Feminists don't wear pink and other lies by Scarlett Curtis
Penguin, 2018. ISBN 9780241364451
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Scarlett Curtis assembles a
magnificent 'guide book' for the Girl-Up movement, with this
anthology of short essays, blogs, narratives, lists, poems, diaries,
interviews, anecdotes - including an Alphabet. The Girl-Up brand,
spanning over 2,000 clubs worldwide, is transparent but both the
foreword and further reading sections encourage any and every level
of feminism. Listing websites, books and everyday actions, Curtis is
expansive, including books like The
Hate U Give and The Bone Sparrow to reassure
girls that equality for women runs parallel to equality for all
people. Important quotes and truisms loom large covering entire
pages. 'Women's history is bigger than one person, so the way we
talk about the past needs to be as well.'
Kiera Knightly addresses her young daughter fiercely regarding the
lie of the weaker sex. Nothing is sacred as her co-contributors
gleefully discuss periods, bras, genital mutilation, masturbation,
man-hating, ableism, #MeToo, intersectionality and more.
This historical quest for equal rights across gender, age, race,
class, disability is pervading, although the history of the women's
movement is extolled in the very last 'Education' section. It's a
shrewd device because we have spent 300 pages being highly engaged
by comedians and actors with amusing perceptions and fascinating
experiences - from transgender girls to traditional Muslim girls.
The reader does not want for feminist definitions, but Scarlett
Curtis, while pinpointing the gender stereotyping of the patriarchy,
opens her feminist arms wide, 'The goal of the feminist movement
aims to give each person on the planet the freedom to live their
life the way they want to live it, unhindered by sexism or
oppression or aggression.'
One of the contributors warns against using the internet abounding
with confusing fallacies, encouraging girls to go right to the
source - the wealth of books written by historical and current
feminists. Perhaps drawing on those higher tier needs and habits of
humanist thinkers, Curtis encourages girls not to leave any girl
behind, rather support them with understanding and encouragement for
their own difficult struggles against aggression. Beanie Feldstein's
drama teacher encapsulates the books sentiment, 'Stuff your
pockets'.
Although females and males of all ages will devour this funny,
uplifting and sometimes shocking collection, school libraries are
likely to run into problems with the many colloquial referents for
female genitalia - thus an 'M' for mature sticker is mandatory.
There's not one picture in this verbal 'mash-up' but there's a
brilliant reason for the cover's particular shade of pink - finding
out is definitely worth it. Want more? Investigate the podcasts on
itunes found on the book's site.
Deborah Robins
Bad Mermaids: On the rocks by Sibeal Pounder
Ill. by Jason Cockcroft. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408877142
(Age: 8-11) Recommended. Another hilarious, laugh out loud book
about mermaids, evil mothers, talking seahorses, fish, crocodiles
and more. Featuring magical mysteries and fabulous fashions, this
adventure brings a whole new twist to the underwater world of
mermaids.
We leave where we left the girls the previous time in Bad
Mermaids, stuck in a ship being flung to parts unknown. Steve
is getting shipsick/seasick? The girls are trying not to panic too
much. And on the other side of the story we see Paris. A girl we
already met in a fleeting way in the first book, is the one who
handles the ice cream cart. But she is also much more than that. She
also loves inventing and has put a tracker on the mermaids.
My favourite part of the book was the mermaids, seeing their
friendships, and seeing them discover new places, and try to, once
again, save the day.
I love that we found out more about the mermaid world. This time we
see about a kingdom with crocodiles. Mermaids with crocodiles'
tails, crocodiles for transport. And then the fact that there are
even more kingdoms/countries to explore, and I hope that we will be
going there as I want to see what mermaids live there and what their
life is like.
It was fun that we discover magic is real, and that there are
witches.
The book is delightfully illustrated.
Donna Isgar
Weirdo 11: Splashy Weird by Anh Do
Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781742993751
Recommended. More funny adventures with Weir and his friends, this
time at the school swimming sports where Weir learns that
participation and having fun is even more important than winning.
Weir is dreading his school's swimming carnival. After attempting to
fake his way out of having to attend (COUGH! COUGH!) Weir relents,
deciding he will attend but not participate in any events. After
all, if he's too 'sick' for the swimming carnival, then he won't be
able to attend the first family dinner with the Do's new next door
neighbours.
When he accidently wins a race at the carnival Weir not only has to
worry about his family embarrassing him in front of Bella and her
family at dinner the next evening, he also must face almost certain
humiliation at the Regional Swimming Finals! Weir's classmates, who
have featured earlier in the series, make appearances in this book;
naturally Han Some is as brilliant at swimming as you would expect.
The illustrations always add to the humour of Anh's books. My
favourite image this time was the family pets playing a game of
limbo.
Donna Isgar
Kin, an extraordinary Australian filmmaking family edited by Amanda Duthie
Wakefield Press, 2018. ISBN 9781743056028
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Non-fiction. This book is a tribute
to the amazing Australian family pioneering Indigenous radio, cinema
and television - Freda Glynn, and her children Warwick Thornton and
Erica Glynn, and the next generation, Dylan River and Tanith
Glyn-Maloney, have changed our media, making opportunities for the
stories of Aboriginal people to be seen and heard, giving voice to
people previously ignored, and enriching our culture for all.
The Don Dunstan Award is presented by the Board of the Adelaide Film
Festival to recognise those who have significantly enriched
Australian screen culture. Previous recipients have included actor
David Gulpilil, director Rolf de Heer, director Scott Hicks, critics
Stratton and Pomeranz, and in 2018 the award goes not to one person
but to an iconic Alice Springs family of three generations who have
had an enormous and ongoing influence on Australian film and other
media. The award could have gone to any one of them alone, but by
drawing the connection between each of the family members, it gives
recognition to the special culture of family and community and the
unique creative vision that imbues them all.
Freda Glynn provided the Aboriginal community connection needed to
drive the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA)
and also the Imparja television station. Her son Warwick Thornton
(director of Samson and Delilah, and Sweet Country)
and her daughter Erica Glynn (In my own words, and Truth
be told) are renowned filmmakers. Freda's grandchildren Dylan
River (director of the documentary Buckskin) and Tanith
Glynn-Maloney (actor and film producer) continue the family
contribution to a unique and creative film culture.
The book Kin brings together the memories and stories of
people who have worked with Freda and her family: Dr Philip Batty
provides a history of CAAMA; there is praise from respected
Australians like Deb Mailman, Bruce Pascoe and Larissa Behrendt,
leaders in their own fields; Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton
add their tributes; and praise from international figures such as
Maryanne Redpath (Berlin) and Faye Ginsberg (New York). These are
just a few of the voices, the influence of the Glynn family has
spread far and wide, and each essay or poem adds another facet to
their story. It is a strong and talented family group that
Australian audiences should be appreciative and very proud of.
Helen Eddy
Up the mountain by Marianne Dubuc
Book Island, 2018. ISBN 9781911496090
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Friendship. Generosity. Outdoors.
Life skills. Mrs Badger lives at the bottom of a mountain and each
Sunday she takes a walk up the path to the top. She knows all the
creatures who live along the way, stopping to talk to them or help
them on their way. One day a cat called Leo stops her and she
convinces him to walk with her. He is easily tired and they need to
stop and rest, but she shows him all the other animals and plants on
their route, showing him which mushrooms are best to eat, and how to
avoid dangers. Leo tires quickly because of his short legs, but Mrs
Badger urges him on. Together they reach the top and the view of the
world is magnificent, worth the effort made. Together they climb the
mountain each Sunday, Mrs Badger teaching him the names of the
plants and animals, watching over him as he learns the way. But one
day Mrs Badger cannot climb the mountain as easily as she once
could, and it is up to Leo to help her. The situation is reversed
until there comes a time when Mrs Badger can no longer climb the
mountain at all. Leo brings back some of his findings for her and
eventually someone else climbs the mountain with him, Leo showing
the way.
Translated from French, this is a gentle story of the passing on of
knowledge, of leading younger people to being independent, as Mrs
Badger leads Leo up the mountain of life, and when she can no longer
help, he in turn helps another.
The trek through the path leading to the mountain displays a lot of
the outdoors to children, a turtle on its back needing help, a group
of baby hedgehogs crossing their path, keeping to the right path,
making a stick to help with walking and so on. Lots of discussion
points to pursue with a group of children, eager to be outdoors
themselves.
The charming illustrations invite closer inspection of the animals
that a child would find in the European outdoors, badger, hedgehog,
fox, a bunting bird and so on. I love the repetition of the
illustrations as Leo becomes the leader, changing roles with Mrs
Badger. The drawing of Leo helping Mrs Badger at the top of the
mountain is inspiring and children will easily understand the
message being shown.
Fran Knight
Sage Cookson's stormy weather by Sally Murphy
New Frontier, 2018. ISBN 9781925594263
(Age: 5-7) Recommended. Themes: Cooking. Cyclones. Courage. Family
life. Ten-year-old Sage Cookson travels with her famous TV chef
parents Ginger and Basil all over Australia and the world. In each
new destination, the crew film her parents tasting new foods, eating
at popular restaurants and promoting the local cuisine.
Townsville is their new destination and Sage is excited about
swimming at the beach and sightseeing. Her best friend Lucy is a
little jealous until Sage shows her the amount of school work their
teacher has assigned. There's even a research project on extreme
weather and when Sage checks the forecast and realises that Cyclone
Riley is rapidly approaching the Queensland coast.
Sage remains at the hotel completing all her homework while her mum
and dad film segments of their show. Townsville is preparing for the
extreme weather, clearing debris, stocking up and preparing
shelters. Even their hotel manager and the staff clear out the
stockrooms in case of emergency. There's time for swimming in the
safety of the hotel pool and some delicious seafood meals before
Cyclone Riley hits the city.
There's no mystery to solve in Stormy weather, instead we
see the family working together, sheltering in the hotel during the
cyclone and helping the community afterwards. Sage and her family
cook up a huge seafood feast for all the community and the helpers
to say thank you.
Sally Murphy's Sage Cookson's books are just right for the
newly independent reader, someone who enjoys cooking, adventure and
family fun. A delicious recipe for Mango Cheesecake Dessert Cups is
included as well.
Rhyllis Bignell
Woo's wonderful world of Maths by Eddie Woo
Macmillan, 2018. ISBN 9781760554217
Themes: Mathematics. This is not a conventional book about Maths
which would normally have more numbers than letters. In fact, there
aren't a lot of numbers in this book. Rather, it is a collection of
essays which explain the way Maths is used in life.
The book looks at the way in which Maths is really all about
patterns rather than about numbers. It explains concepts such as how
a computer works, the golden sequence and the periodic table of
numbers.
Woo builds impressive cases for the explanation of Maths in our
lives, but this may not be an easy book to digest if you are not
interested in the subject. Woo is enthusiastic in his storytelling,
using card tricks, conspiracy theories, teacups and other phenomena
to plead his case.
Not for anyone who is Maths-phobic but will appeal to those who love
Maths!
Donna Isgar
Girltopia by Hilary Rogers
Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781742994581
Recommended. Themes: Coming-of-age. Set in Melbourne, a virus wreaks
havoc on the men and boys within the city. Clara is front and centre
to the information as her Mum is a lead Doctor on solving the
problem. Not keen on waiting for her Mum and the other Doctors for a
solution, Clara is determined to step in and locate her Dad and see
what can be done. She drags her best friend, Arabella and a family
friend, Izzy, to assist in her mission.
Clara shows us what a strong-minded girl with great support can
achieve.
This is a fast-paced, exciting novel with a balance of intrigue and
personal journey. Clara's physical and emotional development is
sensitively portrayed.
It explores female coming-of-age issues, amid the action of the
story.
Donna Isgar
Midnight at the library by Ursula Dubosarsky
Ill. by Ron Brooks. NLA Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9780642279316
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Themes: Libraries, Books, History of
books, Reading, Illustrative technique. This sumptuously created
book, published to celebrate 50 years of the building of the
National Library of Australia in Canberra, has brought together the
talents of two of Australia's most creative artists in Ursula
Dubosarsky and Ron Brooks. Dubosarsky's story charting the history
of the book is riveting, taking the reader across the years through
every story's beginnings as a head full of words to its being
written down and printed. As a book it travels by horseback and
train, it moves over desert and sea, it is opened and read, given,
taken and sometimes forgotten. It is lost and found, buried, dug up
and retrieved, almost burnt, but saved until it finally reaches the
shelves of a library, safe for all time, available to everyone.
In telling this story in sparse, lyrical prose, with several lines
repeated through the book, Dubosarsky extols the timeless quality of
the book, its place in the human pantheon, its journey through the
millennia being involved with people along the way: readers and
printers, writers and lovers of books, but also those who would see
it harmed.
Two children come into the library at midnight, walking up the
stairs to a dark and secluded place where the book is kept high on a
shelf, its gold gleaming in the moonlight, ready to be taken down
and read. And it is pure gold, an item of the highest value,
something to be treasured and shared, gold for all time.
Brooks' illustrations are there to be treasured, as he shadows well
known artists such as Escher and Van Gogh, but brings his own award
winning talents to the book with his depiction of the little gold
book which he developed. He also shows the Nazi book burning, the
development of the printing press, a man traveling by donkey in the
desert, and on the last page but one, an image of the National
Library of Australia we know so well from its logo. The marvellous
endpapers will delight children and adults alike as they peruse the
many shelves of books, while every page cries out for closer
attention, the eyes taking in its overall impact, then looking at
the detail and absorbing the minutiae of Brooks' imagination. Every
reader will be engrossed by the wonderful world of the book within
these pages.
Fran Knight
POWman: Unleash the Hero Within by Dave Tabain and Nadia Worland
Ill. by Shane Ogilvie. POWman book 1. Harbour Publishing, 2018, ISBN
9781925796018
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Subjects: Bullying, Resilience. Dave POW
Tabain is a motivational speaker and fitness challenge master who
has made it his mission to help people become their best selves. He
has used his personal experiences to develop a three-step plan to
combat bullying.
Stu is the new kid at school, he's quiet and finds it hard to make
friends. When Dave and his mate Bray observe Johno and his crew
bullying Stu, at first, they stand by and do nothing. Dave feels
ashamed of his lack of action as his parents taught him how to deal
with bullies. At recess, Stu is surrounded by the bullies and they
push him around. Pics, memes and a video of this are quickly posted
and shared online.
Instead of concentrating on his Maths, Dave writes down his POW plan
for helping Stu. Level 1 focuses on POW - the power of words to
build up instead of bring down. Dave's dad's advice is key: 'what
you think about yourself is way more important that what other
people think about you.' Dave adds all the awesome things he's
noticed about his mate: his guitar playing at assembly and he's won
the regional writing comp. Dave's Level 2 is POW - Passion over
worry, how to get past the tough times and tell a teacher or adult
if you need help. His plan continues with Level 3 POW - Play Our Way
work together, look out for each other and don't let the bully's
crew single you out. Stu doesn't want anything to do with Dave and
his plan at first, however they test it out at the afternoon
basketball game with surprising results.
Shane Ogilvie's close-up cartoons add humour and insight to POW
MAN's inspirational plan. Dave Tabain's easy to read graphic novel
gives students recognisable scenarios and relatable situations they
can discuss. The book gives structured actions for combatting
bullying. POWman: Unleash the Hero Within is an excellent
resource for classes across the Lower and Middle Primary grades to
use as part of their Health and Wellbeing programs.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Word by William Lane
Transit Lounge, 2018. ISBN 9781925760088
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) As its title suggests, this novel is
centred on the human construction of language, specifically
reflecting on the way in which words form our thoughts and our
speech, thus affecting our consciousness in terms of how we perceive
both word and meaning. Starting off with a group of people who form
a new cult, The Word, led by Kenric, previously a very successful
and innovative advertising guru, this group of like-minded
individuals are portrayed by the writer as obsessively attached to
words and meaning.
Lane structures his narrative to plunge us into the busy world of a
large city and then moves the narrative to the balmy beach-side
where this cult chooses to live. It seems that they must not just
follow that leader, as we see in the bible stories, but actually
live with him, worshipping at his feet as it were. The house and its
environs are of secondary concern to the first group of rather
dissimilar individuals who seem to prefer to listen, rapt, to the
leader, and to participate in long discussions about words.
This man is more recently recognized for his brilliance in the
advertising world, particularly for his unusual aptitude for the
imaginative creation of slogans and inspired choice of words. What
becomes important to the group is living together and discussing
meaning, importance, structure and variations on words, in the
ordinary speech of everyday life, and in the meanings we attribute
to all language.
Lane deftly elicits a response in us that mirrors that of some
members of the group who become tired of the inane behaviour of some
characters. At the heart of the novel is the brilliant wordsmith,
Kenric, who leads the way like a new messiah, and is suitably
worshipped for his clever and apt use of words, both in his previous
work in advertising, where he was phenomenally successful, and in
his leadership of The Word.
Odd, satirical and rich with wisdom, this satire on the modern world
of the 'idea', albeit this time a cult of word-worshipping, and
indeed of the worshipping of the imaginative wordsmith, shows both
sides of the world of ideas: that of the inventor, who, one
character said, 'threw it all away for an idea', and that of his
followers, the acolytes. This insightful novel would be more likely
to appeal to older readers, as there is little action and much talk,
which is, after all, the very point of The Word.
Liz Bondar
The Lost Magician by Piers Torday
Quercus, 2018. ISBN 9781786540515
(Age: 9-12) Themes: Good and Evil, Fantasy. The year is 1945 and
Simon, Patricia, Evelyn and Larry have survived the London Blitz and
experienced the destructive effects of the bombings on their schools
and housing. They are sent off to the countryside while their
parents search for a new residence. Secretly, they have been chosen
to participate in the classified 'Magician Project' to discover if
magic is real and can be used as a powerful force by the Government.
On arrival, young Larry disappears in the old country house and
discovers a secret carved wooden door leading into The Library. Here
there are three sections of books, Read, Unread and Never Read. Of
course, he's selects a book and is swept into a magical kingdom led
by a fairy knight flying on a tiger-winged butterfly. His siblings
do not believe his wild tales about the magical kingdom, preferring
to swim and explore the countryside around Barfield Hall. When
Evelyn discovers the secret portal, she chooses a different section
and is drawn into the Never Reads world - Folio, ruled by evil
secretary Jana and her silver robots. Evie makes a pact to return
with the rest of her siblings to assist in the evil plans to destroy
the fantasy characters and fantasy world.
Torday includes so many recognisable elements, blood drops revealing
hidden texts, giant talking trees, assistance by fairy tale
creatures, here the Three Bears help in their rescue. His central
theme differs from that of C. S. Lewis, the battle is fought between
knowledge and imagination: Jana believes in a factual world filled
with numbers. She delights in turning, giants, fairies and other
magical creatures into strings of data. There is the difficult and
dangerous quest to find the Magician. The author imbues the
characters with a deeper sense of self, Evelyn - Evie struggles with
her allegiances and her trouble memories of her school being bombed.
In The Lost Magician, Guardian children's fiction prize
winner Piers Torday's decision to pay homage to C. S. Lewis and his
Narnia Chronicles, delivers a very familiar format. He has
added Tolkien touches, included recognisable fantasy characters and
common fantasy tropes. This is an interesting junior novel, one for
fans of the genre.
Rhyllis Bignell
Competing for the Cup by Bobbi JG Weiss
Ride series, Book 2. Candlewick Entertainment, 2018. ISBN
9780763698553
(Age: Teenagers+) Recommended. Competing for the Cup is the
second book in the Ride series, and is based on a TV show
aired on Nickelodeon. Competing for the Cup follows Kit
Bridges after her arrival to Covington, an elite equestrian boarding
school in England. Thankfully her father is there with her, and
together they are helping each other deal with the death of Kit's
mother. In this second instalment, Kit has to prepare for the House
Cup competition, and she is raring to prove just how far herself and
her horse TK have come. But life isn't always that simple: Friends
and frenemies acting stranger than usual, someone leaving
encouraging sticky notes with tips for bonding with TK for her, and
lastly catching her Dad on a dinner date. Kit may have more problems
than she can handle. This story explores life issues and the
struggles one can have when moving to a new home, as well as other
teenage issues surrounding friendships and first loves. Kit is
strong minded but her emotions seem to get in the way of her
decision making at times. Still recovering from the events from the
first installment she tries her hardest to be normal at this new
school she now calls home. Kit's father Rudy is portrayed as a
strong father figure to not only Kit but some of the other students
as well. But he seems to be ready to move on in his romance life
sooner than Kit expected. Lastly, since there are a number of other
characters in the TV show that the story follows, the author does
well to balance the chapters between them all. Overall, I believe
this to be a good series for teenagers and would recommend the
series to teenagers and above.
Kayla Raphael
Living and loving in diversity edited by Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli
Wakefield Press, 2018. ISBN 9781743055953
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Non-fiction. Subtitled An anthology of
Australian multicultural queer adventures, this book brings
together the memories and personal stories of many LGBTIQ people,
some of whom are well-known names many Australians will recognise,
others perhaps not previously encountered. My first impression on
perusing the contents was that there were so many stories, perhaps
too many. But it is a good thing really because the collection
provides such a wide array of voices and experiences, that the
reader soon discovers there is no one typical story, no stereotype
they may have imagined; the stories are as diverse as any random
group in the community. People come from different backgrounds,
different cultures, they have had different childhood experiences -
some positive and affirming, others sadly too often have experienced
bullying and fear. For many there was confusion and anxiety as they
gradually explored their sexual identity. Hopefully this book will
go a long way to help generate better understanding and acceptance.
Each reader will find stories that are of particular interest or
that resonate more strongly for them. For me, I liked the new
insight gained from reading 'A QPoC Manifesto: Fighting for
invisibility in a world that loves to talk' by Nonno and Aroosa. The
writers confront the Western notion of 'coming out' as the best way
to live, almost a rite of passage that all LGBTIQ people are
supposed to achieve. They argue that sometimes it is better not to
come 'out of the closet' but to invite people into a trusted space
when they are ready to be a part of it. For many whose cultural
upbringing places such a high value on family and family
expectations, it is not the best thing to confront and challenge.
Some may choose to maintain a balancing act between privacy and
'outness'. Their suggestions for how to become an awesome friend is
to respect that privacy including in social media - particularly
don't post photos of people without their permission.
For others social media has been the means of overcoming social
isolation, discovering new friends, support groups and a community
of acceptance. Another poignant story questions the ethics of the
Western insistence on performing surgery on 'Partial Androgen
Insensitivity Syndrome' or intersex children before they are able to
consent, insisting that they must be brought up as one or other
gender, whereas other cultures may be more accepting of their
'special person of both sexes for whom the gods had a special
place'.
There are many more themes explored in these stories: the
experiences of people with a disability, the impact of AIDS, and
experience of racism in the LGBTIQ community. However what comes
through most strongly is that despite the difficulties they may have
gone through, these are people who have found who they are, they
have confidence and self-acceptance, and they have found love and
acceptance from others.
It is a positive and affirming book that may be helpful to anyone
struggling with their sexual identity, and also for others to gain
better understanding.
Helen Eddy
Noni the Pony rescues a joey by Alison Lester
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760293123 (Ages: 2-5) Recommended. Australian animals, Homes, Rhyming Stories. Alison Lester doesn't produce anything but top quality children's books and this is no exception. The follow up to Noni the Pony and Noni the Pony goes to the Beach is fun, playful and simple. The rhyme is effortless and reads perfectly aloud. The story is the oft-repeated one in children's books of a lost animal looking for his family (the most famous of which is Have You Seen My Mother?) but here the lost animal is being helped by Noni and her friends, rather than wandering alone. So, Noni, Coco and Dave are out walking when they meet someone 'small with a very long tail'. It's a baby wallaby named Joe and he wants to go home. Showing care and kindness, the friends go searching and ask a cast of Australian animals as they pass. The animals' dialogue and the illustrations give some facts about their behaviours and habitats (sleepy koala, high in the tree with baby on the back, father emu guarding his young chicks in the grass, etc.). Eventually they find Joe's wallaby family and a celebration ensues as they all 'hop and bop by the light of the moon'. This is classic Alison Lester: a happy ending, beautiful illustrations and a lovely message about how we should treat everyone around us with kindness and respect. It is also about recognising and celebrating what makes us unique. This will be loved by Noni the Pony fans, Alison Lester fans and those who appreciate gentle stories that remind us of the important things in life: friendship and kindness. Nicole Nelson
