short commute to Melbourne. Bones is suffering from OCD, likely because his mother left. Given his oversexed mates with whom he shares the exact same urges, this inner monologue is hilarious. The boys don't pull any punches and the misogynistic dialogue and euphemisms are very explicit. But that's not the reason readers can't put it down. Every character is capable of redemption - even Dad, the loser and Shitty, the bully.
By contrast, Naya, the UNICEF "do-gooder" exchange student, seems to have more going on in her top paddock, as does the Muslim girl, Aaleyah. Despite his problems, Bones is soon fantasising about the cosmopolitan yet altruistic Naya. Jimmy is a leader by virtue of his confidence and cash but is intent on breaking into pop culture by imitating African American rappers - doubtless, girls will be offended by his lyrics. All the boys have problems, Leon is Gay and Bones' brother Trav is tangled up with the town bully, yet the friends tolerate Bones despite his nerdy obsessions. Tension builds as Bones is targeted in and out of school. The coward's punch climax is cathartic for Bones and his family.
"Bonesland" is the most consistently explicit YA title I've sampled; but somehow the language isn't gratuitous because we all know these Aussie males at the end of schooling, for whom the only meaningful education they have garnered is both the best and worst of each other. An eBook is available and Text Publishing link to Lawley's playlist while you read a sample chapter.
Deborah Robins

Swallow's Dance by Wendy Orr

Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760297879
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: Disasters, Crete - History, Survival, Ancient Civilisation. This is a very touching story about one girl's inner strength, and how when faced with life-changing problems she was able to overcome the odds to keep her family alive. Leira who was born to be a priestess finds herself in a situation that was beyond anything she could imagine.
Her home is hit by a huge earthquake that leaves everything she knows in pieces, including her mother. She is forced to do what she can to keep her mother alive while waiting for help. Leira then finds that she needs to take charge and do something otherwise neither of them will survive.
Leira is reunited with her father and brother who take her, her mother and elderly nurse on their ship across the sea to the land where her other brother lives. When they arrive they find things are not as they seem. When Leira's father and brother set off on their trading mission she is left to look after her injured mother and elderly nurse.
Again another earthquake and again things change for Leira.
Throughout the story Leira learns that she is stronger than she ever realized and she is able to survive against what the goddess can throw at her.
This book is written in a way that draws you in and you just want to keep reading to see what will happen next. There are a number of twists to the story that you will not see coming.
I highly recommend this book 12+. Teacher's notes are available on the publisher's website.
Karen Colliver

Night Flights by Philip Reeve

Ill. by Ian McQue. The Hungry City Chronicles book 5. Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781742997674
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: Science fiction, Steampunk. Good versus evil. Slavery. In "Night Flights" Philip Reeve returns to the world of "Mortal Engines", to provide readers with three short stories about Anna Fang, aviatrix and spy, who is a secondary figure in the series. Anna Fang's story is fascinating. In "Frozen Heart", her beginnings are described, first as a happy child on board her parents' ship, then captured by the traction city "Arkangel", where she is held as a slave working to dismantle scrap metal from the ships that the city captures and eats up. Determined to be free again she catches the eye of the son of the owner and helps him build a plane and in a daring bid for freedom uses her wits and intelligence to escape. In "Traction City Blues" an adolescent Anna lands on London, another traction city and here faces a Stalker who she wants to recruit as a weapon against the slaver ship. Finally in "Teeth of the Sea" Anna goes to Pulau Pinang, where she uncovers a mystery about the disappearance of raft boats and in the final chapter meets the two children who will be the main characters in the Chronicles.
All three stories are compulsive reading and would serve as a fascinating introduction to the "Hungry City Chronicles", although she is a minor character in those books. Anna is determined and uses her fine mind to work out strategies for escape and on a practical level, uses her engineering skills to build an aircraft. She is faced with disappointment on a personal level and learns to be very careful of the people that she can trust.
The illustrations by Ian McQue are fabulous, and the reader gets a wonderful picture of the personality of Anna, as well as the destructive nature of the predator traction ship "Arkangel".
With "Mortal Engines" soon to be a major film directed by Peter Jackson of "Hobbit" fame, it won't be difficult to find new fans of this excellent, challenging and exciting series.
Pat Pledger

Old hat by Emily Gravett

Mirror Mirror by Cara Delevigne (with Rowan Coleman)

Trapeze, 2017. ISBN 9781409172758
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. Red, Naomi, Leo and Rose are four misfits who become the closest of friends upon the formation of their band, Mirror Mirror. Band rehearsal is an escape for all four, giving them momentary freedom for the hardships they face in their regular lives. Red has an alcoholic mother and often absent father, Leo's criminal brother encourages him to follow in his footsteps, Rose uses alcohol and boys to numb her painful past and Naomi runs away from home to finally be free. Just as the band are coming to terms with their group-identity and feel as close as a family, Naomi goes missing and subsequently turns up half dead in the Thames. The police believe that she did this to herself but Red begins to find clues suggesting that things are not as they seem. The trio decide that they must take matters into their own hands to truly find out what happened to Naomi.
A tale of determination, mystery and friendship in the face of adversity, this novel reminds its reader that they are stronger than they know and can make a difference in this world. In her debut novel, Delevigne presents realistic characters, deep emotional twists and an all-around inspiring story. Through Red, the reader is brought on a journey of self-discovery while learning some powerful messages along the way. A beautiful yet sorrowful story that truly captures the turbulence that is our teenage years.
Daniella Chiarolli

Fart monster and me : The new school by Tim Miller and Matt Stanton

ABC Books, 2018. ISBN 9780733338939
This book is about Ben and Fart monster going to a new school called Stone Beach Primary.
I thought this book was funny because it's all about farts. The two main characters were Ben And Fart Monster, they do everything together. At Stone Beach Primary Fart Monster will only eat baked beans, cabbage or fried eggs which always makes him fart. I wonder if he will fart in Ben's new classroom?
I give it 5 out of 5 because it is a funny book.
Aston (aged 8)

The art of taxidermy by Sharon Kernot

Text, Melbourne, 2018. ISBN 9781925603743
(Age: Middle secondary) Highly recommended. Aged eleven, Lotte falls in love with death. She admires the beauty of a dead gecko, and keeps it. She and her soulmate Annie find beauty and death linked as they ramble through the country surrounding their home. Lotte soon has a collection of bones, skins and feathers in her bedroom. Her father is tolerant but her aunt, their housekeeper, is appalled by the smell and the unusual nature of the hobby. As the novel progresses the reader learns that death has laid a heavy hand on the family, and that Lotte's interest in death is about preserving both memories and objects. Lotte's mother died some time ago after the birth of a stillborn child. Lotte's grandmother is still mourning the loss of her German-born husband after his internment during the war in the Loveday camp. There is another grave in the cemetery, that of Annie, who the reader learns died aged six in a local dam. Lotte's father has preserved his wife's clothes just as they were and Lottie's imagined adventures with Annie are an attempt to keep her memory alive. Lotte's concerned relatives give her a kitten and a camera as distractions. Lotte's love for the kitten is a life-affirming emotion; her love for the camera is both life-affirming and an expression of her need to preserve what she has. The time comes for her to make choices about a career, but her aunt is appalled by her interest in taxidermy and suggests that being a teacher or nurse would be more suitable. However, Lotte's father takes her to a museum where a taxidermist explains his art. Lotte is more firmly intrigued and convinced that this will be her career. She believes that taxidermy is a celebration of life and a preservation of beauty.
This is a simply written verse novel which covers many issues without seeming didactic. The attitudes to emigre Germans during World War II, the difficulties of the Stolen Generation and beliefs about the role of women in society are minor themes while the main one is the effect of death and grief. The story evolves quite dramatically and holds the reader's attention. The poems are easily read and the descriptions of the natural world are evocative, the writer having a keen eye for details of shape and colour.
The novel is highly recommended for Middle School readers.
Jenny Hamilton