Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781681191058
(Age: Young Adult) For Jade, a young black woman living in New York
who attends a school that offers specific help to students,
particularly financial help for those who need it, the final years
of high school are pivotal to her future. She has to travel a long
distance to attend school and because of the straitened
circumstances of her family's life, often has little to eat. Taking
the opportunity to learn Spanish opens her mind to the meaning of
words, and she embraces the opportunity to think about her world in
a new way. We see the chapter headings as pertinent to the novel in
that they reflect Jade's thoughts and her joy in incorporating her
new knowledge into her life e.g. Chapter 10, presentar, to introduce.
To find out who she is and what possibilities exist for her in the
future, she feels driven to seek answers from her everyday
experience. This is limited, as her family struggles to have enough
to eat, she has to travel a long distance by public transport to get
to the school, and her mother needs to work long hours to support
them, desperate to keep Jade in school to enable a better future for
her. Fortunately, the school institutes a program that offers
mentorships by women not too much older than the girls, and this is
the door that offers hope.
We are gradually made aware of her family's poverty, yet, despite
this her mother is determined that their life be one that is
grounded in love and kindness. Watson's intention is to enable us to
recognise immediately that Jade's family is decent, good and
desperately clinging to the hope that Jade will be able to find a
path to a more hopeful future. Her turning point arises when she
decides to speak out about what is wrong with the program,
suggesting that what girls like her need is not just what has been
planned but what she has come to understand needs to be done.
Watson's writing is intensely powerful, without guile, and her
narrator's voice is a call that does not excite agitation or a call
for violent upheaval, structuring characters and plot that
foregrounds the need for a rational and calm approach to the
education of all minorities, one that will enable them to able to
choose and thrive in the world, taking their place fairly and justly
alongside all others.
This challenging book is exciting and uplifting in the hope it
offers, setting a challenge for people who do not realise the level
of poverty in which some people, impoverished by education and
financial background, colour or race, manage to live, in big
third-world cities such as New York.
The narrative fits perfectly into its niche, occurring in the
present, modern world that foregrounds the claim for equality but
too often falls short of this high ideal. It is suitable, and indeed
highly recommended, for adolescents and adult reading, its clarity
of issue never suppressing the wonderfully told narrative that
captivates us to the last page. The characters are deftly drawn and
match their circumstances, and the place, New York City, comes alive
through the vivid construction of place by its writer. It is a
compelling book precisely because it advocates change through ways
that do not frighten people, rather calling for the recognition of
the humanity of all and the need for us all to be equal, in all
ways.
Elizabeth Bondar
My Australia by Julie Murphy
Ill. by Garry Flaming. NLA Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9780642279163
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. "My Australia is a poetic journey
across the Australian landscape. Celebrating both the ancient and
modern Australia, the book invites readers to travel across the
delights of our continent - from dry deserts to lush rainforests,
from high mountains to stormy seashores, from winding rivers to
fertile swamplands - all the magical places that are my Australia."
(Publisher)
This is a beautifully illustrated book about Australia, it touches
on all of the unique areas that can be found in Australia in a
simply written story. At the end of the book there is a section
that gives information on the diverse range of habitats that can be
found within Australia.
This book could be used as a starting point to introduce the topic
of different habitats within Australia.
I highly recommend this book for 4+.
Karen Colliver
How to win a Nobel Prize by Barry Marshall and Lorna Hendry
Piccolo Nero, 2018. ISBN 9781760640064
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Themes: Science - History. Nobel Prizes.
Science experiments. Imagine travelling through time to meet eleven
famous scientists who have won Nobel Prizes. Young scientist Mary
loves to undertake science experiments at home and desires to win
this prestigious award when she grows up. Her curiosity leads to a
fortuitous discovery at her mother's workplace, where she stumbles
across a secret meeting of past winners. When Mary threatens to
reveal that these scientists travel through time to meet and discuss
science and peace, Dr Barry Marshall offers her a special
arrangement. With a special golden orb in hand, they can journey
back in time to meet eleven Nobel Prize winners.
Time travelling is an art and it takes Dr Marshall several tries
before he connects with adult Albert Einstein who discusses his
theory of relativity and his research leading up to his win in 1921.
Mary and Barry then journey back in time to meet the Curie family
whose experiments with polonium and uranium led to the development
of X-ray machines able to take internal pictures of the human body.
They meet Alexander Fleming and learn of his discovery of
penicillin, Marconi's invention of Morse Code and wireless
telegraphy and Gertrude Elion's lifetime work on developing drugs to
treat cancer patients.
Between each chapter is further factual information about the
scientists and a safe science experiment to try. Mary visits both
male and female scientists, from across the globe who have worked
both from a young age and into their later life in pursuit of their
passion. How to win a Nobel Prize is an interesting
scientific adventure story suited to readers from ages 9 to 12.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Popeye murder by Sandra Winter-Dewhirst
A Rebecca Keith mystery, book 1. Wakefield Press, 2018. ISBN
9781743055236
(Age: Adult) Recommended. Themes: Mystery. Food. Adelaide. Rebecca
Keith is a food editor and is invited to many restaurants and
dinners as part of her job. When one of the Adelaide's top chefs is
murdered and turns up on The Popeye, a boat with a restaurant,
Rebecca finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Using
her inside knowledge of the food industry and the people who work
there, she is able to come up with clues as she covers the murder
for her newspaper. Then another person is murdered and she finds
herself in mortal danger.
The background for the novel, Adelaide and South Australian
restaurants and wineries, many real, make for an interesting read.
South Australians will revel in the familiar places that the author
describes and will enjoy the description of the Australian Food
Festival. Others will be intrigued by the references and may want to
visit Adelaide for its food and wine culture after reading the
novel.
Winter-Dewhirst also deftly describes how a journalist writes an
article for the local newspaper and this adds to the enjoyment of
the novel. A slight romance with Detective Inspector Gary Jarvie
livens the story. However it is the macabre and different murders
that hold the reader's attention in this easy to read murder
mystery. The Popeye murder would fall into the 'cosy' murder genre and
fans of Kerry Greenwood and Agatha Christie are likely to enjoy it.
Pat Pledger
Head, shoulders, knees and toes ill. by Matt Shanks
Scholastic Australia, 2018. ISBN 9781760276942
(Age: 3+) Recommended. This book is the traditional song of 'Head,
shoulders, knees and toes' with a slight variation. It is a fun
variation including tail, scales, claws and paws. The illustrations
add to the fun of the book.
All of the characters are joining in and having fun in this book,
and this encourages the person reading the book to also do the
actions.
This book can be used to build up body awareness, and identifying
particular features of face and body.
I would recommend this book for 3+
Karen Colliver
Dad by my side by Soosh
Lothian Children's Books, 2018. ISBN 9780734418739
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fathers. Daughters.
Relationships. Family. Love. The most beautiful watercolour
illustrations demonstrate from page one the loving relationship
between a father and his daughter. Dad is depicted as a very large
person indeed, with his slightly too small shirt and pants, thongs
and very curly beard and hair. He dotes on his daughter; they do
everything together, sharing their days as they play games, read,
talk, cook and try new things. But not only this, he stops his work
to listen to her, he comforts her when she is sad and gives her lots
of cuddles. When he goes away they are both sad, but he rings often
to sing her to sleep. He makes marks on the door frame to show how
much she has grown, learns from her just as much as she learns from
him.
The highly humorous illustrations will tickle the readers as they
spy the large man attempting to do everything his daughter wants him
to do. Seeing him crawling under the table, or keeping watch as she
sleeps, ready to take on the monsters that may lie under her bed
will delight and endear the story to the readers,
exposing some of the fears they may have. Each image underlines the
bond between the two and reiterates what a happy household is like
where things are shared, where the child is supported, where Dad is
part of the meld.
A lovely story to read out loud, to give to children to learn to
read for themselves, for children to see how much of the story
relies upon the illustrations, and how much the illustrations tell
the reader.
The text and images speak for themselves and make the word from the
author at the end seem rather superfluous.
The endpapers recreate some of the images used in the book.
Fran Knight
The Fandom by Anna Day
Chicken House, 2018. ISBN 9781910655672
(Age: Older teens - YA) Note on book: Not suitable for younger
readers. Anyone in any fandom's greatest dream is to be transported
into the canon world of their favourite story and live out the
events as the main character. Maybe except for fans of The
Hunger Games, Game of Thrones and now The Gallows
Dance. The story follows four teens who were transported from
Comic-Con to the canon world of The Gallows Dance, where regular
humans are looked down upon and discriminated against. Of course,
then it all goes wrong; they accidentally kill the main character
and Violet, our main character, takes her place in the story. The
Fandom is full of tropes and cliches, but is comforting in the
sense that you can anticipate what happens next. The comfortably
cliched style is reminiscent of novels like The Medoran
Chronicles by Lynette Noni and is pleasant to read and follow
along to; however, if you like suspense and surprise, you might feel
the book falls short. The only problem I had with the tropes and
cliches (without giving too much away) was the death-revival trope,
as it doesn't allow for emotional payoff.
Although friendship is meant to be a large theme within the story,
there doesn't seem to be much true friendship displayed throughout
the book, something which disappointed me. The action moves quickly
once the world is established, and though you know what's going to
happen as the story follows canon, the writing describes it
beautifully and of course, nothing ever really goes to plan. The
twists and turns keep you on your toes as you read. The teens and
the audience get a glimpse at how large and deep a story's universe
is and how much effort goes into creating such a detailed,
captivating world.
Day gives a satirical look at discrimination and oppression,
emphasising everyone's humanity and the futility of social
constructs. The main character Violet is a massive fangirl and a
brave but reluctant hero, whose sarcasm and wit bring a spark to the
book. The story was compelling and complex, with witty twists and
turns.
I would recommend this book to people who want something comfortable
and easy to read, but captivating nonetheless.
Stephanie Lam
These are animals by Daniel Egneus
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408889909
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Animals. Humour. Read aloud. Movement.
Sound. What a lovely way to introduce animals to young readers. A
vibrant, colourful display of animals around the world is presented
with verve and movement, noises and sounds for little kids to enjoy,
join in, make the noises and move around copying the the traits of
the animals shown.
Neatly divided into areas: woodland animals, polar, grassland, night
time, rainforest and ocean, each section shows a range of animals
that survive in this particular habitat. Grassland animals depicts,
for example, giraffes, elephants, zebras and lions, encouraging
children to make the noises of the elephant and lion, copying the
expressions on their faces. Some readers may even question why these
animals live in this particular part of the world, eliciting all
sorts of information from the adults. Night time animals too,
depicts bats, owls and wolves and children will laugh with delight
trying out the noises that the owl and wolf make, while blinking
like the owl or hanging upside down like a bat. Each page is brim
full of ideas for younger children to take to heart: moving, making
noises, stretching, jumping, howling, squawking and swinging through
the trees.
This is a delightfully colour filled book of sound and movement to
introduce younger readers to the range of animals that exist around
us.
Fran Knight
A royal murder by Sandra Winter-Dewhirst
A Rebecca Keith mystery book 2. Wakefield Press, 2018. ISBN
9781743055243
(Age: Adult) Recommended. Themes: Mystery. Murder. Adelaide. During
the Women's Australian Open golf tournament in Adelaide, Rebecca
Keith discovers a silk duffle bag containing the body of one of the
golfers. She then embarks on an investigation of the murder,
cavorting through some of Adelaide's best restaurants and eateries,
not to forget the delights of Kangaroo Island and the Barossa
Valley.
Like the first in the series, The Pop Eye murder, this is an
easy to read, lighthearted murder mystery, with the food and wine
topping the bill for interest. South Australians will once again
delight in recognising favourite restaurants and the fabulous
Adelaide parklands as Rebecca follows clues to the murders, and other
readers will enjoy the atmosphere and setting. It is heart-warming
to see the close friendship of Rebecca and her two friends, Penny
and Lisa. There are quite a few laughs to be had as they travel
around South Australia.
The background to the murders is also unusual with Chinese triads,
top women professional golfers and property developers on the
suspect list. This keeps the reader involved following the clues
while enjoying a gourmet food and wine trail. Details about the
process of getting news articles published and a slow moving romance
with the police officer Gary, also round out what is an entertaining
read.
Pat Pledger
The case of the missing hippo by Laura James
Ill. by Emily Fox. Fabio: The world's greatest flamingo detective
series, book 1. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408889312
(Age: 6-9) Highly recommended. Themes: Detective story. Animal tale.
This is a 'classic' detective story involving the great Flamingo
Detective, Fabio. He is an intelligent flamingo, with a very tall
giraffe co-worker (who is not quite as clever, but he is very tall!)
and Fabio is exceptionally good at solving the problem of the
missing hippo. Putting together the clues and bringing the case to a
satisfactory conclusion (in a Hercule Poirot revelatory and
flamboyant style), is detailed very simply for a young reader, but
without underestimating their desire for a good story. This is an
interesting mystery - it is after all fairly difficult to hide a
hippo! Young readers will love the story, and animal characters add
a touch of humour.
Illustrations are scattered through the pages, done in a simple, but
amusing, cartoon style, and intensely vivid pink and green pages are
also randomly included. This colour explosion adds a burst of
interest for even the most reluctant reader.
Highly recommended for independent readers aged 6-9, and could still
appeal to an older reluctant reader as they will recognise the
subtle (or not so subtle) humour.
Carolyn Hull
A pet called Nibbles by Zanni Louise
Ill. by Gillian Flint. Tiggy and the magic paintbrush. Five
Mile, 2018. ISBN 9781760680411
(Age: 5-6) Themes: Magic. Pet Day. School. Tiggy does not have a pet
for pet day, but she does have a secret magic paintbrush in her
sock. She creates a magic pet - a small dragon, called Nibbles. This
solves her problem, but not everything goes smoothly for Nibbles -
after all he is only pocket-sized. Illustrations by Gillian Flint
are a mix of colour and black and white and are in an appealing
cartoon-style.
This is an easy to read book suited for those who would like to
transition to independent readers, rather than picture books. It is
not an early chapter book - there is only one chapter, but is
well-suited to those aged 5-6.
Carolyn Hull
I do not like books anymore by Daisy Hirst
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406369137
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Books and reading. Learning to read.
Cooperation. Natalie and Alphonse love to read together. Dad reads
them picture books, Mum reads them scary stories, Grandma tells them
stories about the terrible shrew. And they love all of them, and
often make them up, retelling stories that they know.
Natalie is impatient to learn to read and to read a story all by
herself, even able to read it to Alphonse. But given a book to read,
she finds it unintelligible, and in desperation, throws it away. The
writing is a lot of squiggles, looking a lot like birds' feet, with
nothing in it that she recognises. Miss Bimble tells her that it
will take practice, and Mum and Dad tell her to be patient. She
sticks at it all week until she can read her cat book, but when
Alphonse offers her another book to read to him, she finds it a lot
like before, lots of squiggles. She gives up saying that her toy
elephant needs to be cared for. Alphonse asks her to tell him a
story and in so doing, encourages her to illustrate it and getting
Dad to write the words, she finds that she can retell it after all.
A charming story of trying different methods to help children learn
to read, the story will resonate with children who are in that stage
where writing is a bit of a jumble. But perseverance and help from
others leads to the children learning to read.
Fran Knight
Bronte's big sister problem by Mary Van Reyk
Surf Riders Club. Lothian Children's Books, 2018. ISBN
9780734417923
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Bronte is in Year 8 and really idolises her
sister Carrie, who is 17. Before their older brother, Oscar, left
for University, the three siblings had such a close friendship and
now it feels like there is a rift between them. Lately, Carrie has
been secretive and boy-obsessed and is trying to set Bronte up with
Daniel; but won't listen to her sister saying that she is not
interested. She also wants Bronte to do whatever she does and sulks
if Bronte won't do what she wants. Bronte is feeling so lost without
her sister, but her friends are encouraging and interested in the
same things as she is so she has to make choices.
Bronte is in the Surf Rider Club, a group of 5 girls, (Ava, Janani,
Alex, Molly and herself) who love catching waves and hanging out at
the beach. When a surf competition comes to their local beach, the
Surf Riders Club are keen to enter. The problem is, Carrie makes
Bronte promise she will go to see a DJ with her that day. Bronte
feels like she doesn't get a choice. All of the stress of it is
interfering with Bronte's practising for the upcoming comps.
In the second book of this series, Bronte works through her feelings
and eventually learns to talk about them to her sister. Her brother
Oscar is a big help in this, though his character came across as a
little too text book eg "I'm sorry, this must feel very overwhelming
for you... " In saying that, this story will teach young girls
to be a little more assertive, and that is a definite win.
I'd recommend this for girls of Year 4 and up who are interested in
surfing, are having relationship issues within families and those
with a good conceptual understanding.
Clare Thompson
Hubert Wilkins: Forgotten hero by Elizabeth Corfe
Era Publications, 2011. ISBN 9781741205114
(Age: Upper primary) Hubert Wilkins is probably not well known to
Australian students although he was born in South Australia in 1888
and was quite famous in the 1920s. This biography written for upper
primary age students highlights Wilkins' pioneering work studying
weather in polar regions and the significance of his use of
technology, exploration and leadership.
Early chapters of the book describe the young man's farm experience
and the hardship caused by drought. Understanding the weather became
a motivating force in his life. He became a film maker, learnt to
fly and experienced the Arctic climate first hand. Each new
adventure gave Hubert the skills and understanding to undertake new
missions such as the study of Australia's Aboriginal people, the Inuit
of Canada and Russia. The First World War battle field tested his
courage and willingness to undertake difficult challenges.
Through short paragraphs and appropriate vocabulary the author
presents the life of a forgotten hero whose discoveries were ahead
of his time. Each page is illustrated with interesting photographs,
maps and illustrations. Important background information (e.g.
drought, the first movies, life in the trenches) is highlighted in
brief side panels. The book's conclusion includes a timeline and
glossary.
Paul Pledger
My grandfather's war by Glynn Harper
Ill. by Jenny Cooper. EK Books, 2018. ISBN 9781775592990 My grandfather's war tells us of a more recent conflict, the Vietnam
War, a war where those who served are now the grandparents of its
target audience, our primary school students.
At a time when the world had almost emerged into a new era following
World War II, the USA and the USSR were the new superpowers and the
common catch-cry promoted by prime ministers and politicians was
"All the way with LBJ", Australian and New Zealand joined forces
with the USA in this new conflict to stop the "Yellow Peril" of
China moving south and overtaking nations just as Japan had tried to
do between 1941 and 1945. Among the 65 000 troops of both nations
committed between 1963 and 1975 was Robert, Sarah's grandfather who
now lives with her family and who is "sometimes very sad."
Possibly a natio, drafted because a marble with his birthdate on it
dropped into a bucket, old enough to die for his country but too
young to vote for those who sent him, Robert, like so many others of
his age whose fathers and grandfathers had served, thought that this
was his turn and his duty and that the war "would be exciting". But
this was a war unlike those fought by the conservative, traditional
decision-makers - this was one fought in jungles and villages where
the enemy could be anywhere and anyone; one where chemicals were
used almost as much as bullets; one where the soldiers were not
welcomed as liberators but as invaders; and one which the soldiers
themselves knew they could not win. It was also the first war that
was taken directly into the lounge rooms of those at home as
television became more widespread, affordable and accessible.
And the reality of the images shown clashed with the ideality of
those watching them, a "make-love-not-war" generation who, naive to
the ways of politics and its big-picture perspective of power and
prestige, were more concerned for the individual civilians whose
lives were being destroyed and demanded that the troops be
withdrawn. Huge marches were held throughout the USA, New Zealand
and Australia and politicians, recognising that the protesters were
old enough to vote and held their futures in their hands, began the
withdrawal.
But this was not the triumphant homecoming like those of the
servicemen before them. Robert came home to a hostile nation who
held him and his fellow soldiers personally responsible for the
atrocities they had seen on their screens. There were no welcome
home marches, no public thanks, no acknowledgement of heroes and
heroism, and Robert, like so many of those he fought with, slipped
back into society almost as though he was in disgrace. While the
official statistics record 578 killed and 3187 wounded across the
two countries, the stats for those who continued to suffer from
their physical and mental wounds and those who died because of them,
often at their own hands, are much more difficult to discover. Like
most returned servicemen, Robert did not talk about his experiences,
not wanting to inflict the horror on his family and friends and
believing that unless you were there you wouldn't understand; and
without the acknowledgement and support of the nation he was
supposedly saving and seeing his mates continue to battle the impact
of both the conflict and the chemicals, he sank into that deep
depression that Sarah sees as his sadness but which is now known as
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Disturbed by his sadness but told never to talk to her grandfather
about the war, Sarah is curious and turns to the library for help.
But with her questions unanswered there, she finally plucks up the
courage to ask him and then she learns Grandad's story - a story
that could be told to our students by any number of grandfathers,
and one that will raise so many memories as the 50th anniversary of
the Battle of Khe Sanh approaches, and perhaps prompt other Sarahs
to talk to their grandfathers.
Few picture books about the Vietnam War have been written for young
readers, and yet it is a period of our history that is perhaps
having the greatest impact on our nation and its families in current
times. Apart from the personal impact on families as grandfathers,
particularly, continue to struggle with their demons, it opened the
gates to Asian immigration in an unprecedented way, changing and
shaping our nation permanently.
Together, Harper and Cooper have created a sensitive, personal and
accessible story that needs to be shared, its origins explored and
understanding generated.
Lest We Forget.
Barbara Braxton
