Ill. by Michael Foreman. Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406371680
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Orphans, Foundling Hospital
(London), Illness, Bullying, Friendship, Schools. When Jonah is
bullied he takes refuge in the chapel in his school, once a
Foundling Hospital in the country, used after the London premises
became overcrowded. Here he meets the spirit of a foundling, named
Nat Hogarth, who loves to play the organ, a noise sometimes heard by
the students, giving rise to the story of ghosts of the children who
once lived there. Nat relates his life story to Jonah, telling the
reader about this astonishing place.
He tells of his time with foster parents then returned to the
hospital for his education before being apprenticed at sixteen
revealing the lives of these children, many of whom died while in
care, education subservient to trying to deal with disease and
malnutrition. Nat is sent to a country house where he is treated
poorly, but at his second place he meets the Mozart children with
whom he develops a long standing relationship. Readers will be
thrilled reading about the place music comes to take within Nat's
life, and how it parallels Jonah's life, augmenting the link between
the two. This is a charming tale of lives lived two hundred years
apart, being pulled together through a love of music. Its beautiful
cover and pages of illustrations will ensure the book is read from
cover to cover.
The Foundling Museum in London's Brunswick Square is a most
arresting place to visit, with art treasures from famous people,
Handel and Hogarth for example, who supported the work of the
Foundling Hospital, and memorabilia from the unfortunate mothers who
left their babies there. Set up in 1739 by sea captain, Thomas
Coram, it was the first charitable trust developed to support
homeless children, because its founder could not ignore the vast
numbers of children left on the streets. To this end he set up the
hospital with the help of wealthy supporters who donated art works
creating an art gallery unlike any other. The work of the children's
trust continued until 1954, and today supports children in a variety
of ways. More can be found about this startling place at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundling_Hospital and
the museum at https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/
(Check 'About' to find information about the foundlings and what is
on display) The display of the tokens and mementoes left by the
relinquishing mothers will tear at your heart strings.
This museum, not well known on London's tourist trail is well worth
a visit and is near the Dickens' Museum. Dickens' portrayal of young
lives has parallels within the walls of the Foundling Hospital.
Fran Knight
The ashes of London by Andrew Taylor
HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780008207755
(Age: secondary to adult) Highly recommended. Themes: Great Fire of
London, Sir Christopher Wren, London, Murder, Restoration,
Commonwealth, Puritans. The year 1666 was already inauspicious
containing three sixes, the mark of Satan to some, making the Great
Fire of London a sign that things had not gone well after the
restoration of Charles 11.
Intrigues still survive with some regicides, those who killed
Charles 1 still at large, and undercurrents of the dissenting ideas
of Cromwell are still at play.
So when a body is found in the ruins of St Paul's, James Marwood,
working for Master Williamson, a real character, editor and
publisher of the London Gazette, is given the job of finding out who
the man is. A second body is found in the Fleet Ditch some days
later and Marwood links the two as they both had their thumbs tied
together behind their backs.
But Marwood's father was a Dissenter, and needs constant attention,
causing Marwood to take time out for his welfare. And when he tells
his son in one of his rambles that he has seen Tom Lovett, Marwood
tries to elicit more information from the old man.
Alongside this story runs another, that of Cat Lovett, Tom's
daughter, taken in by a self serving family after her father
disappeared. People are after him, his politics now out of fashion,
while she is betrothed to a man she does not care for, more
interested in her family property than her. When the son of the
house rapes her she escapes, throwing herself on the mercy of
another family, that of her manservant, Jem, and in their inn she
serves an architect working for Dr Christopher Wren on the plans to
rebuild London. Cat was brought up with a modern thinking aunt who
loved architecture and she developed in her niece some rare
interests and gifts, unusual for those days, so Cat takes a real
interest in the man's work, often helping him as palsy sets in. Told
to leave the inn where she has been working, Cat hides in various
places wanting to keep away from her father and his beliefs.
The political intrigue behind the story is fascinating, revealing
that the Restoration did not smooth over the fraught times of
killing a king or of having Cromwell's Commonwealth ruling Britain.
Monarchists are questioning the extravagance of Charles 11 and his
indebtedness to some of the wealthier men in Britain. Dissenters
cause alarm and those still at large after the execution of Charles
1 are still being hunted down.
The fathers of both Cat and Marwood were involved in the plot
against the king and Marwood is doing his best to help his father,
impeded by his growing dementia and ill health, while Cat's father
is being sought by the authorities for greater reasons that his
beliefs.
Against the converging of these two protagonists is the marvelous
rebuilding of London. Taylor's descriptions of the aftermath of the
fire are riveting, and following the characters as they make their
way through the streets of London makes for exciting reading. Ash
still covers the streets, homeless are everywhere, people wander
about still in shock, food is scarce, surveyors are trying to
establish a sense of boundary markers, and still the London Gazette
publishes its weekly list of the dead, now including the two unknown
men whose identities Marwood is seeking.
This is a most engrossing crime story set within a richly detailed
historical setting.
Fran Knight
Horses wild and tame by Iris Volant
Ill. by Jarom Vogel. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781911171324
(Age: 7-70) Highly recommended. Themes: Horses - History, Horses -
Breeds, Horses - Famous, Horse-riding. Horses Wild and Tame
is an extremely informative and visually engaging book that explores
the evolution of horses, horse breeds, famous horses, work horses,
sports horses and horsemanship. Iris Volant's facts are accessible,
easy to read and the facts will capture the interest of readers of
all ages. The author takes us on an historic journey from the dawn
of time, when the small dog-sized North American Eohippus had front
feet with four hoofed toes and back feet with three-hoofed toes.
Wild horses gallop across Asia and European steppes, and the reader
can find out about the Mongolian wild horse, the takhi once extinct
in the wild that has been returned to its homeland through
conservation work around the world.
From cave paintings to Pegasus from Greek legends, war horses, to
royal Indian steeds disguised as elephants to win battles, Volant
includes unusual, the unfamiliar and more familiar to pique the
reader's curiosity. Anna Sewell's novel Black Beauty
initiated reforms in both England and America in the kinder
treatment of work horses. Even the index is pictorially presented
with a Clydesdale, an Appaloosas and an Arabian steed standing tall.
Jarom Vogel's digital illustrations, boldly gallop, prance and race
across the pages, and with their clean, crisp edges the horses stand
out from their natural settings. Each scene is detailed, the
charioteer's horses are shown ready to leap of the pages, racing
around the Colosseum while the silver and cream winged Pegasus flies
high in the deep blue night sky. Horses Wild and Tame is an excellent non-fiction book
suitable for students engaged in researching animal biology, their
adaptations to environments and for writing information reports from
realistic texts. Horse lovers and readers who enjoy factual material
presented in a stylish and visually appealing way will thoroughly
enjoy this book.
Rhyllis Bignell
Rebel voices : The rise of votes for women by Louise K. Stewart
Ill. by Eve Lloyd Knight. Wren and Rook, 2018. ISBN 9781526300232
(Age: 8 - Adult) Highly recommended. From the fascinating eyes that
follow the reader on the front cover to the end papers with vibrant
red ticks this is a book that is totally engrossing and informative.
It is beautifully produced with fabulous illustrations that
stimulate the imagination and the information about how women all
over the world have gained the right to vote is comprehensive and
very interesting. Rebel voices is engrossing. It tantalises the reader right
from the beginning with the unusual contents page that will make the
reader stop and think but also gives the opportunity to pick the
topics that were of interest. Starting with the trailblazers in New
Zealand and Australia the book then continues to describe
chronologically, and by country, how women won the right to vote.
Many of the entries also give information about the women who fought
so hard to gain recognition. Thus the reader learns about Sojourner
Truth who campaigned in the US and the inspiring life of Matilde
Hidalgo de Procel in Ecuador as well as other fascinating women in
countries around the world and better known figures like Emmeline
Pankhurst.
This is a fascinating and well researched look at the time it has
taken for women to get the vote. The excellent time line and the
range of women who fought so hard make this a really good volume to
have in the primary and secorndary library and classroom.
Pat Pledger
This book isn't safe by Colin Furze
Puffin Books, 2017. ISBN 9780141386959
(Age: 7-13) Highly recommended. In a world where children watch
videos of other children opening toys for fun, it is not a strange
occurrence that a YouTube star should write a book. Colin Furze is a
self confessed crazy inventor who makes a living designing
inventions such as vacuuming shoes, building the worlds fastest
mobility scooter and creating a 360 degree swing as big as a house.
His YouTube channel states "this channel is the home of crazy
inventions, brilliant world records and constant disregard to health
and safety," basically all the thing young kids love to watch!
This book showcases his life and crazy creations, while giving
instructions for 10 inventions the reader can make at home.
I have to admit that I had never heard of Colin Furze before (and
immediately googled him!!!) and found that he has a huge following -
over 5 million - and that many of his projects are funded by
television and gaming companies.
This book is set out in a way that children of about 7-13 years old
would love, with lots of photos and easy to read explanations. There
are also multiple fonts on a page, bright colours and a combination
of hand written and typed information.
I liked this book for a number of reasons:
1) It is written with humour and appealed to both myself and my 7
year old. It is so good to be able to read a book and BOTH laugh.
2) The inventions the author explains step by step are all feasible
for kids and their parents which is important as it would be
disappointing to read this book and not be able to do any of them!
3) The author explains how to safely learn to drill holes, saw wood
and measure things. I think these are all really important skills to
have and to include them in this way will hopefully mean children
take note and learn how to do them correctly.
There was not anything I didn't like about this book, it would make
a great gift for a young child who loved to build, make and create!
Lauren Fountain
The ABC book of feelings by Helen Martin and Judith Simpson
Ill. by Cheryl Orsini. HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780733338298
(Age: 3-6) Themes: Emotions, Wellbeing. Toddlers and pre-schoolers
can find it difficult knowing how to deal with their emotions in
suitable ways. The ABC Book of Feelings helps with the
understanding of personal emotions as well as showing youngsters how
to appreciate other's feelings too. This easy to share book aids
young children by showing a variety of familiar situations and
provides talking points for simple conversations. On a rainy day,
how do children, a cricket team, car drivers and pedestrians cope
with the weather?
There are ways to calm down, seek help when things are overwhelming
and importantly kindness, caring for others and saying sorry is
emphasized. Having healthy minds and healthy bodies is important by
developing understandings about these key concepts helps in family,
social and group settings. The authors use gentle rhymes, questions
and simple text to explore and explain many different kinds of
feelings.
Cheryl Orsini's charming characters drawn in little vignettes and
shown in full page scenes, portray the funny, sad, happy, even
disgusting situations that the young child can relate to. The
ABC Book of Feelings supports the teaching of emotional and
social wellbeing in the Early Years, when children begin to develop
their own identity and build and maintain relationships. Healthy
bodies and healthy minds are key to learning how to participate in
their homes and learning communities.
Rhyllis Bignell
Friday Barnes: Never fear by R. A. Spratt
Random House, 2018. ISBN 9780143784203
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Detectives, Boarding school. Friday Barnes is
the youngest child of two scientists, and has been left mostly to
her own devices growing up. With an immense IQ and a love of
detective novels, she jumps at the chance to do some detecting. In
the first of the series, she worked on solving a bank robbery, using
the huge reward to get herself to the most exclusive of boarding
schools. But here of course, it's not all plain sailing and she
needs to put her sleuthing to good purpose.
In this book, number eight in the series, Friday is increasingly
puzzled and not a little upset at the work undertaken by the new
headmaster, Dr Belcredi, at her school, Highcrest Academy. He is
turning everything upside down. But Friday manages to get off side
with this person and is close to being expelled, when a rumour about
stolen gold being stashed at the school emerges, impelling her to
put her brain into action, and work out what is going on. But first
she must get herself out of detention, not an easy task.
All of her usual flair continues in this funny outing for this
wonderful quirky main character. This time a little romance sneaks
into the equation, showing readers a different side of her
character. She is self sufficient, daring and clever, and is sure to
attract the most fastidious of readers.
Fran Knight
Harry Potter: a journey through a history of magic by British Library
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408890776 (Age: All Harry Potter fans) Highly recommended. If you are a Harry
Potter fan then this book is a MUST HAVE! After bringing this book
home I made the mistake of showing to my son (a new Harry fan) and
it has been a struggle to get any time with the book myself! Harry Potter: a journey through a history of magic is a wonderful
book showcasing the amazing collection of artefacts put together for
an exhibition for the British Library to celebrate 20 years since
the first instalment of the record breaking series.
This book intertwines the daily lessons and faces of Hogwarts with
the ancient history and art of magic that has been recorded over the
last thousand years. As I read the chapters I really got a sense of
where J. K. Rowling was able to explore her ideas and add meaning
and appropriate description to particular scenes such as the Bezoar
stone or the first documented use of incantations.
I particularly loved the hand-drawn maps and pictures by J. K.
Rowling, with little questions on the side where you can see her
thinking, and also how well planned out her story is. In addition to
this you get to see copies of both hand-written and typed draft
pages of various books - complete with words crossed out, re-typed
and questions raised as to where she may go with that idea next.
When I asked my son why he enjoyed this book so much it was a pretty
simple answer from him - the illustrations! He loved Jim Kay's
artwork which were taken from the illustrated editions. He said they
were "colourful, funny and looked just like them"
I think that this book would be a wonderful gift for any Harry
Potter lover, at any age, and also a great addition to a school
library to add more meaning and understanding to this popular
series. 10/10 from both myself and my Harry Potter obsessed child!
Lauren Fountain
Mallee boys by Charlie Archbold
Wakefield Press, 2017. ISBN 9781743055007
(Age: 13+) Teenaged Sandy and his older brother Josh live with their
father on a farm in Mallee country. These family members all love
and care for each other in a blokey household where wife and mother
Ellie is painfully missed following a fatal road accident. It is
clear that each person is lost in their own way and the household
barely manages to function at times when anger, hurt and frustration
rise up and smother respectful communication and cooperation.
Aside from the bereavement two years previously, the family members
struggle to deal with life's common challenges. Josh and his father
work hard to earn a meagre living by cropping the marginal land and
must manage with outdated and unreliable machinery, hard seasons and
limited liquidity. Sandy yearns to complete his final years of study
in Adelaide and applies to schools which can provide academic
content and support which he can't access at his local school. The
entrance examinations place a great deal of pressure upon both Sandy
and rejection letters diminish his self-esteem.
Importantly, the story also considers the position of both boys as
they try to meet girls and establish relationships in a setting
where the limited population offers little opportunity to make
friends with new people. I liked the way that awkwardness, lack of
confidence and heart-ache were portrayed so realistically within a
plot which presented every-day rural life simply and
unapologetically.
The characters in this novel are entirely authentic and the author
is clearly very familiar with the setting as she depicted them
fondly and respectfully, without resorting to stereotype. It was
pleasing to see that a vital plot development which strains
friendships and tests family relationships was exactly the kind of
event which could take place in a country setting. The resolution
and conclusion are similarly satisfying for being measured and
affirming.
This refreshing and intelligent story suits readers 13 and over.
Rob Welsh
Starlight Stables series by Soraya Nicholas
Brumby rescue, book 5. ISBN 9780143787440 Barmah brumbies, book 6. ISBN 9780143787433
Penguin, 2018.
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Themes: Friendship. Horses and horse
riding. Brumbies. Soraya Nicholas' Starlight Stables series
is packed full of fun, friendship and horses. Twelve-year-old Poppy,
Milly and Katie enjoy their weekends riding, caring for their
ponies, competing in events, camping out and experiencing new
adventures.
In Brumby rescue Poppy accompanies her Uncle Mark, a
veterinarian to a horse auction. Poppy enjoys listening to the
auctioneer, the buyers bidding on the horses as they are paraded
around the ring. She is alarmed at the fate of some older and
unwanted horses as they are sold to the Meat Man. Poppy passionately
bids on a wild brumby using all of her savings and some extra money
from her uncle. A new chapter in her life begins as she learns to
gain the wild horse's confidence with the assistance of her Aunt
Sophie. Poppy and her friends still enjoy cantering across the
country side on their horses, helping out in the stables and going
home each week for school. This story explores the dynamics of
taming a wild creature, shows the patience and resilience required,
and displays how family and friends help in tough times. Barmah brumbies continues with Poppy, Millie and Katie keen
to ride in the Barmah Muster. Aunt Sophie looks into the
possibilities and decides they will join in the Barmah Heritage Ride
instead, spending five days riding in the forest and camping in the
muster yards. There's the excitement of a one-day horse event before
they leave with Poppy and her pony Crystal winning the competition.
Poppy, Millie and Katie help at the campground, and Storm the brumby
seems to recognise the sounds and smells of this familiar country.
Aunt Sophie rides Storm while the girls love participating in the
ride on their ponies. Their decision to sneak out of camp and search
for the wild brumby herd causes problems as they become lost and
their uncle and aunty have to frantically search for them.
Soraya Nicholas shares her knowledge of horsemanship and the
responsibilities of being a horse owner in these exciting Australian
stories. Her characters are realistically portrayed, they struggle,
share their concerns and encourage one another. She brings the
countryside to life and shares her passion for wildlife rescue and
respect for the environment. The Starlight Stables series is
perfect for readers who like animal and nature novels and for horse
lovers.
Rhyllis Bignell
Bush birthday by Lorette Broekstra
Bush birthday. ISBN 9781925267051 Bush bedtime. ISBN 9781925267068
Allen and Unwin, 2018
(Age: 1-4) Themes: Counting. This is a new range of books featuring
a cast of ten Australian bush baby animals. The same cute, fluffy
baby animals with oversized heads and big eyes appear in both of the
books and the stories are short, playful and colourful. They
cleverly explore language and counting concepts and are therefore
perfect for early childhood settings. Bush bedtime counts from one to ten (ONE climbs up the tree,
And TWO climb down, etc.) and also features positional and
directional words (up, down, through, out, on, between, behind, by,
in, at). The number words and the focus vocabulary words are in a
different colour to encourage beginning word awareness. The story
begins with one animal setting out on a journey and on each page
another animal joins the group. At the end of the book all of the
animals find themselves at the billabong for platypus's birthday
party. Bush bedtime is opposite in that it counts backwards from ten
to one. It is a take on the classic rhyme Ten in the Bed, however,
this version starts off with "There are TEN out of bed". One by one,
the animals get sleepy so as "NINE crawl low" kookaburra sneaks off
to bed and as "TWO climb on the bed" wallaby tucks himself in. Once
"There are TEN in the bed, It's time to say... Goodnight!"
The animals are all smiley and having oodles of fun, making music,
bouncing high and dancing. This title also features adjectives (low,
high, loud, quiet, big, small), which are bolded and made to look
like their meaning (e.g. "high" is stretched upwards, while "low" is
stretched out sideways).
Nicole Nelson
Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Unearthed book 1. Allen and Unwin, 2017.
ISBN 9781760292157
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Science fiction. Adventure.
The Undying, an alien race, has left behind technology on Gaia, an
abandoned planet, that will save the earth and there is a race to
discover more of it. Jules Addison has come to Gaia as a scholar,
convinced by his father that there is a secret warning contained in
a message that tells of danger to those who uncover it. Meanwhile
Amelia (Mia) Radcliffe has won passage on a space ship because she
is a clever scavenger who just wants to make enough money to save
her sister back on Earth. When the two confront other scavengers
after their equipment, they decide to work together to find out the
secrets that the Undying have left behind.
From then on it is all action as the pair race across the planet
with the scavengers in hot pursuit. They have to pool their
abilities once they reach the hidden temple and the way they work
out the clues and avoid all the obstacles and traps makes for an
exciting read. Told in alternating chapters by Jules and Mia, the
reader gains an in-depth understanding of the character and
motivation of each and can sympathise with both as they work toward
such different goals. They are both intelligent and clever and
gradually see where the other is coming from and gain a measure of
trust. The snappy dialogue between the two is often funny and gives
the reader some relief from the ever present danger and action.
Even before I knew that Unearthed would be made into a film
I found myself agog with the sheer speed and action in the book and
could easily imagine it on the big screen. In fact it reminded me a
lot of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft movies and the story line would
have great appeal to audiences who enjoy the action adventure movie
and book. And the ending is sure to keep the reader waiting
impatiently for the next episode in the story.
Pat Pledger
Nicola Berry series by Liane Moriarty
Pan Macmillan, 2017. Nicola Berry and the petrifying problem with Princess Petronella.
ISBN 9781760554736 Nicola Berry and the shocking trouble on Planet Shobble. ISBN
9781760554743 Nicola Berry and the wicked war on the Planet of Whimsey.
ISBN: 9781760554750
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Humour, Space Travel, Competitions.
A trio of funny space travel books about Nicola Berry are
rereleased, after first appearing in 2009. Nicola Berry and the petrifying problem with Princess Petronella
is the first of this three-book outer space adventure series for
young readers written by adult author, Liane Moriarty. Each of the
books is about 200 pages long, with about 40 chapters, making it an
encouraging read for mid to upper primary readers.
Nicola Berry's life is changed completely when an odd looking man
from another planet, Globagaskar, comes to earth on an even odder
mission. This very tall person is on the lookout for someone to
travel back to his planet, where as the Earthling Ambassador, she
will try to convince the very spoilt princess on Globagaskar that
earth is not to be used as a waste disposal dump.
She is not sure that she has the wherewithal to convince the girl,
but off she goes with the blessing of Earth's inhabitants behind
her. And once on Globagaskar her confidence begins to ebb.
Moriarty has developed a fascinating premise, akin to The
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) where earth
is to be destroyed to make way for a super highway, and her
characters are bubbling with enthusiasm and self doubt tackling the
huge problem.
The other two in this fine series, Nicola Berry and the shocking
trouble on Planet Shobble and Nicola Berry and the wicked
war on the Planet of Whimsey were also first published in
2009, and have been rereleased as well.
They are just as funny as Nicola and her friends, The Space Brigade,
find themselves in all sorts of trouble, but in using their
considerable cleverness manage to elude their pursuers. Wonderfully
entertaining, hilarious and with lots of jokes about society's hang
ups, the series will be eagerly picked up by new readers.
Fran Knight
Tracy Lacy for Classy Captain! by Tania Lacy
Ill. by Danielle McDonald. Tracy Lacy bk 2. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN
9781760275969
(Age: 8-11) Themes: School Life, Humour, Friendship. Tania Lacy's
high octane character Tracy Lacy returns in Tracy Lacy for
Classy Captain! Time for Tracy to leave the familiarity of
primary school with all of its hideous experiences and humiliating
incidents and start fresh at Northwood High. Of course nothing goes
to plan, her very first day is a disaster, there's an embarrassing
situation at lunchtime, and Tracy inhales a blowfly and expels it in
a large snot tentacle which lands on Year 12 student Lisa Harmes'
uniform. Screaming and pandemonium occurs and Tracy decides to
either move to Latvia or stay at home for the rest of Hell School!
When the Year 7 Class Coordinator Mr Master announces there will be
a vote for a boy and girl class captain for the whole year level,
Tracy decides it is her time to shine. Her rival and arch-enemy from
primary school Victoria Fuller is there to thwart Tracy's dreams.
She shares Tracy's dreadful art drawing from her early days at
school, her rainbow pony Oomphoff who farts rainbows with the other
Year 7s. Poor Tracy Lacy is disgraced again. With her loyal friends
Ag and Ponky's support she bounces from one disaster to the next.
She even scores her Daily Working stats - Mood, Sucky Moments,
Unsucky Moments, and 'TRA-LA-FO-CLA-CA' or Tracy Lacy for Class
Captain moments.
Tania Lacy's over-the-top character Tracy Lacy's distinctive voice,
side thoughts and side-side thoughts with her unusual family and
laugh out loud school incidents make this an amusing novel. Danielle
McDonald's expressive caricatures add humour and liveliness to
Tracy's diary entries. With flourishes, starry borders, bold sized
text and an array of fonts, Tracy Lacy for Classy Captain is
a visually exciting novel. Themes of self-acceptance, resilience,
loyalty, puberty, coping with the transition to high school, family
life, making the right choices are included.
With a large dash of comedy and some cringe-worthy moments this
novel is just right for preteen readers both girls and boys.
Rhyllis Bignell
That inevitable Victorian thing by E.K. Johnston
Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2017. ISBN 9780735231597
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Alternative British Empire,
Diversity, Romance, Duty. Genetics. Readers will find themselves in
a very different political and scientific world when they encounter
Victoria-Margaret, a direct descendant of Queen Victoria who has
travelled incognito to Toronto to be presented as a debutante at her
cousin's ball. She is excited to have the opportunity to shed the
trappings of royalty and meet people as a normal young woman.
Helena, too has been invited to the debutante ball. She is the
daughter of a pre-eminent geneticist, and as her mother's daughter
must present a happy face even when uncertain in the social whirl of
tea parties and dances. August Callaghan is also in Toronto for the
ball and is overjoyed to be meeting Helena again, hoping to cement
their childhood attachment, even though he is frantic about the bad
decisions he has made about his family's shipping empire which is
under siege from pirates. The three discover an unusual bond, which
will fascinate the reader.
E.K. Johnston is an author who is not afraid to take risks and write
very original and thought provoking books. Her first book, The
Story of Owen : dragon slayer of Trondheim (2015 YALSA Best
Fiction for Young Adults (Top Ten), 2015 William C. Morris YA Debut
Award Nominee) grabbed my attention and I have followed this author
with interest since then. Her story of an empire that has been built
on making diverse genetic royal marriages instead of the princes and
princesses marrying white royalty from Europe is unique and raises
lots of questions about what the world would be like now if Queen
Victoria has made those decisions. Throughout the book are snippets
of conversations that Victoria-Margaret has on the net with the
partner that has been chosen for her as genetically compatible and
Helena too finds a partner who suits her genetic profile.
This is a novel that will challenge readers as they follow the well
described characters of Margaret, Helena and August who must make
some difficult decisions about their sexual orientation and duty as
they come of age.
Pat Pledger
