HarperCollins Publishers, 2018. ISBN 978146075580
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: Summer vacation, Murder.
Tenney's Harbor, Maine during the summer break sees the rich kids
coming to stay in their parents' million dollar mansions, playing
tennis, racing their yachts, eating at the Country Club, where
eighteen year old Pearl works, earning money to keep herself and her
father going, waiting until she can go to the local college next
year. Her caretaker father lost many of his part time jobs when one
of the houses in the Millionaire Row burnt down, revealing the
owners, the Garrisons, and two of their children, Cassidy and Joe,
shot and killed. The crime was never solved, with some of the blame
thrown at Pearl's father who now spends more time than he should at
the tavern.
But this summer, Pearl wants her father exonerated, and seeing
Tristan Garrison and his entourage arrive, becomes involved in their
lives as they while away the summer, Pearl watching Tristan and the
others for any clues which might lead her to find out who murdered
the family and set the fire. She finds Cassidy's memory stick hidden
in a compartment on the Garrison yacht and watching it, becomes
aware that the household was not what it seemed. Cassidy was a
prodigious pianist but the footage on the USB shows another aspect
of her life, while passing talk by the group exposes Cassidy's
fractious relationship with her father. Pearl digs even further,
despite her friends giving her the cold shoulder for associating
with the rich kids, and some of Tristan's group treating her will
ill disguised contempt. Her friend, Reece ignores her until she
tells him why she is associating with them, and he becomes an ally
in her detective work.
This is a gripping read as Pearl gathers evidence. She watches the
group and defends her father against the slander she hears, aware
that her hold on her job is becoming tenuous, with only half her
mind on he work.
The chasm between the rich and poor is exemplified by the rich kids'
casual takeover of the quiet village where they moor their yachts
and their cavalier attitude to the locals, particularly the town
girls befriended for the summer. Their arrogant disregard of how
dependent the locals are on them patronage gives a strong layer of
moral outrage as events develop.
Each of the characters is wrought with hidden depths, exposing a
view of themselves to the world which belies what is underneath.
Pearl needs to keep her wits about her to defuse the interest being
shown by Tristan, and her interest in his friend, Bridges is a
hurdle to seeing things clearly. Just as she begins to unravel the
complex interrelationships of the group Pearl puts herself into
harm's way as she works out, almost too late who killed the family.
Gillian French is the author of YA novels, Grit and The
Door to January, and lives in Maine.
Fran Knight
Finding Granny by Kate Simpson and Gwynneth Jones
EK Books, 2018. ISBN 9781925335699
Edie's Granny is "a playtime Granny, a bedtime, story-time pantomime
granny, as I'm not afraid of some slime Granny." She loves Edie and
Edie loves her. But when she has a stroke and has to spend a long
time in hospital, Edie is confused by her 'new' Granny. Her Granny
doesn't need help eating her dinner!
Gradually, Edie discovers that even though this Granny is a bit
different in some ways, at her heart she is still the same - a love
as fierce as a lion Granny.
With stroke being the third leading cause of death in Australia and
one of the top 10 leading causes of death among people aged 45 and
over, Edie's predicament is one that is faced by so many of the
children in our care and so this is a really important book that has
to be in the collection. It's superbly chosen text describes Edie's
and Granny's relationship perfectly in a unique way so that the
reader automatically sees that this is a close and loving
relationship; the wordless page that just shows the ambulance with
its lights flashing; and the simple explanation by the doctor that
Granny's "brain isn't working the way it used to" are all that is
needed to set the scenario for the big changes and challenges Edie
is going to have to face. Coupled with illustrations that show the
emotions that don't need words, this could be any child who is
confronted by this situation - any one of them could be Edie.
I know from recent experience how confronting and difficult it is to
see the impact of age and illness on a loved one and to come to
terms with this 'different' person, establish a new relationship and
burrow down to the love that is still there albeit not so evident at
times - and that is as a mature adult. So it is even trickier for a
child, although, again from experience, they seem so much more able
to cut to the chase and work with what they are presented with, just
as Edie does. Nevertheless, there can be some confusion about
feelings - "That's not my Granny," says Edie when she first sees hers
in hospital - and so to learn that these are natural, acceptable and
shared by other children will bring comfort and together, like Edie,
they can move forward and develop a valuable, if different,
relationship that still has love at its core.
A book that should spark conversations and bring comfort . . .
Barbara Braxton
Impostors by Scott Westerfeld
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760528249
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Dystopian fiction. Good and
evil. Rebellions. Coming of age. Adventure. Scott Westerfeld has
returned to the world of his very popular and engrossing series, Uglies.
It is the first of four books and sure to make his many fans very
happy and will introduce a world to new readers.
Frey has always lived an isolated life. Brought up to be the body
double for her twin sister Rafia, by her tyrant father, her
existence has been kept a deep secret. She has been trained
exhaustively and painfully to ensure that her twin isn't
assassinated or in any danger, while Rafia has been taught the
skills necessary for the much loved heir to the first family of
Shreve.
When the Palafox family, leaders of a rival city, negotiate for
Rafia to stay with them as a guarantee of her father's goodwill, it
is Frey who is sent to impersonate her sister. There she meets Col
Palafox, and gradually he gets close enough to her to see some of
the real person behind the mask that she has to assume. When her
father goes on the attack, leaving her for dead, she has to decide
whether she will fight against him in the rebellion that ensues.
This is compelling reading, the world building is fantastic and it
is easy to imagine a world where scrap metal is valuable and city
states closely watch the lives of their citizens. The characters are
fully fleshed out and Frey's father is so horrible that the reader
can empathise with Frey's desire to kill him. There is a slight
romance between Frey and Col but this is not the main plot (although enough for romance lovers), rather
it is the action and underlying value systems of the city states
that keep the reader's interest.
With a tantalising cliff-hanger on the last page, readers will be
clamouring for the next book in the series.
Pat Pledger
Oi duck-billed platypus! by Kes Gray
Ill. by Jim Field. Hodder Children's Books, 2018. ISBN
9781444937329
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Animals, Verse, Word play,
Alliteration, Humour. Following on from the success of the zany fun
filled humour of the "Oi" books (Oi Frog (2015) Oi Dog
(2016), and Oi Cat (2016)) this one follows a slightly
different variation as the frog finds it difficult to find a rhyme
for some of the animals that appear before him, waiting to be
seated. What do you rhyme with a duck billed platypus or a
hippopotamus, an ostrich or a meerkat. Frog, cat and dog are puzzled
and platypus is not very patient, reminding the trio that he is
waiting, as he points out the queue behind him of other animals also
waiting for their rhyme before being seated.
Eventually the Frog asks for their first names and they find it much
easier to use their first names rather than their second to find a
rhyme that fits. So Dolly the duck-billed platypus sits on a brolly,
Kate kookaburra sits on a gate and Lemony lobster sits on an
anemone. Everyone is satisfied, the alliterative names of the
animals used to make a nice rhyming seat until a kangaroo happens to
come along, with the fearful name, Amelia Esmerelda Honeydew
HigginbottomPinkleponk-Johnson. The resolution will have children
trying vainly to find a rhyme and like frog, telling the kangaroo to
sit where she likes.
Full of humour, reflected in the appealing illustrations, the tale
will bring laughter from all readers, recognising the alliteration
and how it teams with the animal's name, seeing the rhyme that frog
comes up with, perhaps offering an alternative, all the while
looking closely at the expressions on the faces to see what a
quandary frog is in. In a class emphasis could be the word play,
rhyme and alliteration, while discussion with younger readers about
first and last names would be appropriate.
All readers will love looking out for the seat of each of the
animals and delight in the end papers with Field's platypus
panorama.
Fran Knight
James Jellybean and the colour green by Cheryl Ann Knights
Ill. by Leigh Hedstrom. Little Steps, 2018. ISBN 9780648267300
(Age: 3+) Recommended. James Jellybean likes everything that is
green. He lives in a green house, has green hair and even his pet is
green.
The illustrations in this book are clear and bold, and they tie with
the story beautifully.
This is a fun book about the colour green. It can be used to support
teaching colours. It can also be used to talk with children about
their favorite colour.
There are also other similar books such as Mrs
Mavis Marshmallow and the colour yellow that can be used
in conjunction with this book. I recommend this book for children
aged 3+.
Karen Colliver
Lottie Perkins series by Katrina Nannestad
Ill. by Makoto Koji. ABC Books, 2018. Movie Star ISBN 9780733339059 Ballerina ISBN 9780733339066 Pop Singer ISBN 9780733339073 Fashion Designer ISBN 9780733339080
(Age: Emerging readers) Charlotte (you can call me Lottie) Perkins
is an exceptional child - well, that's her belief anyway. She has a
range of talents - each different in each book - but most of all she
has drive, determination and a confidence in herself that is
remarkable for a seven year old. In each episode of this new series,
Lottie becomes a different character, one that is determined by the
events that get her into strife and how she extricates herself from
it.
Aided and abetted by her best friend Sam Bell, who believes in her
as much as she does herself, her goat Feta and her pet rabbits, she
slips into new roles while managing to circumvent the blocking
efforts of mean-girl Harper Dark and her cronies, using her unique
talents to emerge triumphant and even more confident than ever.
This is a new series for young girls who are becoming independent
readers, with its large font, short chapters and liberal
illustrations supporting their efforts. They will relate to the
feisty, resilient Lottie and readily imagine themselves in her
shoes. Something new for this age group who are transitioning
between basal readers and novels with the first two books available
now and the next two to come in November 2018.
Barbara Braxton
An anthology of intriguing animals by Ben Hoare
DK, 2018. ISBN 9780241334393
Our planet is inhabited by so many different species, each of them
fascinating in their own way. Over 100 of them, from the orca to the
otter, the giraffe to the ant and all stops in between have been
collected together in this beautifully presented book that is the
perfect introduction to the animal kingdom for young readers.
Each creature has its own double-page spread featuring a large
hi-definition photograph and just enough text to intrigue. There are
unique facts - porcupines rattle their quills to warn off predators
while the word "koala' means no drink in an Aboriginal language,
referring to the koala getting most of its water needs from the
eucalyptus leaves - as well as other intriguing information. There
is a representative from all the major groups on the Tree of Life,
and this, itself, is depicted at the end of the book.
Those who read my reviews regularly know that I believe that
informal, shared reading is a critical element of honing literacy
skills, particularly for boys, and this would be a perfect candidate
for that. Boys also like to borrow big thick books and so it suits
that criterion too, although this is one that has accessible
language and layout, and a visual guide so young readers can find
the one they are interested in without having to know its name so it
is likely to actually make its way out of the library bag and onto
the dining room table to provoke wonder and discussion as it is
shared with other family members. With Christmas on the horizon, it
would also make a unique and treasured gift!
Barbara Braxton
Sonam and the silence by Eddie Ayres
Ill. by Ronak Taher, Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760293666
(Ages: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes: Afghanistan, Taliban, Music,
Children in war. Denied music at home after the Taliban take over
Kabul, Sonam is told by her brother to wear a headscarf once she
turns seven. She is now expected to hep her mother who sew shirts
and dresses to sell at the market. Selling gum one day Sonam runs
through the backstreets to home, but hears a sound she has never
heard before. Following the sounds she comes to a walled garden of
mulberry trees and finds an old man playing a musical instrument.
She is captivated, the music seems to come from the earth, from her
heart and she returns each day. He gives her her own instrument, a
rubab made from a piece of the mulberry tree. She is able to hum to
herself some of the music she has heard and this keeps the sound of
war from her ears. But her brother, hearing her hum, bans music,
taking her rubab from her. Her world becomes silent.
But planes and foreign soldiers appear, and things change. She goes
to the old man's garden and finds him gone, his trees almost dead.
She picks the last pomegranate and plants its seeds in her own
garden. Digging she comes across her rubab buried by her brother,
and so plays it again in the old man's garden. The old man is still
there in the music, in her heart.
A modern allegory reflecting the power of music in one's life, Ayres
has used his time living in Kabul, teaching music to children
uprooted by war, with compassion. His story not only shows how music
fills the heart, but also shows us the lives of children besieged by
war, unable to learn that most basic of emotional tools, music.
The illustrations by Iranian-Australian film maker and designer,
Taher, are wonderful, using a variety of techniques to show Sonam
living through the worst of times, supported by her love of music.
Torn tissue paper is used to build up collages, the images
reflecting Ronak's Iranian background.
This is a wonderful read aloud, and will engender much discussion
about the healing power of music.
Fran Knight
A song only I can hear by Barry Jonsberg
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760630836
(Age: Secondary) Recommended for a library collection that has a
LGBTIQ+ section. Themes: Anxiety; Friendship; Family relationships;
Love and relationship; Transgender children; Secrets; Identity.
Darwin author, Barry Jonsberg, has perfected the art of describing
quirky children and teens. The bestselling author of My Life as
an Alphabet has introduced the life and voice of a young teen,
Rob, who is struggling with an array of issues and survives with the
help of a quirky and faithful friend and family members with their
own eccentricities. The story begins with a quote attributed to
Oscar Wilde, which may give a hint to later revelations, but it also
introduces the challenge of dealing with anxiety and panic attacks.
The humour that is infused through the story as Rob attempts to make
himself known to the new girl at school (who according to his
Grandad has a name like an 80's band), to promote vegetarianism at
school and beyond, and to learn how to communicate with his family,
is gentle and endearing. Rob's trials though are extended through
text challenges from a mystery source, with instructions to overcome
the fears that hold him back. Grandad is also a mystery, and his
Vietnam war PTSD appears as a backdrop to partially explain the
cause of his foul-mouth (expressed as 'blanketty' in the text) and
his secrecy about his own history and Rob's heritage. The story of a
growth of confidence in Rob also has sadness woven through it.
The final section of the book where we understand that the book
itself is almost a re-imagining of the real circumstances for Rob,
comes as a revelation of the struggles for those who do not fit in
society because of their gender orientation. It is gentle and witty
and yet very deeply reflective. The power of literature to confront
and inform is very definitely evident in this book, and it cleverly
twists our expectations.
Carolyn Hull
The Wizards of Once : Twice Magic by Cressida Cowell
Wizards of Once, book 2. Hodder Children's Books, 2018. ISBN
9781444941425
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. At the start of this book we find our
unlikely heroes locked up: Xar in a prison that nobody gets out of,
Wish in the punishment cupboard of her mother's warrior fortress.
The king witch is free and after them and will do anything in his
power to get them. He wants the magic that works on iron. Xar and
Wish manage to find each other again and head off to continue to try
and get rid of Xar's witch stain. Xar and Wish meet some new friends
on this adventure who help them along the way. On their journey they
learn things about themselves and their parents that changes their
view on life.
The book has a mystery narrator and it adds an extra element of fun
to the narrative as you try and work out who is telling the story.
It shows that parents are not always right, and that they should
listen to their children, as sometimes children see things from a
different point of view that can be very insightful. Also parents
are just trying to do what is bests for their children.
I highly recommend this book for readers aged 10+. If you enjoyed
the first book you won't be able to put this one down. I can't wait
for the next book in the series to find out if Xar and Wish are
successful in their next quest.
Karen Colliver
Lucia and Lawrence by Joanna Francis
New Frontier, 2018. ISBN 9781925594157
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Themes: Friendship, Difference. "Lucia is
creative, and Lawrence loves numbers. Can they find a middle ground
and stay friends?" (Publisher)
This is a book about friendship. Friends can be unpredictable and
not always act like you want but true friends are there for you when
you need them most. Friends don't have to be the same and like
everything in the same way; they just have to support each other to
bring out their best.
This book highlights that we each have our strengths and when we put
our strengths together with our friends we can achieve anything.
The illustrations in this book are clear and support the story being
told.
This is a simple story showing that it doesn't matter how different
two people are, they can still become friends.
I recommend this book for 3+.
Karen Colliver
Mallee Boys by Charlie Archbold
Wakefield Press, 2018. ISBN 97817430550007
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: Siblings, Family, Death,
Drought. Setting is everything in this story of one family's
response to the tragic death of their wife and mother. Killed in a
car accident in Melbourne, Ellie kept the household running, her
husband and son working the marginal land in South Australia's
mallee country. Older son, Josh helps his father after leaving
school early, and younger son, Sandy is staying on at school, hoping
to win a scholarship to further his studies.
The three now rub along together often unsuccessfully, as problems
pile up. The farm is falling apart without mum: they have chops
every night for tea, often the cause of arguments, Dad will not heed
his sons' advice of using technology to map his farmwork, his
machinery is old and outdated and the everpresent drought conditions
put a strain on them all. Mum's death has not been accepted by any
of them, the court verdict and suspended sentence a gall stuck in
their throats. They are marking time: Dad began to clear out his
wife's things but was stopped by Sandy, Josh often storms out of the
house to stay with friends at an abandoned house on the edge of
town.
Against this background, life goes on, Sandy applying for schools in
Adelaide, making time to talk to a new girl in his class, Josh
finding that he likes the girlfriend of his friend, Ryan.
But darker aspects of life in the country intrude: a car accident to
which dad goes as an SES volunteer brings back memories he can no
longer suppress, Ryan asks to store some of his things in the farm's
shed, and later beats Josh up when he finds he has moved in on his
girlfriend while rejections slips are posted to Sandy from the
Adelaide schools. All three are under considerable stress and when
Josh's girlfriend breaks off their developing relationship, things
gather to a head.
This is a masterly look at three men in crisis, not talking to each
other, relying on the daily routines to get them through each day.
Each quietly feels some guilt at Ellie's death and it takes another
accident for each to open up and finally come together. The setting
is brilliantly reconstructed, offering another obstacle for each to
surmount - the isolation a constant problem for each of them, as
Sandy wants to further his eduction, Josh has a girlfriend two
hours' drive away and they all need help that is not offered in the
bush.
Fran Knight
The Harper Effect by Taryn Bashford
Pan Macmillan 2018. ISBN 9781760552091
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: Tennis, Competition. Harper
is determined to make it in the tennis world, despite her namesake,
1940's tennis hopeful, Harper losing his tennis match in a record
breaking eighteen minutes. But she loses all confidence in her
ability when her long time coach quits, advising her to concentrate
on doubles. Her best friend Jacob from next door, comforts her but
he has just broken up with her sister, Aria, and is becoming closer
to Harper, something Harper has longed for for many years.
After watching the Australian Open it was enlightening to read of
the regime imposed on those young dedicated people we see on TV.
This romantic novel gives background to the work these people do in
getting themselves into the matches that matter, vying for a spot in
the world rankings, finding a coach who fits their needs, and
struggling with their own dips in confidence.
But for Hunter her relationship with her sister and Jacob are
paramount, colouring her life while she trains and goes overseas to
compete. She loves her closeness to Jacob, but feels she is
betraying Aria, who still loves him. Her new coach, Milo teams her
with Colt, a young brash, driven American who is prickly and
defensive. But as time goes on, with the training regime given by
Milo, their needs coincide, and they relax with each other. But when
Aria wants to give up her dream of gaining admittance to the
conservatory of music, unable to accept her failed relationship with
Jacob, Harper's guilt increases, affecting everything she does.
This is an absorbing read, the setting is always fascinating, giving
a reality to the lives of the tennis competitors we see on TV, but
made more sympathetic by seeing them just as young adults, striving
with their own growing up, with sometimes erratic family lives, some
issues playing against their dreams of breaking into the tennis
circuit. This will be eagerly picked up by secondary readers
interested in how Harper manages her increasingly tangled
relationships with Aria, Jacob and Colt, as well as her blossoming
tennis career, although some readers may find that reading 374 pages
requires stamina.
Fran Knight
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Lady Astronaut book 2. St Martin's Press, 2018. ISBN
9780765378385
(Age: Adult-Senior secondary) Recommended. Themes: Science fiction,
Women astronauts, Space colonies, Mathematicians, Gender
stereotyping, Racism. This follows the heroine in the award winning
The lady astronaut of Mars (2014). When a meteor decimates
the U.S. and destroys the U.S. government, Elma York, a WASP pilot
and mathematician, manages to fly her husband and herself to safety.
She works out that the meteor will result to dire climatic change
leading to extinction and this spearheads the International
Aerospace Coalition attempt to put a man on the moon in an effort to
find a place for humanity. To Elma's dismay, experienced women
pilots are not included in the program and it is even harder for
African-American women to join in, but it is inevitable that women
must go in space as they are the ones who can have babies.
Elma is a strong, believable character and the gender stereotyping
and racism is portrayed very well. Her struggle to be included is
well documented and the reader is kept engrossed as she overcomes
one obstacle after another while growing herself in her
understanding of the issues facing African-American pilots and
mathematicians. Readers who have read the non-fiction book Hidden
figures : the true story of four black women and the space race
by Margot Lee Shetterly, or viewed the film Hidden figures,
based on the book, will see parallels in The Calculating stars,
and those who enjoyed the book will be encouraged to find out more
about the role of women in NASA.
Some sexual references may make this a book for older readers,
although Elma's relationship with her husband is one of being valued
and totally supported and provides a great role model of marriage.
The cover shows women of all shapes and sizes and also overcomes
stereotypes about women's shapes.
This is a beautifully written, well researched science fiction book
and readers will be sure to want to follow Elma's journey in the
next in the series The fated sky.
Pat Pledger
The Queen of Sorrow by Sarah Beth Durst
The Queens of Renthia book 3. HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN
9780062413383
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Ambition. Family. Durst
brings her unique series to a satisfying conclusion in the third
book in the series, following The
queen of bloodand The reluctant queen. Queen
Daleina has been joined by Queen Naelin, both ruling the kingdom and
trying to keep the evil nature spirits at bay. When Queen Naelin's
children are kidnapped by the spirits, Naelin cares only for them
and is prepared to sacrifice everything to get them back. She
believes that Queen Merecot of Semo has been behind the kidnapping
and is ready to go to war. However, Merecot has grandiose ambitions
and all of Renthia is threatened by her actions.
This is an action packed book, while at the same time exploring the
emotions and actions of a mother whose children have been taken.
Queen Naelin has enormous power which hasn't been trained, and she
is willing to burn the kingdom to get them back. Queen Daleina has
to keep a calm head and look at the bigger picture while Queen
Merecot is ambitious and devious. The scheming, politics and actions
of the three women make for an interesting story. It is also
fascinating to read a series that has older main characters with
subtle romance, rather than the love triangles that sometimes
feature in fantasy series.
I would recommend this series to fantasy readers who enjoy character
driven plots and a fabulous forest setting where the inhabitants
live in villages in the trees and fight off attacks by spirits.
Pat Pledger
