Reviews

Running on empty by S. E. Durrant

Nosy Crow, 2018. ISBN 9780857637406
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Disability. Athletics. Family. Grief and loss. Persistence and perseverence. AJ is a pretty normal kid, trying to work out life after the death of his loving and gracious grandfather - a man who was a mentor and an inspiration in his life. This grandfather had created a passion for running in AJ's life and he was desperate to honour his grandfather's memory by continuing to run. And... his parents have learning difficulties. Because of this AJ is very much missing his grandfather's support, because now he has to take on even more responsibility and try and avoid any bills that 'have red' on them. AJ also has an Aunty, Uncle and young cousin, Aisha, in his life. None of them have a problem with AJ's parents - they are all just people trying to do their very best; and Aisha just brings joy wherever she goes with her innocent enthusiasm and honesty. This is the story of the pre-teen AJ as he adjusts and strives and copes with supporting and caring for his parents, while trying to make them proud and protecting them from the worst of reactions from those outside the family, including his school teachers. AJ also has the added fear that if anyone finds out that Grandfather can no longer help them, that he might have to be taken into care. His growth and budding maturity is hinted at in his insights into how others may react, and in his own misdirected responses to those around him, but he lacks the discernment that would save him from some pain.
This is a beautiful story of unconditional love, of people doing their absolute best in the most trying of circumstances and of one young boy's fierce loyalty in the face of loss and great difficulty. This is a book that will inspire, as AJ only knows the richness of the love he shares in his family. AJ and his parents' honourable simplicity and naivete will be evident to an older reader, and this makes this a book that can be enjoyed by older readers. Just as the two books, The boy in the striped pyjamas and Wonder communicate complex ideas through a naive narrator, this book speaks with incredible power through the youthful voice. A pair of running shoes becomes a powerful symbol of love, hope and care. This is a 'must read' book, and will be enjoyed by all who pick it up to read. And please allow young teenagers to read it too, because they will recognise the themes, but also be buoyed by the persistence of AJ and his parents despite their lack of privilege.
Highly recommended for ages 10+
Carolyn Hull

Tropical Terry by Jarvis

Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406378627
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Difference. Friendship. Coral reef. Fish. Terry is an unexciting blue fish swimming amongst the coral of a coral reef. His large eye watches as the beautiful, differently coloured coral fish swim by and longs to be with them. They seem to have all the fun as they swim by in a large group, showing off their plumage and colours. But Terry's friends, Cilla the crab and Steve the sea snail, tell him not to worry but to keep playing with them. They play hide a fish (which Terry is very good at as he blends into the background so well) and dodge a dolphin, while the coral fish above swirl around and around. Terry is dismayed, so he takes a fish net and gathers up a lot of seaweed, asking his friends to help make him look more interesting.
When they finish making him up, he looks stunning, equaling the coral fish in appearance and they accept him as one of their own.
The brilliantly coloured illustrations reveal the secrets of a coral reef with its large numbers of brightly coloured fish, the corals and seaweed alongside the other sea animals. The colours are engaging and younger readers will enjoy picking out all the different things they can see.
But with Terry gamboling amongst the coral fish, going around and around, a hungry eel passes by targeting the brightest fish he can see, Terry. Terry must avoid being eaten and his friends Cilla and Steve call out to him helping him escape the eel.
All ends happily as the coral fish come to realise that appearance is not all it's cracked up to be, and readers will be able to discuss concepts such as difference, envy, friendship and keeping up with the crowd.
Fran Knight

Pig in a wig by Chrissie Krebs

Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781742762654
(Age: 3-7) Pig in a wig by Chrissie Krebs is a story about a pig who happens upon a wig and gets chased by all the usual suspects you would find on a farm. It follows a pretty simple rhyming pattern, with a few fun words thrown in like gnarly, glorious and shrieking. In essence the story is funny and likeable - pig wears a wig, gets chased by shocked and scared barnyard friends, in the end a long procession is in chase, then just as they gain on him the wig falls off and they run straight past!
The issue that we had when we read it (miss 3 and master 7) was the illustrations. They are frankly a bit scary! The faces of all the animals are either angry or looking frightening with eyes looking in different directions and tongues hanging out flapping in the wind. My youngest said that this was the only part of the book she didn't really like (the farmer had 'crazy eyes') but that the pig was funny. Master 7 liked that he could read the text, and enjoyed learning the fun words that are thrown in.
Overall, I have to say that unfortunately I wouldn't choose this for my library or personal collection. The illustrations put me off and I feel that they are too over the top for the intended audience. 2 out of 5 stars.
Lauren Fountain

Hello, Horse by Vivian French

Ill. by Catherine Rayner. Nature Story Book. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406349948
(Age: 5-10) Highly recommended. Themes: Horses, Fear. Another in the highly successful and exceptionally well produced series, "Nature Story Book", comes a heart-warming story from popular author Vivian French and illustrated by Kate Greenaway Medal winner Catherine Rayner. With two such talents, the book can only be beautiful!
The little boy featured in the story meets Shannon, a big brown horse. Initially he is intimidated by the size of Shannon but Catherine reassures him that the horse is very friendly and gentle. As the story develops the boy learns much about horses and gradually overcomes his fear. By the end of the story the reader sees the little boy riding along a leafy lane.
On most double page spreads, not only is there the fiction story, but in different print, there is information about horses' behaviour, their size, what they eat and how to groom them. At the back is an index that tells the reader to look at both sets of type when finding a word, and there is a 'More Information' section.
As a lover of horses, it was immediately evident to me that the author and illustrator knew and loved horses and this was confirmed by the 'Author's Note' at the end of the book, which states that Shannon the lovely bay mare featured in the book is real and has belonged to Catherine for more than twenty years. Catherine's water colour illustrations of Shannon the horse are delightful and the horse's gentle inquisitive nature comes to life as the little boy gradually gets to know her.
This such a beautiful story that begs to be read aloud at home and in the classroom. Readers will not only learn about horses but the story would help children who are fearful of such a large animal and those familiar with horses will revel in the details found in the book.
Pat Pledger

My encounters with minibeasts by Densey Clyne

New Holland Publishers, 2018. ISBN 9781925546170
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Insects, Spiders, Frogs, Non fiction. A wonderful beautifully illustrated book about the creepy crawlies that abound in our houses and gardens and further afield is presented by well known insect aficionado, Densey Clyne. Known for her work, writing books, writing scripts for documentaries as well as broadcasting, Densey has produced over thirty publications dealing with the insect world and beyond. This book offers thirty five stories of her life with these animals. Wonderful to dip into, to read from cover to cover or use the four pages of index to research your favourite insect, the book is a treasure trove of information and story, each complementing the other for the reader.
From "Secrets of the High Country" to "A Short Walk in Papua New Guinea", the stories are personal, often simply told form her experiences in her own garden. Her close study of the mistletoe tree for example gives us an entertaining look at the insects which use this tree as their home. ("Mistletoe and friends")
And the chapter on the phasmid or goliath stick insect (A phasmid of colour and character) will interest students in keeping these insects as pets, while the symbiotic nature of insects is nowhere more telling than in her the tale of the ant and the imperial Blue Butterfly. The butterfly pays its eggs near the ants' nest, the ants then protecting the larvae when they are hatched from the eggs. ("You scratch my back" . . .)
Each chapter is detailed and entertaining, reflecting Clyne's interest and knowledge of the insect world, and readers will appreciate the chatty, personal style that she uses to inform the readers. This is a wonderful reference book, but is also easy to read, the photographs wonderful to look at more closely and the chapters short and to the point.
Fran Knight

I got a chicken for my birthday by Laura Gehl

Ill. by Sarah Horne. CarolRhoda Books, 2018. ISBN 9781512431308
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Poultry, Birthdays, Presents. Ana really wants tickets to the amusement park for her birthday and she has told her abuela (grandmother) three times. But the day of her birthday arrives with a large gift wrapped crate and inside is a chicken. She is disappointed, but realises that she needs to feed it, and going to do just that, the chicken displays a sign saying she has no time for food. Ana thinks that perhaps she likes scrambled eggs, but going to the chicken she has another sign telling her that she has no time for laying eggs, and gives Ana a huge list of things to collect and buy.
When all the things are amassed for the chicken, she spends her time with pencil and ruler, working out dimensions, and then roping in Ana's dog to help. Next she has the cat working as well. The hamster becomes the tractor driver, and lots of other animals call in to help. Readers will be agog to see what the chicken is building, as lengths of wood are hoisted into the air, and a framework built.
By now readers will be making guesses at what they will eventually find, and laugh out loud at the illustrations showing the animals donning builder's belts, hard hats and wielding building tools for the task.
Readers will have guessed that Ana's abuela has given her what she wanted for her birthday but in a more roundabout way than she expected.
The vibrant illustrations are full of humour, reflecting the disappointment Ana holds in not getting what she wanted, but intrigued with what the chicken and the other animals are doing.
Young readers will love picking out the various farmyard animals portrayed, and recognise aspects of building and the equipment needed for such a task.
I particularly love the look on the chicken's face as she goes about her task, especially when capped with a safety helmet.
Fran Knight

Along came a different by Tom McLaughlin

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408888926
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Difference, Rules, Shapes. The Red shapes loved being red. They loved wearing red hats, eating red apples and sang red songs. But along cam some Yellow shapes. They loved being yellow, eating yellow bananas, yellow books and yellow cars. But the two groups found fault with each other, forcing each other to make areas for themselves separate from each other. But then along came another different, this time, a Blue shape. The Blue shapes loved their blue guitars and blow ties, but ran foul of the other two shapes, the red and the yellow.
The three groups then separated themselves from each other, making rules about what they could and could not do.
By now readers and listeners will have realised that the story is telling us about how we separate ourselves from others, making rules and regulations to further restrict interaction. Younger readers will be able to see that rules often divide, but be heartened when a new group comes along in the book, overturning all the rules made by the first three groups.
The new group is quite different, reflecting all the colours that have gone before, and talking to the three shapes, encouraging interaction, communication and friendship. Children will easily see that discussion and communication is better than making rules which only serve to divide. Being different does not mean that we have to make rules to divide us from our friends.
Fran Knight

Marge and the secret tunnel by Isla Fisher

Ill. by Eglantine Ceulemans. Marge in charge series, bk 4. Piccadilly Press, 2018. ISBN 9781848127333
(Ages: 6-8) Themes: Babysitting, Family Life, Adventures. Isla Fisher's amusing stories about flamboyant Marge the babysitter and her unique style of babysitting Jake and Jemima are fun to read aloud and just right for a newly independent reader to enjoy. These three short stories involve a secret tunnel that might lead to Australia, Marge's unusual shopping techniques and a rather crazy search for Clover the lost kitten.
In "Marge and the Secret Tunnel", when Marge arrives to babysit Jemima and Jake, she's wearing a pink ski suit, goggles and a helmet, the perfect outfit to explore the secret tunnel Jemima's discovered in the backyard. Marge shares some Australian slang and some fantastic palace stories as they travel through the dark space into their neighbours' yard. They solve the mystery of their disappearing toys and make a new friend Angie.
Marge's unique style, singing ability and unusual approach to shopping makes for a fun adventure for Jake and Jemima. Racing shopping trolleys down an empty mall and discovering what happens when the shopping centre is locked for the night make for more silly escapades.
In the final story, Angie's fluffy, white kitten Clover is lost and Marge and the children decide to play detectives.
Isla Fisher's entertaining stories are just right for young newly independent readers. Marge's unique fashion sense, her entertaining ways and ability to turn the ordinary into humorous and fun activities make her a loveable character. Eglantine Ceulemans' cartoons add to the fun of the stories.
Rhyllis Bignell

Found by Fleur Ferris

Random House Australia, 2018. ISBN 9780143784326
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Thriller, Secrets. Beth Miller has lived in Deni all her life and she loves the country town atmosphere, her friends and her sporting activities. Her only problem is telling her over protective father that she has a boyfriend, Jonah. Then her father disappears before her eyes and soon she is running for her life. Her family's secrets have finally caught up with them, bringing danger and mayhem. Ferris has written a gripping suspenseful novel that fans of her books will grab and devour in one sitting. There is plenty of action as Beth tangles with armed killers and tries to come to terms with what she learns about her mother and father. This would make an exciting movie, but it is not all action and spills. Beth is a great heroine - she is strong and well prepared by her father for the day when the past catches up with the family, but she has to come to terms with lies and learn to forgive as well. The setting of a small country town is beautifully wrought and the friendships and lives of Beth's friends and acquaintances are so well described that the reader will feel they know the town and its people. The idea of a safe house under a dry dam is tantalising and readers will be engrossed as they follow Beth's wild race along the irrigation channels in the farmland. Told in the first person by Beth with alternating chapters in Jonah's voice, the narrative goes along at a fast pace and the reader gets to know these two characters very well, as they cope with exceptional circumstances as well as try to keep their relationship alive. A real page turner with lots of emotional moments as well, "Found" is sure to be a hit with teens.
Pat Pledger

Out of the cages by Penny Jaye

Rhiza Edge, 2018. ISBN 9781925563412
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Meena and Putali are two young girls living in impoverished rural families in Nepal with no hope of schooling or any kind of future away from the daily toil that is their life. Meena's father is a drunk who beats her regularly and Putali's father has disappeared. So when Meena's boy cousins tell them about exciting job opportunities in the city, it seems like an escape from all their problems. Putali will be able to send money to help her mother.
However it is not long before they find that Meena's uncle has lied to them, there are no waitressing jobs; they are trafficked to a brothel in India, prized for their beauty, fair skin and youth - Putali is only 11. As the littlest ones, they are kept in secret rooms, in a hotel with caged windows. They have to pay off their debt, the purchase price the Madam has paid for them.
Penny Jaye's novel shows just how easily young girls can fall prey to the deception of traffickers; we understand the girls' hopes, disillusionment and despair, as they find themselves in a trap without any chance of escape. Fortunately there are services working to save sex slaves - and at great risk to herself one of the workers manages to get Meena to a hospital and to the Little Sister Rescue Foundation. Whilst Meena is initially distrustful of everyone, she gradually realises that she is one of the lucky ones. But it is not an easy path to find trust and friendship again, she will always carry the guilt of what happened to Putali.
The Rhiza Edge website has information about the story behind "Out of the cages". There is also a YouTube video of the author speaking about the themes of the book. Every year thousands of people - women, men and children - are trafficked across the Nepali border, sold into slavery in India, in China, Thailand, Dubai, even Australia. The focus of Jaye's book is the hard path back - to rehabilitation, to home, to finding friends and to finding one's own self worth again. The book quickly draws in the reader, and while the topic may be dark, it is does offer hope that there are people working together to help bring an end to slavery.
Helen Eddy

LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff

Lifelike book 1. Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760295691
(Age: 15+) Recommended for adrenaline junkies. Themes: Dystopian fiction, Robots, Artificial intelligence, Memory, Extrasensory perception. This book grabbed me right from the first page where the reader meets Eve, a prisoner in a cell, who has to watch her family being killed one by one. From then on, the story takes the reader on a wild ride, with Eve fighting a in a robot gladiator that she has built herself, only to find that she can destroy electronics with the power of her mind, having the Brotherhood chasing her across the barren landscape for her weirdness and then finding an android named Ezekiel who claims to have known her from the past. With her best friend Lemon Fresh and a little robot called Cricket, she treks across irradiated glass trying to find her grandfather who has been taken away by androids.
Time just flew away as I followed Eve's journey. There is so much action, fighting and violence as well as some slight romance and heart breaking moments, that the book will hold the attention of all readers who like a fast paced sci-fi thriller. For those who have read Asimov's book "I, Robot", the whole idea of robots and artificial intelligence will be questioned as the androids in "LIFEL1K3", change the 3 laws of robotics and start questioning what they can do.
Kristoff brings his characters to life, especially Eve's friend Lemon Fresh, whose delightful wit brings much humour to the story. The robots' characters are so well developed that they seem like real people and this also makes that reader think about where artificial intelligence could lead the world.
With a totally unexpected twist at the end, readers will be sure to pick up the next in the series and I for one, will be reading some of Kristoff's previous award winning series, "The Lotus War" and the "Illuminae files" written with Amie Kaufman.
Pat Pledger

Skylarks by Karen Gregory

All of this is true by Lygia Day Penaflor

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408890936
(Age: 15+) Unusually scripted, this novel is not constructed in the common form of a novel related by a known or unknown narrator. Daring to be quite different, this new form of storytelling is constructed through the use of a various personal and written interactions, using narrative accounts of experiences, scripted interactions and television interviews. As we read the individual 'parts', we are challenged to build a story of the events, as we understand them to have happened, and it is in our recognition of what we gather that appears to be a valid account of the truth of the events as we think they have occurred. We are certainly drawn into the world of the text by what we realize as the wrongful use of data, collected without the permission of the characters concerned.
Its 'story-telling' methods consist of television interviews of people involved in the events, of other apparently on-line interviews, of excerpts from a New York magazine, of one character's story, and of passages from the novel that engendered the whole 'story' that we gather as it emerges. It is through these repeated models that Penaflor chronicles events, past and present, to construct her book. We construct our idea of the story, and indeed of what we decide is 'truth' or 'lies', and indeed of the element of 'betrayal', by linking what we discover in the various models.
The novel begins with the script of a television interview and the story evolves through each passage, as the novel segues between the various models. The narrative is constructed through articles in the New York City Magazine, interviews of characters involved in the 'story' by unrevealed interviewers, excerpts from a new book written by this television interviewer, using, illegally, it is alleged, the adolescents' opinions and stories, as gleaned from the TV 'chats'. Added to this is the questioning of the young people involved by an unnamed interviewer, through which we glean sufficient understanding to create a 'story', As readers, we work to make sense of the events, and thus we are drawn into the affront felt by the characters, those emotional responses of those whose words, in interviews, were used by the writer of the novel, without permission, to construct her new novel.
Complex, challenging and emotive, this new work is powerful, set absolutely in the world of modern media, both private and public, and responding to the ideas of betrayal and loyalty, and of naivety. Penaflor has created a 'text' that is very vibrant, and reflects that part of life where adolescents must decide on their set of values, of aspirations, of what matters in this world, of who they are and what they will become, and most of all, what they will value. This is appropriate for adolescents, and would be apt for adults, especially those who work with young people.
Elizabeth Bondar

Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts

Piatkus, 2018. ISBN 9780349417820
(Age: Adult) Recommended. Themes: Mass shooting. Mystery and suspense. Romance. The best-selling author Roberts has tackled a very timely and difficult topic in "Shelter in Place". The book opens with a very gripping and horrifying chapter in Part one, Innocence Lost, where Roberts introduces her main character, 16 year old Simone, who is the witness to the terrible carnage of a mass shooting at DownEast Mall, outside Portland, Maine. She is the first responder, after seeing what was happening in the cinema, managed to hide and contact police. Because of this there was a quick response and although the massacre lasted only eight minutes there were many deaths. The actions of other survivors were also described, including that of Reed Quartermaine and his friend the manager of a video store, and Essie a police woman.
In Part 2 of the book, Roberts follows the effects that the shootings had on the survivors, describing how each managed to live with the memories as they grew into adults. Reed became a detective dedicated to the law, Simone found an outlet in her art and Essie continued to mentor young police, while yet another survivor lived in anger. But there is one person who wanted all the survivors to die, and this person is plotting to bring them all down. Part 3 concentrates more on the growing romance between Simone and Reed, but there are many tense moments there as well. The villain of the story is drawn as a chilling, heartless person, and her intelligence and cunning make it very difficult to hide from her.
Roberts is a master of romantic suspense and this is another of her novels that can't be put down. She builds up the tension to fever pitch and she gives the reader a thorough idea of what it would be like to live through a massacre and then endure the after effects of it.
Pat Pledger

Miss Lily's lovely ladies by Jackie French

Harper Collins Publishers, 2017. ISBN 9781460753583
This is a lovely story about love and high society and what women were able to achieve during the war. Sophie Higgs is the daughter of Australia's king of corned beef. She finds herself in Europe learning how to be a lady, with a selection of other upper class girls. As she gets to the end of her season war breaks out. Sophie is forced to make decisions she never thought she would have to make, about love and life.
Miss Lily teaches the girls the skills of how to charm a man in a variety of situations, and little does Sophie know how important what Miss Lily teachers her will be in the future.
This book highlights the efforts and the courage of the women who played a vital role in the war efforts during the First World War. It also highlights the hidden heroism that many women did during the war years with little recognition and little thought of themselves.
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next book in the series.
Karen Colliver