A diamond in the dust by Frauke Bolten-Boshammer, with Sue Smethurst
Simon and Schuster, 2018. ISBN 9781925685084.
(Age: 15+) This is a wonderful story of a strong woman who was
prepared to follow her husband from country Germany to Kununurra, in
the north-west of Western Australia, in April 1981. He wanted to
make a new life there and she agreed to leave her extended family
and her beloved homeland to follow his dream. Her agreement to go
with her husband was a very difficult one, but she supports him and
moves to one of the most arid parts of Australia. This book is
suitable for all ages, from adolescent readers through to adults,
and is a heart-warming read.
The struggle to survive in the outback of the north-western corner
of Western Australia is all-encompassing. The couple establish a
farm and all seems to be going well, until one day when,
unexpectedly, it all becomes too much for Friedrich. They have, by
then, had 4 children and Frauke is determined to make a success of
the life that they had planned. Due to her fascination with the
diamond industry, she decides to open a shop selling diamond
jewellery, stocking some of the most beautiful diamonds mined in the
area.
After her husband's death, Frauke struggles to face life by herself
and the children, but she is determined to carry on their work.
Unexpectedly, she faces a tragedy that would break many people,
twice, and she has to decide, once more, how she can face life and
her business. Her devotion to the children and her work in the shop,
designing and selling unique and beautiful diamond jewellery,
enables her to survive, and she becomes well-known both in Australia
and in the wider world. We are entranced by the loving kindness of
her second husband, and she is so happy in her choice, and delighted
with the respect and loyalty of their children.
This is a really strong story that is captivating, uplifting and
rich in detail, both about the family, the people who surround them,
and the area in which they live. Telling the true story of a woman
who finds strength when many others would have collapsed, especially
having faced not only one tragedy, but more unthinkable events. As
we see how her spirit imbues this narrative, we notice that she
draws on her determination to face life even when tragedy strikes
more than once, and we understand her desire to love and support her
children, to be a good, loving partner to her second husband, and to
make her business successful, all of which she achieves. Despite the
terrible times in her life, her seemingly boundless love and
resilience, the love and strength of her family, and her ambition to
make a good life for her family, enable her to create a resoundingly
successful business and to have a second chance at a life lived with
love and friendship.
This book is suitable for older adolescents and adults.
Elizabeth Bondar
The slightly alarming tale of the whispering wars by Jaclyn Moriarty
Kingdoms and Empires, book 2. Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN:
9781760297183.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. This is a quirky, fun story told by
two narrators. Finlay the boy from the Orphanage School and Honey
Bee who goes to the exclusive Brathelthwaite Boarding School. They
both live in Spindrift, a town that has a collection of ordinary
townsfolk mixed with witches, gnomes, pirates and sirens.
The story starts with a race, the Spindrift Tournament, which brings
the two schools into conflict and highlights their different school
cultures. The children begin a 'tit for tat' series of pranks, which
evolves into a school against school battle until the threat of real
war, the 'Whispering Wars' begins.
There is a dark side to the Spindrift as children are being abducted
and a deadly magic flu is spreading through the town, having drastic
effects on the health of the townsfolk. The Orphanage and
Brathelthwaite children decide to work together to discover what is
happening and try to free the captives. There are some scary mind
controlling and life-threatening adversaries to deal with and it is
only when the two groups of children cooperate that problems start
to be solved.
This is another novel in the Kingdoms and Empires books
which can be read as a stand-alone but has a very clever connection
to her previous novel, The
Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone
(2017).
The use of two narrators gives an interesting insight into their
personalities and viewpoints and Jaclyn Moriarty cleverly challenges
first impressions and stereotypes as the story progresses. It is
through listening to other people's stories that understanding and
compassion develops. Prejudice, war and friendship are strong themes
of the book.
I highly recommend this book to students 10 years and older.
A book trailer is available here.
Jane Moore
Things that will not stand by Michael Gerard Bauer
Omnibus Books, 2018. ISBN: 9781742997582.
(Age: 13+) A quick, optimistic read for year 9 or 10 boys and girls.
Themes; friendship, identity, first love, trauma. University open
days allow year 11 and 12 students a chance to learn more about
courses, university life and maybe imagine changed pathways beyond
school. Sebastian, unsure of what he wants to do, is looking at a
course in town planning, a 'safe choice' endorsed by his parents.
His best friend Tolly is interested in science and medicine so they
split up and at a lecture Seb sits next to an attractive girl, who
borrows his pen. They have a brief conversation about a classic
movie showing after the lecture so he buys his ticket to Casablanca
and waits in the foyer hoping to meet the girl again. When she
doesn't turn up he tries to give the ticket to the next girl who
enters the foyer, Frida, looking like a character from 'Frozen' with
a part shaved head and piercings. She guesses he has been stood up
and challenges him on his reasons for offering her the ticket. Just
then the first girl enters the foyer but it is soon apparent that
she is seeing another movie with her boyfriend. To save him from
embarrassment Frida spins a story about them being best friends
since he saved her life in kindergarten and they see the movie
together. After they drift into getting to know each other over
lunch and when Tolly joins them the quick, creative banter takes
off. Sebastian's 'safe choices' are challenged by Frida and somehow
they find themselves joining her for a theatre sports event. When
Tolly leaves for an interview Frida continues to quiz Seb about his
life while giving little away about her own. Things come to a head
when a boy from her school harasses her and after he is brilliantly
put in his place by Tolly, Sebastian challenges Frida to tell him
the truth about herself. However she would rather leave the reality
of her life behind and try out different versions of herself in this
new environment. As they get to know more about each other Sebastian
is sure he wants to get closer to the real Frida regardless of her
background, a challenge for both of them before the day ends.
This funny, appealing story emphasises the opportunities offered,
post school, to leave aspects of your life behind and re-invent
yourself. The characters are witty and hopeful; their motivations
commendable.
Sue Speck
On the first day of school by P. Crumble and Dean Rankine
Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781742999807.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Music, Rhyming story, First day of
school, Friendship, Families. With a CD (sung by Penny McNamee) in a
slip cover inside the front cover, and rhyming lines taking up each
page, what reader will not sing along as the story builds with the
things a child will encounter at school. All told with a laugh out
loud set of illustrations detailing what is going on in the text and
more, children will love having this read aloud to them, or have the
CD on to sing along with, or learn sections to be able to sing out
loud themselves. The book and CD lend themselves to a variety of
uses in the classroom for those first days at a school, where
perhaps some children are a little nervous.
At the end of each refrain is the line, 'raise your hand if you have
to do a wee' which will not only cause lots of laughs from the
audience, but also underline the importance of telling someone if
you do need to go to the toilet.
A plethora of activities await the new children: show and tell,
playing with paints, eating lunch, singing out loud, story time and
finally packing up to go home, while many rules within the classroom
are given: no calling out, wear hats outside, listen for the bell
and don't pick your nose. Each double page adds to the developing
list of things done in school, and will allay those concerns that
some new students may have.
Children will love learning the sequence of the activities,
predicting what one will come next when they sing along with adults,
just like in a Kim's Game where a number of things are learnt and
recalled.
Fran Knight
Finding Kerra by Rosanne Hawke
Beyond Borders series. Rhiza Press, 2018. ISBN:
9781925563474.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: Staton life, Outback,
Pakistan, Women. Beyond Borders is a Young Adult series about Jamie
Richards' life in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Australia. The four
novels are: Dear Pakistan (2016), The War Within
(2016), Liana's Dance (2017) and Finding Kerra
(2018).
The quartet, following Jaime's journey from Pakistan to Australia,
fitting into a country so alien to her, then returning to Pakistan
only to find she no longer feels safe in the land of her childhood.
Jaime is kidnapped and held by terrorists in book two. In the third
of the series, Jaime tells the story of her friend, Liana, as she
tries to help children kidnapped from her school. The fourth book in
the series has Jaime back in Australia, and tells of her time spent
on a station in the outback.
Jaime meets Blake at school and opens up to him about her past. He
invites her to spend some time on his family's staton for the
holidays, a quiet place where she can be at peace. But as soon as
she arrives, she feels tension in the air between her host and his
son, between Blake and his sister, Kerra, while the young girl from
the next station seems hostile to her. Jaime cooks and watches over
Kerra, and as the weeks unfold she learns more about Kerra and the
secrets she holds.
Hawke uses her background in Pakistan with absolute surety. The
story has flashes of the three preceding novels showing the lasting
effects of the trauma suffered by Jaime, but at the same time, Jaime
recalls the wonderful stories from the land of her childhood and is
able to tell them to Kerra, a soothing time for this troubled child.
Kerra seems to take stories to heart, and often asks Jaime to tell
her again of Liana.
It is through these stories that Kerra develops the courage to
finally tell her brother that she wants him to be just that, a
loving brother, bringing their distant relationship to a head,
making this a fitting concluding story to this wonderful quartet.
Hawke's stay at a northern cattle station brings a background of
truth to the tale of this dislocated girl, looking after another
just as disoriented as herself. I love the way Hawke brings in
touches of the Aboriginal, Afghan and Cornish heritage of this
state, using them to tie together a modern story.
Fran Knight
Limelight by Solli Raphael
Puffin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780143793762.
(Age: Upper primary, Lower secondary) Recommended. Limelight
gives great insights into how to create and perform poems by a
young, passionate poet, Solli Raphael.
Solli is a thirteen-year-old slam poet. Slam poetry is a form of
performance poetry. The poet performs in a competition with other
poets and five random audience members rate the poetry on a scale of
0 to 10.
When he was only 12, Solli was the youngest winner of the
'Australian Poetry Slam' held at the Sydney Opera House every year.
His poems are powerful and have a strong message of social equality
and environmental protection.
Part 1 of the book deals with the art of poetry writing and
performing, while part 2 contains over 30 original poems.
The title of the book comes from one of the featured poems,
'Limelight' about performing poetry onstage and trying to make a
difference to the world. He is challenging his audience to be a
gamechanger. Seize this moment, live it and own it, and if you leave the
'um' till the end of the moment, you might just create
enough momentum.
To take flight to great heights on a stage to speak your
truth in the limelight.
'Australian Air' is Solli's most famous poem which has been seen 3.5
million times on Facebook. It is an inspiring poem of speaking up
and making changes to society.
You can watch Solli perform this poem on YouTube.
Solli is the 'gamechanger' he speaks of. An inspiring young man who
can successfully talk to the world but in particular to his own
generation.
I recommend this book to upper primary and lower secondary students.
Jane Moore
Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein: Based on a true story by Jennifer Roy with Ali Fadhil
Oneworld Publications, 2018. ISBN 9781786074669.
(Age: Upper primary, Lower secondary) Recommended. An intriguing
title, combining two seemingly unconnected topics. Ali is an
eleven-year boy who lives in Iraq during 1991, a time when the
country was bombed by the Americans. President Saddam Hussein has
invaded Kuwait and the US and allies launch Operation Desert Storm
to force him out. That means the people of Kuwait must experience
the onslaught of the bombing raids, starvation and death.
All of this is seen and described through the eyes of Ali who lives
with his brothers, sister and mother while his father is away
serving as a medic.
Mixed up with the horrors of war, are the day to day survival
strategies his family must practise such as taking shelter and
surviving on meagre food supplies. He deals with problems with his
brothers, bullies in the street as well as witnessing the horror of
a public execution.
Ali loves his Superman comics, his Atari game, soccer and American
shows (from which he has learnt English) and wants nothing more than
his father to return safely and life to go back to normal.
This novel is based on a true story and Ali Fadhil, the joint author
and protagonist of the story, eventually migrates to the USA after
participating in the trial of Saddam Hussein as a young man.
This is a time in history that the young readers of this book may
not know but it gives a child's eye look into the experiences of
real people on the ground surviving war.
The cover has a pixelated Atari screen style of illustration showing
Ali surrounded by bombs and soccer balls, wryly mimicking the
comments made by Americans, calling the nightly bombings 'the video
game war'.
I recommend this book to upper primary, lower secondary students.
Jane Moore
The unbelievably scary thing that happened in Huggabie Falls by Adam Cece
Text Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9781925773019.
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Huggabie Falls is not your normal town, in
fact it is very unusual indeed. There are witches, invisible
families, pirates and people who travel to other dimensions, just to
name a few of the odd goings on.
In this novel, the second of the Huggabie Falls Trilogy, we
follow Kipp Kindle, Tobias Treachery and Cymphany Chan as they try
to uncover the reason for the scary happenings occurring throughout
their town.
Everyone has their own particular fear, which ranges from a violent
piano throwing brussel sprout with a Scottish accent to an angry
teddy bear seeking revenge.
Terrified people are leaving Huggabie Falls in droves. Kipp, Tobias
and Cymphany need to discover what is going on and this leads them
to two very suspicious characters, the top-hatted scientist and a
very recognisable assistant.
This is a wacky and humorous book and the author often addresses the
reader directly. He admonishes anyone who hasn't read book 1 (sorry
Adam, that was me too) but in doing so he cleverly gives us more
background information on the town and the people. His constant
interruptions to the story are a fun part of the book and children
will enjoy these silly diversions.
The book's jacket is boldly coloured and the cartoon style
illustrations by Andrew Weldon add to the appeal of the novel. There
are black and white illustrations scattered throughout the pages
too.
I recommend this book to children from 8 to 12 years and look
forward to number 3 in the trilogy.
There is a book
trailer available for book 1, The
extremely weird thing that happened in Huggabie Falls,
that introduces the main characters and the Huggabie Falls
craziness.
Jane Moore
Puppy pandemonium by Belinda Murrell
Pippa's Island book 5. Random House Australia, 2018. ISBN
9780143793267.
(Age: 8-10) Highly recommended. Themes: Friendship. Jealousy. Moving
house. Pets.
Pippa's family are so close to moving into their new apartment above
the island Beach Shack Cafe managed by Pippa's mother; but the
builders still have a lot to do. Pippa has made the best of living
squashed into a caravan with her siblings, but her good humour is
wearing thin. Her best friends keep her sane, but for no real reason
the jealousy she feels when one friend receives some awesome new
clothes, starts to eat at her. Her desire for a new pair of bathers
from the surf shop seems to be unsettling her every moment. Being
stretched financially is the family norm, and a discussion with the
friendly barista in the cafe leads to Pippa beginning her own
business - as a dog walker. Eventually, friendship and family,
combined with hard work, give her what she needs to find joy again.
Belinda Murrell writes a charming tale filled with friendship
moments and simple plot complications that will be enjoyed by young
female readers. The dog-walking venture adds a touch of humour as
the dogs display their enthusiasm and lack of cooperation. Woven in
and under the interactions within Pippa's friendship group, known as
the Sassy Sisters, are the adult care and concern for others that is
a wonderful model for young readers. A gentle, careful reflection
about the small things that can unsettle us becomes a very readable
story about life and growing up.
Highly recommended for readers aged 8-10.
Carolyn Hull
Amelia Chamelia and the birthday party by Laura Sieveking
Ill. by Alyssa Bermudez. Penguin Random House, 2019. ISBN
9780143791669.
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Themes: Birthdays. Magic. Camouflage. Amelia
is about to turn 8 and the birthday party she has planned will be
spectacular. Her Dad has told her that turning 8 will be
magical, but what will this mean? When her party invitations are
thrust into dangerous territory by a sudden gust of wind and the
'mean boys' at school present a problem for their retrieval, Amelia
discovers a magical skill that transforms her life. Her magical
talent of transformation is also used at her party to solve a
mystery . . . but should she tell her friends and will they even
believe her?
This is an undemanding but enjoyable tale for young female readers
that are beginning to explore easy fiction chapter books. The
problems explored are entirely appropriate for young readers, and
the magical solutions demonstrate a simple creative fantasy.
Inoffensive and charming.
Recommended for readers aged 6-8.
Carolyn Hull
Zenobia by Morten Durr and Lars Horneman
UQP, 2018. ISBN: 9780702260254.
(Age: All) Recommended for all ages, a useful stimulus to discussion
of refugee issues. Could worry younger readers.Themes: Refugees,
Children in war, boat people, migration. The opening page of this
graphic novel is divided into three uneven frames; in the middle we
see the gently curving horizon with the sky above. Below, alone in
the ocean is an overloaded boat, every inch occupied by people. The
following pages zoom in on the people, so tightly packed that the
deck is not visible. We see a little girl, alone, surrounded by
adult men. Then the sea gets rough and the people are thrown from
the boat, clutching babies and meagre possessions and our little
girl is thrown into the sea. The first words come as she sinks, 'it
is big and empty here'. 'No-one can find me here.' We find out her
name is Amina and we enter her memories of happier times, playing
hide and seek with her mother and cooking before they one day went
to town and never came back. She had to be brave like Zenobia, a
beautiful warrior Queen of Syria who never gave up. An uncle takes
her to try and escape the war torn country but there is not enough
money for them both so she is alone when the boat sinks.
Beautifully produced and powerfully composed the colours instantly
transport us into the blue of the ocean or the brown of the ruined
Syrian villages. The impact of the deceptively simple story is
graphic and should worry us all. Like the Child Soldiers of Africa,
the tragic plight of children in conflict told through books like
this will reach into our hearts unmediated by words. We anticipate a
last minute rescue but that ending is withheld.
Sue Speck
That's not what happened by Kody Keplinger
Hodder Children's Books, 2018. ISBN: 9781444933628.
Recommended for older students but with a warning about post
traumatic sensitivities. Themes: gun violence, trauma and anxiety,
post-traumatic stress, faith, loss, personal accounts. It is three
years since a shooter at the small, strongly Christian, Virgil
County High School killed nine; Leanne (Lee) Bauer is one of the six
witnesses who survived the shooting. Lee's best friend Sarah was
shot while they were hiding in a toilet cubicle and died holding her
hand. Lee, like the others was traumatised by the event and its
aftermath of media frenzy and their stories have become 'tangled
into a knot of fact and fiction' p2. She is troubled by the false
story attached to Sarah about a cross necklace and her refusal to
deny her faith when questioned about it by the shooter. When Sarah's
parents announce they are going to publish a book about their
daughter's brave sacrifice, Lee realises she must tell the true
story even if it is not one people want to hear. As a tribute to the
nine victims she asks the other five survivors to write their true
recollections of each victim and how they died that day. She makes a
considered choice to keep the shooter's name out of it. 'This was
the one thing that wasn't about him or why he did it. This was about
everyone else and the damage he had done.' p 19. Four of the
survivors meet and communicate regularly, the only people who truly
understand the traumatising effect of the shooting, but one, Kellie
Gaynor left the district. Lee finds it difficult to trace her and
discovers that while she was recovering from the trauma Kellie was
bullied and called a liar after claiming the necklace as her own.
Even though it means revisiting the event Lee is determined to tell
the truth and in doing so put the record straight before the
survivors leave the school taking their stories with them. In asking
for their stories Lee discovers more about each of the survivors and
how they have coped, ranging from reinforcing Christian belief to
advocating for gun control and she gains strength from them.
We all have a right to tell our own story, except when we are not
here to tell it. The stories told by the survivors about the victims
allow different points of view and appear on pages edged in black.
Their own stories are about struggling to survive as damaged victims
after an unthinkable event that seems to be happening too often in
America.
Sue Speck
Dinosaur roar! by Paul Strickland
Ill. by Henrietta Strickland. 25th Anniversary edition. Macmillan
Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781509885398.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Dinosaurs, Humour, Verse, Rhyme,
Prediction, Comparisons. Celebrating twenty five years since its
first publication, Dinosaur roar! continues to intrigue, delight and
scare those small children who pick it up to read. All children
thrill at the idea of dinosaurs, and learn their names quickly and
easily, recognising their size, shape, colours and behaviour with
accuracy.
In this book, each double page has several different dinosaurs
pictured with the simplest text across the bottom of each page,
telling the reader something about the animal. The opening pages,
dinosaur roar and dinosaur squeak show a large toothed animal
filling most of the left hand side page, while the next page has a
much smaller animal. Each animal depicted will have the audience
enthralled as they look at its fierce mouth and teeth, its scaly
skin, long legs and clawed feet, prompting them to recognise the
animal shown. They will also readily understand the differences
between each animal and the words used to describe them. Turning the
page is another noisy dinosaur with dinosaur fierce across the page
and on the next a larger animal cowers, with the words, dinosaur
meek. Children will love seeing the difference between the size of
the animals and their fierceness, and understand the difference
between the two opposing words presented on each page, while having
fun predicting the rhyming word.
The images will delight younger readers, enjoying the humour,
predicting the rhymes, and reprising all the animals on the last two
double pages where their dietary needs are shown. Included in the
endpaper is a fold out poster of the whole book which when put up
will further extend the wonder of the book.
The illustrations are wonderful, full of fun, filling the pages with
colour and movement, depicting these amazing animals with gusto. I
love the slimy dinosaur, its hide dripping with slime and goo from
its environment, prompting readers to ask where it lives. This is a
wonderful book, subtly revealing information about dinosaurs and
prompting discussion and research. Republished in conjunction with
the Natural History Museum, London.
Fran Knight
The Rift by Rachael Craw
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781760650025.
Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Fitting in. When Meg
Archer returns to Black Water Island after being away for nine
years, she discovers that the Island is facing danger from the Rift.
Her mother had taken her to the mainland after an accident had left
her and her friend Cal scarred and traumatised. Cal is now a Ranger
and trying very hard to fit in with the elite group who have guarded
the Old Herd from the Rift for generations. When it opens, death
follows and both Cal and Meg have a role to play in protecting the
Island and the Old Herd.
Fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Garth Nix will relish this offering
from Craw whose world building is unforgettable. Black Island has a
mixture of real world buildings and people who carry on daily
activities that are familiar, while there is a barracks of highly
trained Rangers who guard the sacred deer. Ley lines cross the
island and myths and legends abound about the nature of the Rift and
the Old Herd.
Craw's characters too are really memorable and the reader will
easily sympathise with Cal's difficulties of fitting in with Rangers
who have been born to the task, while he has come from humble
fisherman beginnings. He has been given the Rift sight, but
struggles with knowing what to do, while not helped by Sargent,
Meg's father and a very hard task master. Meg on the other hand has
spent her life on the mainland, training to be as fit as possible in
the hope that she could become a Ranger and join her father, even
against her mother's wishes. The slow burning relationship between
the pair will satisfy fans who enjoy some romance. However what will
keep the reader engrossed is the complex plot, the action and the
coming of age story of both Cal and Meg as they struggle to keep the
herd safe from the hunters who want them for a new drug.
This was a stunning, original stand-alone story with a gripping
narrative, strange world and heroic characters. Fans of The rift
will, like me, want to discover other books by Rachael Craw.
Pat Pledger
All are welcome by Alexandra Penfold
Ill. by Suzanne Kaufman. Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN 9781526604071
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Diversity. Schools. Families.
Community. Told in four line stanzas where the first three lines
rhyme, the verse rolls easily off the tongue and the repeated last
line ensure children will catch on quickly and repeat the last line
together with the reader. That last line, 'All are welcome', sets
the tone for the book as it shows in both text and illustrations the
variety of children, families and adults that are involved in our
schools. The author based this story on her daughter's school in
Seattle, USA, where diversity and community are celebrated, and she
designed a poster to celebrate just that, taking it further with
this book.
Each page brims with inclusiveness and being involved, no matter
where you come from, or what you eat, how you dress or pray. The
classroom is shown with a large number of flags across the
blackboard and a world map to indicate the origins of many of the
students, but it matters not: they all play and eat together, go
home at night with their families, sleep in a bed then return to
school the next day. The diversity of families too is included, the
illustrations making it clear that everyone is the same, they are
all in a family caring for their kids.
The illustrations reinforce the similarities of us all: the
classroom routines, the playtime, going home after school, eating
dinner then getting ready for bed. The illustrations serve to link
all children together, and students will love spying out the
similarities and smattering of differences between their schools and
those in the USA, and have a go at saying all the versions of
'welcome' in other languages on the last double page in the book.
Fran Knight
