Wildfire, 2018. ISBN 9781472244260
(Age: Adult) Highly recommended. The story opens with a death, the
accidental drowning death of a four year old child when his 10 year
old sister's attention is distracted... or was it accidental? As
we are led inside the mind of Elizabeth / Lily / Juliette we come to
understand that this is a cold and dangerous person, and maybe it
even started when she was a child. She becomes a person completely
obsessed with the man she sees as her only love, the man who is
supposed to marry her and make everything perfect. Juliette has a
plan, and she is going to stick to it, and the ultimate goal is
Nate, and the perfect wedding, the perfect marriage, the perfect
family. She will stop at nothing, she sneaks into people's homes,
she takes photographs, she steals things, she leaves traces behind,
she follows and stalks... She is another Amy from 'Gone Girl' or Alex
from 'Fatal Attraction' - she is ruthless in her obsession, and she
will get what she wants. At the same time she is hurt, a neglected
child, a bullied victim, a rejected girlfriend. Hamilton tries to
round out her character and explain how she came to be what she is.
There is a kind of fascination in reading about a character that
knows no boundaries, who breaks rules, and goes further than anybody
else ever would - someone who is so delusional that she can't see
how that by her very actions, she is never going to attain the trust
of the friends she wants. At the same time we have insight into her
mind, and we understand her thoughts, her justifications, her desire
for revenge. That makes her a bit more human, and a bit less of a
stereotype.
That sense of the dangerous person, the brooding feeling that things
are going to get worse and horrible things are going to happen,
doesn't let up, and we know that there is eventually going to be
another victim. Although the pace falters at times, The perfect
girlfriend is a great thriller that holds you to the end.
Helen Eddy
Over is out by Lachlan Creagh
Ill. by Sarah Creagh. Lothian, 2018. ISBN 9780734417657
(Age: 4+) Themes: Humour, Cricket, Dinosaurs. Readers will get lots
of laughs from this book as they read of the two boys playing
cricket in their back yard. When the ball goes over the fence one is
designated to climb the fence and retrieve the ball, but without
waking the nighbours. Children will laugh out loud as the neighbours
turn out to be a range of rather large dinosaurs, mainly sleeping,
but the boy over the fence tries very carefully to avoid waking
them. Each time the page is turned another descriptive word is given
in a different colour and font size, making it a useful book when
teaching about words which define where you are: over, under, on
top, between and behind.
Great fun will be had as the readers will the boy not to wake the
sleeping giants. Dinosaur recognition will be a must with many
children as each page is turned.
And a twist at the end will further tickle the fancies of the
readers.
Fran Knight
Shout out to the girls: a celebration of awesome Australian women by various authors
Penguin Random House Australia, 2018. ISBN 9780143789420
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Women, Achievement,
Biographies. Fifty amazing Australian women from all walks of life
star in this shout-out ("Noun, colloquial a public expression of
thanks"). The women range from names that are well known in the
media (Rosie Batty, Cate Blanchett and Olivia Newton-John), to
historical figures ( Mary Reiby, Mary Mackillop and May Emmeline
Wirth), scientists and doctors (Dharmica Mistry, Elizabeth Blackburn
and Fiona Wood) to less well known figures who will appeal to young
and old alike.
The Contents page is organised with the woman's name and her field
of expertise listed beneath. Each entry has a full page description
of the woman and her achievements with a colourful portrait
accompanying it on the opposite page, each done by different
artists, who have their own portraits at the back of the book.
Different sections begin with a though provoking phrase that broadly
describes the achievements of the women following: the reader is led
straight into the book with "a pat on the back to all the excellent
entrepreneurs taking chances and thinking outside the box." Aheda
Zanetti then leads the field with her invention of the hijood for
sportwear and the burkini for swimwear giving Muslim women and girls
access to sports.
I was thrilled to see Melina Marchetta featured as a writer, and
found many younger women like Molly Taylor, rally car driver and
Marita Cheng, a technology entrepreneur to have quite amazing
achievements.
Beautiful illustrations of Australian flora feature on the cover and
title page, as symbols of the 'strength and heart of the women
featured in the book. Australian flowers aren't wilting violets . .
. "
There is also a shout-out to the Smith family, which will receive
all royalties from the sale of Shout out to the girls.
Reading about the fifty women in this book will provide inspiration
to any reader. It is written in an easy to read style and is a must
have for all libraries.
Pat Pledger
Goodly and Grave in a deadly case of murder by Justine Windsor
Goodly and Grave series. HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN
9780008183561
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Humour, Magic, Murder, Grave
robbers. The second in this series of adventure books, Goodly
and Grave, is about Lucy's attempts to prove herself. She and
Lord Grave, initially investigate a series of thefts of bodies from
the local cemetery, but it turns out that the thief is stealing
soil, and they hang out one night at the cemetery ready to catch the
thief. But things do not turn out well, and that night the household
is woken by a loud crash and screams. On investigation it appears
someone has tried to steal the strange book they found at the
cemetery and has hit Lord Grave over the head.
Part of an organisation called Magicians Against the Abuse of Magic
(MAAM) it falls upon our duo, Goodly and Grave to capture the thief,
but when it turns into a murder, their skills are put on high alert.
Goodly works in Lord Grave's employment as a boot boy, but is
secretly being trained by him to better use her incredible magical
powers.
The first in the series: Goodly and Grave, in a bad case of
kidnap, had Lucy using her card skills to advantage, while the
second sees her cement her place in Grave Hall as Lord Grave refines
her considerable skills.
At once funny and delightfully scary, packed with greatly detailed
illustrations by Becka Moor, this second in the series of books is a
wonder to read, with lots of odd characters: Bathsheba, Lord Grave's
companion is a jaguar from his extensive wild life park, the
housekeeper, Mrs Carthew is a man with a huge beard which he plaits
at night, Smell, the cat is able to sniff out potents easily, and so
on. All fascinating, intriguing and inviting.
I found this book delicious, filled with humour and nods to a range
of scary stories including grave robbing, vampires, Dracula, image
changes, time travel, and a golem.
Fran Knight
Little lunch: triple the games by Danny Katz
Ill. by Mitch Vane. Black Dog Books, 2018. ISBN 9781760650278
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Friendship, School,
Playground. Another series of stories from the very popular TV
series, Little Lunch, will find even more friends as
children pick it up in school libraries. Funny illustrations litter
the pages as the children, Rory and Tamara find that fifteen minutes
is enough to get into all sorts of trouble. In the first chapter,
'Walkathon', Tamara wants to find a walking buddy for the upcoming
walkathon, and holds interviews with the applicants during recess.
The second chapter, 'The election', Rory decides he wants to be
Australia's next prime minister, while the third chapter, entitled,
'The girls' toilets', has the class practising for the school talent
show.
Each chapter is short and pithy, funny and illustrated, just long
enough for readers to read during recess, and exciting enough for
them to make sure they finish the episode by the time the siren
goes. Children will love to read of the antics of this group of
school kids, and what they get up to and revel in the similarities
with their own escapades and daily routines.
With the popularity of the TV series, this new book will find a host
of fans.
Fran Knight
Kensy and Max: Breaking news by Jacqueline Harvey
Penguin Random House, 2018. ISBN 9780143780656
(Age: 8-12) Highly recommended. Themes: Mystery. Adventure.
Detectives. Family life. Spies. Brothers and sisters. Kensy and
Max: Breaking news is a meticulously built mystery story, a
wonderful introduction to a cast of new and intriguing characters,
relatable protagonists, mysterious settings and fast-paced
adventures. Popular children's author Jacqueline Harvey draws the
reader in, sharing her creative insights into the development of
Kensy and Max's characters. She shares her inspiration for her
background setting of the Morpeth Arms pub with its secret
underground spaces situated opposite the London headquarters of MI6.
Eleven year old twins Kensy and Max enjoy a nomadic lifestyle
travelling the world with their parents, who work in the ski fields
and medical clinics. Changes occur when their parents disappear on
an African holiday and the twins are driven across Europe to the
relative safety of a huge ancestral home in North Yorkshire. Feisty
Kensy and more measured Max explore Dame Spencer's vast home and
gardens uncovering secret rooms, quirky characters, hidden cameras
and treasures from their past. Fitz their constant companion, tutor
and manny, travels to London to investigate their parent's
whereabouts leaving Kensy and Max in the safe hands of Song the
quirky butler.
With Fitz planning to leave for Africa to search for the missing
parents, the twins move to Dame Spencer's townhouse with Song and
are placed in the Central London Free School. On their first day,
eccentric headmaster Mr MacGregor challenges Max to a computer
generated race around London where the young boy's brilliant memory
and map reading skills prove advantageous. Kensy and Max settle in
to school life, curiously observing mysterious activities and
disappearances of their friends, secret meetings and their
miraculous escape from a gallery.
Kensy and Max keep a special secret, a communication received from
their parents via a message on Max's watch. Kensy and Max: Breaking news is a suspenseful, intriguing and
finely crafted story perfect for readers who enjoy action-packed spy
stories. Jacqueline Harvey's initial novel introduces exciting
characters, mysterious settings and family secrets waiting to be
uncovered. Here the author teases us with little clues, snippets of
information, curious conversations with people instrumental in their
future plans, and this builds an air of excitement and promise for
future stories. Her writing style is bright and lively, alliterative
and lyrically descriptive, and the protagonists are perfect foils,
each with a unique set of skills and traits that complement the
other. The author peoples her narrative with colourful characters,
even the settings are imbued with special secretive qualities.
For Middle Primary English students, this narrative provides
excellent examples of character development, plot tension, genre
writing and presenting realistic settings.
Rhyllis Bignell
The true colour of forever by Carrie Firestone
Hodder Children's Books, 2017. ISBN 9781444929676
(Age: 14yrs+) This book ensnared me! Not by its cover, which is very
impressive, and not by the blurb on the back, which is rather lame,
but from the opening passage found in the prologue: "A few minutes
before the incident, I noticed a tuft of dune grass stuck to a
discarded strawberry crate... I was twelve hours into downsizing
my life and just beginning to become more aware of my surroundings."
For me, this laid the foundation for the entire story. This is a
book about looking directly in front of you and seeing the obvious
things you can do which will cause a flow effect that improves the
wellbeing of others.
Embedded into the story is the importance of solid friendships which
are developed over a lifetime, yet finding that these friendships
ebb and flow as we all grow up to find our place in society. Sadie
is a year younger than her friends and struggling to reconcile
herself to her new loner status when the end of their school career
looms closer. The depth of these friendships is demonstrated by the
wonderfully creative care packages Sadie makes for her friends. They
demonstrate key moments she had shared with each person, embodying
the impact of each unique friendship perfectly.
The careful blending of the secondary characters adds fine details
to the life and events that continue in the background of Sadie's
story, old friends, new friends, family and passing strangers. We
meet Izzy, struggling with addiction, Gordie, trying to affirm his
sexuality, and Sadie's two unique grandmothers.
Carrie Firestone not only skilfully approaches the topic of teen
friendship but topics of assault, cyberbullying, peer pressure,
discrimination, self-esteem and stress by creating a realistic voice
in Sadie's character. Many teens will feel comfortable reading The
true colour of forever and considering all of these topics in
relation to their own life.
After reading this book try Saints and misfits by S. K. Ali
and The lake effect by Erin McCahan.
Sharon Smith
Macca the alpaca by Matt Cosgrove
Koala Books, 2018. ISBN 9781743816332
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Bullying. Alpacas. Llamas. South America.
Against a bright blue background, the white alpaca, Macca, stares out
at the audience. Children will at once be able to distinguish his
features, and see the differences between him and other animals they
have come across. The chirpy look on his face gives a clue to the
sort of animal he is. Turning the pages we see him gamboling around
with other animals, butterflies, a sloth, jaguar cubs, monkeys and
an armadillo, that is until he meets the llama. Harmer the llama is
a bully, and does some despicable things to Macca, until they decide
to a challenge to see who is the best. Each test reveals some of the
characteristics of each animal, but it is the alpaca who comes out
on top, using his skills to outshine the llama.
Readers will laugh out loud at the antics of these two, taking in
their traits as they spar with each other, climbing a tree, climbing
a mountain and moving a huge boulder.
The bright clear illustrations will delight younger readers, and the
moral of the tale will have a resonance for all children who read the
book. In classrooms this may be one of the books read out loud to
initiate discussions about bullying and its appearance in the
school, and who could resist launching into discussions about South
America and its wildlife. And worth mentioning, the endpapaers
showcase a little of the human activity of South America.
Fran Knight
The centre of my everything by Allayne L. Webster
Penguin Random House, 2018. ISBN 9780143783336
(Age: Older high school students) Recommended. Themes: Country life.
Alcohol. Drugs. Sexual violence. With the opening words, "My head's
gunna explode", we know that we are in Australia. Language, way of
life, characters and the issues of country town life, are all vital
elements that are explored in Webster's very emotional story.
Told by four main characters in sequential order, the slowly
unravelling narrative is confrontational. Webster depicts the issues
of modern country towns, the isolation, the lack of jobs, the
drinking, drug use and the violence, in a narrative that reveals
events slowly, and one that only presents each of the four
narrators' understanding of what has happened. Yet slowly we begin
to grasp the background story and come to understand the web of
relationships, connections and issues that face the local
adolescents and their families.
This is not a book for the faint-hearted, as Webster plunges us into
the harsh elements of modern country life, the binge drinking,
parties with alcohol, drugs and sexual violence. With the depiction
of good, loving, kind characters juxtaposed to the angry, abusive
characters, we slowly begin to understand the complexity and
troubles of the past and present, and the different relationships
and families. The adolescents are fearful of the future, knowing
that there is little for them in the town, unsure of what they can
do when school is over. They are desperate to understand what their
lives will be like, given the traumas and the violence to which so
many have been subjected.
Told from the perspective of the different characters, this book is
vibrant and challenging. It would be recommended for older high
school readers, with its description of anger, family troubles,
binge-drinking, sexual violence and emotional trauma.
Liz Bondar
Barney and the secret of the French spies by Jackie French
The Secret Histories series book 4. Angus and Robertson,
2018. ISBN 9781460751305
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: New South Wales (1788-1851),
Australian history, Convicts, Sydney Town, Spies. When orphaned
Barney finds a mute girl hidden under a ledge in the bush outside
Sydney Town the pair is taken in by the colony's minister Mr Johnson
and his wife, there to thrive with care and tutelage. Barney names
the girl Elsie after his dead mother, the pair sent to Australia as
convicts several years before. And in looking out for Elsie, Barney
pictures a life for them in the new colony as he makes a place for
himself. Given land and convict labour, he sets up a small farm
along the Parramatta River. Here one day he hopes the two of them
will be happy. But when the Johnsons call him to come to Sydney
quickly, he arrives to find Elsie in the grip of a debilitating lung
complaint and while ill she speaks French.
He is taken aback, as stories of French spies are rife with the
threat of a French takeover always on the horizon. La Perousse
stopped at Botany Bay when the First Fleet was about to sail to
Sydney Cove but he was not heard of again. And later, Baudin stopped
for help. while Britain and France were at war. Against this
background French has woven her story, that of a young French girl
and her family checking on the English defenses, but when her
parents are killed by convicts she is left alone.
French very carefully plies the story with an incredible amount of
factual information about the early days of Sydney, so cunningly
tied with the story that no one will suspect that they are having a
fascinating history lesson. Every sentence is replete with meaning,
every paragraph gives the reader a substantial lesson in Australia's
early days, and all told with adventure and intrigue, sure to reel
in the most reluctant of readers. Barney and Elsie are an engaging
pair of characters and the secret each holds ensures a captive
readership. The illustrations at the start of each chapter, too,
give a view of Sydney that will be new to many, encouraging the
readers to take notice of small details, reflecting those seen in
the text. This is the fourth in French's series, Secret
Histories.
Fran Knight
A lion is a lion by Polly Dunbar
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406371536
(Ages: 2-7) Highly recommended. The talented Polly Dunbar (probably
best known for Penguin) has created this humorous and unique feast
for the eyes and the ears. It looks amazing, from the eye-catching
front cover onwards, and is fantastic to read. The cover shows a
distinguished-looking lion sitting at a table with knife and fork at
the ready and two children on either side staring at him in
astonishment. Is he still a lion? He's wearing a hat and coat! Would
a lion eat with a knife and a fork?! This sets the premise for the
book. "Is a lion still a lion if . . . he carries an umbrella,
too?" "Is a lion still a lion if he rings the doorbell, greets
you politely and asks you to dance? As the children find out," YES,
A LION IS A LION IS A LION!", so you should tell him to SHOOO!"
The heavy use of capitalisation, italics and punctuation (if you are
not a fan of exclamation marks steer clear!) assist in making this a
dramatic, theatrical read-aloud. Dunbar's black line illustrations
are fabulous, especially the larger than life lion and his
expressive face. There is a touch of The Tiger Who Came to Tea
here but with an interesting point of difference with the children
deciding that no, they would not allow the lion to come into their
house - even if he does have a particularly well-groomed mane and
impeccable table manners! The tiger who came to tea doesn't decide
to eat children for dessert though either.
There is an old proverb that "A hog in a silk waistcoat is still a
hog" and this is the simple message conveyed here. Perhaps there is
even a little bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing about this
well-dressed, pompous lion.
This is great fun for both the reader and the audience, who are
directly addressed ("So please remember, A LION IS ALWAYS A LION!").
This is a winning picture book to share with children of all ages.
Nicole Nelson
The rains by Gregg Hurwitz
Penguin, 2016, ISBN 9780765382672 Last chance. ISBN 9780765382696
(Age: 13+) Themes: Adventure, Invasion, Post apocalypse, Survival,
Aliens, Zombies. This pair of novels pack a lot into their nearly
400 pages as Chance Rain, his brother Patrick and best friend,
Alexandra, residents of the quiet community of Creek's Cause, fight
for their lives against infected adults, while others hide in the
local high school. This sci-fi young adult novel sets a tale of
alien invasion of unrelenting pace. Chance and Patrick Rain are the
heroes of this weird and unlikely story of the take over and
destruction of not only their town but all of human kind.
The strange events begin with a meteorite shower which brings
strange plant life which grows quickly and then dies, sending their
spores into the world. Events then take a dreadful turn, when the
adults change horribly into zombie like creatures intent on
capturing the children of the town for goodness knows what purpose.
Chance and Patrick pit their resources and nerve against
overwhelming odds and somehow prevail. They have to fight, not only
the 'hosts' the adults have become, but also some of their peer
group who disagree about the actions they should follow. They also
discover with the aid of Dr Chattergee, the only adult unaffected by
the spores, that at their 18th birthday they will also become
infected.
Hurwitz delivers a frightening scenario that many young adult
readers will find gripping, tense and thrilling. However I found the
episodes of fighting off yet more hordes of hosts distracted from
the narrative and tended to layer too many unbelievable acts of
survival, heroism and mayhem.
There is a follow up novel, Last Chance, where our hero will
have even more weight loaded on to his adolescent shoulders, because
he and Patrick carry the genes for immunity, indeed they are the
only ones in the whole wide world. I just couldn't bring myself to
read it!
Mark Knight
Of Jenny and the Aliens by Ryan Gebhart
Candlewick Press, 2017. ISBN 9780763688455
(Age: Older teens) Themes: Aliens; Sexual Relationships; Teenage
angst. The Aliens have got in contact with earth and the world
wonders whether this is the end. For Derek though, an 'End of the
World as we know it' party leads him to a sexual encounter with the
liberated and feisty Jenny who then proceeds to spin his world into
an orbit that is completely out of control. His encounter with the
Alien is positively humble and calm in comparison - even when it
transitions to the literal 'Out of this World' experience.
Essentially this book transitions from an American teenage sex romp
(with soft-porn detail), into the roller-coaster of a relationship
that does not seem to follow a straight path, and then morphs into a
strange encounter with aliens that in some way is meant to solve all
the sexual and relationship angst that Derek is experiencing! There
is almost a hallucinogenic strangeness to some parts of the book.
The family break-up history that runs as an undercurrent to the flow
of the story is one of the few conventional aspects of the story.
This is not a coming-of-age story or a science fiction story - it is
just strange. This book did not win me over. If it was attempting to
be humorous, it did not quite hit its mark. The friendship between
Derek and Karo (the alien musician) was under-developed and should
have been fleshed out with much more narrative intensity.
Unfortunately it lacked the spark of literary quality.
Note: Drug taking, alcohol consumption, Sexual activity.
Carolyn Hull
White Night by Ellie Marney
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760293550
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: Mystery and suspense.
Diversity. Family relationships. Collectives. Environmental
protection. Country life. "In Bo Mitchell's country town, a White
Night light-show event has the potential to raise vital funds to
save the skate park. And out of town, a girl from a secretive
off-the-grid community called Garden of Eden has the potential to
change the way Bo sees the world. But are there too many secrets in
Eden?" (Publisher)
With problems looming at home with his father, Bo becomes
increasingly drawn to Rory, the girl from the Garden of Eden
commune, the members of which believe in being self-sufficient,
growing their own food, recycling everything and refusing to use
plastic. But some things about Ray, the mediator in the community,
seem off as Bo becomes more involved in their life.
Bo is one of the most engaging male adolescents that I have read
about for quite some time. He has a very caring relationship with
Rory and although there are opportunities, he doesnt take advantage
of her. Although things are strained at home with family secrets
beginning to emerge, Marney shows a loving home life with rules that
Bo respects. At school, things are hard for Rory as she tries to fit
in, but Bo tries to help her out, while he struggles with deciding
what courses he should do - play football or become a chef. Bo's
friends too are very relatable, as they party by the creek and
organise a White Night to make enough money to keep the skate park
open.
Marney has written a cracking suspenseful story that keeps the
reader engaged and wondering what will happen next. At the same time
life in a small country town is explored and the reader will learn
lots about how teens could organise to keep a community place as
Sprog fights to save the skate park.
With its complex themes of sustainability, family relations and
communal living as well as a tense plot, White Night could
make an engaging class novel for older teens.
Pat Pledger
How to blitz nits (and other nasties) by Mumsnet
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408862155
(Age: Parenting book) This is a parenting book for people who hate
parenting books. It portrays the reality of being a parent in a way
that politically correct parenting books rarely do. Would they talk
about what to do when you child does a poo so epic that it reaches
their neck? Or how to stop your child scratching their bum when they
have worms?
While witty and limited in scope, this semi-reference book is
definitely more useful than it first appears. Factual information
mingles with real posts from the English online parenting community
Mumsnet; this use of first-hand anecdotes and advice means that it
doesn't just tell you what you 'should' do or what is proven to
work. There are old wives tales and ingenious (not always medically
recommended or socially approved!) solutions to tricky problems (for
example, how to pin down a child to administer eye drops or fight
molluscum with a toothpick).
It addresses 10 main issues: nits, threadworms, ringworm, warts and
veruccas, molluscum, conjunctivitis, foreign objects, vomit, poo,
and dragons under the bed. Sometimes as a parent you just need to
know someone else has faced the same horrors or that someone else
has had it worse and on this level the book provides genuine laugh
out loud moments.
It is a funny read, perfect for parents who want to know the
essentials but want to take it with a pinch of salt and a few laughs
along the way. Simple language peppered with witticism makes this an
engaging and quick read and it will probably be reached for again
when advice is needed on how to clean vomit out of the couch or
de-nit the household.
Nicole Nelson
