War child by Annette Janic with Catherine McCullagh
Big Sky Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9781925275599
(Age: Senior secondary 15+) War child is the intensely personal
story by Annette Janic which holds historical information uncovered
digging into her family history after the death of her mother,
Magdalena. Annette is a first generation Australian, her parents and
older brother arrived as refugees after World War 1.
The story focuses on Magdalena, Leni, is an illegitimate child born
pre-World War II in a small town in Germany. As a child, Leni and
her mother live in poverty, after being shunned by the townsfolk.
There is a lot of detail about her childhood that only the subject
could reveal. The novel has several focus areas, Leni's childhood,
joining the Hitler youth, shocking sexual abuse by an employer,
fleeing the Red Army and then migrating to Australia as a German
ex-pat in the 1950s and is written in three main parts. It is
important to note here that the sexual abuse is very graphic. While
the novel touches on many relevant topics of a senior school
Australian History curriculum, the way this biography is written
would frankly turn a lot of students off.
For the lover of true non-fiction prose, this novel went into
details which kept the reader interested and keen to find out more.
Although for others, the author's expressive prose would overwhelm,
particularly at the beginning. Part 3, The ending, promising
intrigue, seemed rushed. The story of Leni was interesting and would
appeal to those who enjoy personal stories and wartime history.
However, after being promised the thrill of unravelling secrets, I
found the ending a little bizarre.
Clare Thompson
Swan Lake by Anne Spudvilas
Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781743318454
(Age: all) Highly recommended. Themes: Fairy tale, Love, Sorcery,
Murray Darling. When the prince returns from hunting, he stops by a
lake and there sees a flight of swans land, emerging from the lake
as beautiful young women. They have been cursed by an evil sorcerer
to live out their lives as swans by day and human by night. The
prince is enchanted by the Swan Queen and professes his undying
love. But she can only appear in human form at midnight. The next
night is a ball in his honour where he must choose a bride. He
resolves to choose her at midnight, but the sorcerer presents his
daughter as the Swan Queen and mistakenly the prince is betrothed to
her.
The real Swan Queen goes back to her lake distraught, but the prince
realising his mistake, kills the sorcerer and finds her and together
they choose to be in the lake for all time.
This story has been well known for over a century, made famous by
the powerful ballet composed by Tchaikovsky, and presented in 1876
to a less than favourable reception. The story is said to be based
on Russian folk tales, particularly the tale of Odette the swan
queen held prisoner under the curse of a sorcerer.
In this book, the beautiful illustrations by Spudvilas will remain
with the reader. Printmaking in all its guises are used to create
graceful, elegant depictions of the swans, with contrasting
powerful, overwhelming images of the sorcerer and his daughter.
Looking closely at the pages, readers will be able to see how
Spudvilas has used various print techniques: collagraphs,
monoprints and etchings to create this magnificent book of images.
Each is distinctive and visually enticing, grabbing the reader as
the eye passes over each page, impelling the reader to look more
closely at each illustration. The contrast on many pages is between
the black and the white, the colours of the Swan Queen and the
sorcerer's daughter. Within the black are touches of red,
reinforcing the treachery of the sorcerer and his daughter, while
other small subtle colouring appears. Spudvilas has recently moved
to the Murray Darling, and it becomes obvious to the reader that the
story is framed by the foggy imagery of trees along the Murray, of
small islets, of tiny waterways, while the prince and his love are
taken by the swirling waters of the lake.
I spent a lot of time mesmerised by every page and I am sure all
readers will do the same, breathing in the atmospheric
illustrations, while in awe of the artistry involved.
Fran Knight
500 minutes of danger by Jack Heath
Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781743816493
(Age: 11+) Themes: Adventure, Danger, Science Fiction, Survival.
This action-packed book initially starts as a collection of short
stories all with an extreme adventure plot. But then it slowly
connects all of the 10 stories involving 10 intrepid teens in
situations of extreme danger into an ambitious disaster story
involving a scenario of epic proportions. Adrenalin rushes are
extreme for the protagonists and the reader, but the author's aim of
limiting the time action to just a 50 minute window for each
character, to create a total of 500 minutes of danger is extremely
inventive. It does also mean that the reader gets a chance to
breathe between chapters! I loved the tension in this book, and the
clarity that nothing could ever last longer than 50 minutes was also
exhilarating. 500 Minutes of Danger will definitely appeal to readers aged
11+ who love an adrenalin rush. The teen characters are able to use
their understanding of science and technology to solve problems
under pressure, so this will also appeal to those who enjoy
investigating the practical implications of their science learning.
Now I wish I had discovered this series sooner!
Carolyn Hull
Busy builders: Airport, awesome airport action by Timothy Knapman
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781925381443
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Airports, Building and construction,
STEM. A sturdy box containing a plastic bag of pieces to put
together to build an airplane, a book which explains all the facets
of life in an airport, and a group of jigsaw pieces to make the
runway, will fill in a wet afternoon for kids indoors or a small
group in a classroom. I enjoyed reading the book, which gives
information about what passengers need to do when they arrive at an
airport, then going on to security, baggage handling and getting
onto the plane through the air bridge. The book shows readers behind
the scenes, what happens to the luggage, how the plane is readied,
take off and flying then landing. It makes for an informative
read and will add to the group's knowledge about what happens in an
airport. A glossary at the end of the information pages recounts
some of the more unusual and specialised words with their meanings.
When the book is finished, instructions cover the next four pages
detail how the box and the pieces in the plastic bag can be used to
construct an airport and a helicopter and several planes.
I love the way the box becomes the airport building and the pieces
extend the runway in front of and behind the box. The sturdy pieces
in the box certainly spoke to me and I itched to take it all out and
give it a go, but will be equally delighted helping someone much
younger than me have fun with it.
Fran Knight
Unicorn princesses: Sunbeam's shine by Emily Bliss
Bloomsbury Children's books, 2017. ISBN 9781681193267
(Age: 5-10) Recommended. Cressida Jenkins' favourite thing is
unicorns. Cressida's dreams come true when she finds a real live
unicorn. Can she do as the unicorn princesses ask?
The characters in the story are the unicorn princesses, Cressida and
wizard-lizard. The characters in this book are interesting and some
of them are funny.
I think the plot makes sense and it is very interesting. The big
idea of this book is finding a human girl who believes in unicorns
to find the missing gem.
The settings of this book are in the woods behind Cressida house and
rainbow realm. The settings are creative and are described well in
the story as well as the pictures.
The style of the story in imaginary, the text is big and easy to
read. I like the style of this book.
I recommend this book for 5 to 10 year olds. If you like the series
of Rainbow magic by Daisy Meadows you will enjoy these
books.
Grace, Year 6
Unicorn princesses: Flash's dash by Emily Bliss
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2017. ISBN 9781681193304
(Age: 5-10) Recommended. Cressida is back in rainbow realm for
Flash's race the thunder dash. She is going to be the first human
girl in the thunder dash. But the silly wizard-lizard spell goes
wrong and the race track is covered in sticky pink goo.
The characters in this book are the unicorn princesses, Cressida and
the wizard-lizard. The characters are interesting and some are
funny.
The plot makes sense and is engaging.
The big idea was Cressida to run in the thunder dash and help clean
the track.
The settings are in the woods behind Cressida house and in the
rainbow realm. The setting isn't described as much as the first book
but is still really good.
The style of the book is fantasy and the text is big and easy to
read.
I recommend this book for 5 to 10 years old. If you like the series
of Rainbow magic by Daisy Meadows you will enjoy these
books.
Grace, Year 6
Dr Boogaloo and the girl who lost her laughter by Lisa Nicol
Random House Australia, 2017. ISBN 9780143782599
(Age: 8+) Dr Boogaloo was no ordinary doctor. Not at all like the
one you might visit if you had a sore tummy. No, Dr Boogaloo was a
very different type of doctor. He treated folks who suffered from
rather unusual complaints. And how did he treat them? Why, with the
most powerful medicine known to mankind... Music!
Blue was no ordinary girl. For starters, her name was Blue. But what
was truly extraordinary about Blue was the fact that she hadn't
laughed for 712 days. Not a hee hee, a ho ho or even a tiny tee hee.
According to Dr Boogaloo, music can cure anything. (Of course, you
need the right dose of the right music. No point listening to a jive
if you're in need of some boogie-woogie, and you can't just
substitute a toot for a blow!) But no laughter was definitely a case
for alarm.
Can Dr Boogaloo compose a cure before Blue loses her laughter
forever?
This was certainly a different book to any that I have ever read. I
thought to begin with it may be quirky, along the lines of some
Roald Dahl books. But as the book unfolded it began to develop its
own little personality. It is indeed a quirky tale that dabbles in
the world of nonsense. It is an enchanting tale that describes the
dramas Blue encounters as she desperately tries to get her laughter
back. Simple humour is intertwined with a sense of positivity as we
are all encouraged to rise to challenges presented to us and persist
even though it may be difficult. This book would appeal to children
who are 8 years and up.
Kathryn Schumacher
The second sky by Patrick Guest and Jonathan Bentley
Little Hare Books, 2017. ISBN 9781760127985
Pat Guest is at his least verbal and most powerful in his latest
picture book, The second sky.
Gilbert's desiring begins the instant he... 'peeked out from his
egg and saw the sky for the first time.' Henceforth, the baby
penguin is always looking up and aspiring to inhabit that space
shared by the moon, stars and seabirds.
He is singularly persistent, changing tactics when necessary and
ignoring naysayers, until finally his failure is spectacularly
immutable. But at rock bottom, Gilbert's perspective is altered. His
natural penguin strengths permit him all the beauty, weightlessness
and freedom he originally sought in the sky.
Jonathan Bentley's blue toned watercolours are the melody for
Patrick's lyrics and somehow reminiscent of David Armitage's
cheerier Lighthouse keeper's lunch illustrations. This new
literary partnership, should be as loudly lauded as that classic
penned by Ronda Armitage. A quality literary addition to every
Junior Fiction collection.
Deborah Robins
Dork diaries: Crush catastrophe by Rachel Renee Russell
Simon & Schuster, 2017. ISBN 9781471168017
(Age: 9+) This is the 12th instalment of Dork Diaries. In
this book we see Nikki Maxwell and her BFFs counting down until the
end of the school year. Nikki thinks she has her summer all figured
out, with lots of fun plans to hang out with her friends and her
crush, Brandon. It's going to be perfect! Squeee!
But then a new boy turns up at school and shows an interest in Nikki
and things become confusing super-quickly! The last thing Nikki
wants to do is hurt Brandon... What do you do when you
accidently crush your crush?! Crush catastrophe will be another much-loved addition to the
Dork Diaries series. It is lighthearted and as usual Nikki
is dragged through embarrassment after embarrassment so the young
reader does not have to experience it herself! It also opens the
door to experiences the girls may encounter as they approach middle
school. The cartoonish illustrations interspersed throughout the
text allow for the less confident reader to tackle the novel.
Although some children younger than 9 may be able to decode the
book, I think the content is really appropriate for children older
than this. Another must-have book to add to the collection of Dork Diaries.
Kathryn Schumacher
Two enchanted tales from old China retold by Gabrielle Wang
Ill. by David Allan. Christmas Press, 2017. ISBN 9780994528025
(Age: 6-8) A must have for the library. In the starry heavens two
young people fall in love, only to be parted. A lonely mistreated
girl finds herself at a ball in a dress made of silk . . .
Two beautiful, magical tales from China, The Weaver Girl and the
Cowherd and The Magic Fishbones enchantingly retold by
Gabrielle Wang and elegantly illustrated by David Allan.
The book contains two entertaining tales accompanied by beautiful
illustrations. The Weaver Girl and the Cow Herd, is about
two stars in the heavens that fall in love. The granddaughter of the
Heavenly Empress, Zhinu, the weaver girl, is responsible for
separating the two lovers. Niulng is sent to the land of mortals
where he finds himself in a farming family, having no memory of the
past. However he does feel a connection with the stars. Niulng's
loyal Ox is not ordinary and he finds himself guided by its wisdom
in search of a bride. The Magic Fish Bones is set in Chin, an ancient country where
Ye Xian was a slave to her stepmother and stepsister after her
father dies. I hear voices drawing similarities to Cinderella.
However, this story stands alone on its own merit with a totally
different ending. Ye Xian has a fish with golden scales which she
loves and tends too. As the fish grows too big, she releases it into
a nearby pond. Each day Ye Xian calls the fish to the edge of the
pond and gives it treats. Her dreadful stepmother kills the fish,
but Ye Xian realises the bones are magic.
I can see these Chinese traditional tales fitting in beautifully
with units about Ancient Civilisations. They are presented in easy
to understand language - although the sentences are long and
descriptive. These tales will entertain children from six years old
and up. These stories will linger and would appeal to 6 - 8 years
although they are in picture book form. The sentences are long and
detailed. A must have for the library that will sit nicely on the
shelf alongside other books in the series.
Kathryn Schumacher
My side of the diamond by Sally Gardner
Hot Keys books, 2017. ISBN 9781471406430
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Science fiction,
Friendship, Anorexia, Artificial intelligence. A lone girl at
school, Becky writes in her journal constantly, so much so that
Jazmin grabs the book and reads it. She comes across an amazing
story, one she insists the girl should share online. But when
Becky's mother, Ruth reads it she gives it to a publisher and it is
published, selling millions of copies, making the family well off,
Becky retreats. Becky and Jazmin no longer see each other so when
Ruth invites Jazmin to spend the holidays at the beach with her
daughter, she is at first reluctant, but on seeing the state of
Becky relents and goes, adamant that she will make her eat.
This very unusual story takes many turns, inviting the reader to
think they are perhaps reading a supernatural novel, a mystery,
science fiction, a story about UFO's, a romance, or tale of
anorexia. It is none of these, and yet contains elements of each. So
be prepared for the unexpected.
The story centres around sessions between several of the
protagonists and a researcher, Mr Jones, who listens to each of
their stories in turn, Gardner putting us in the place of the
researcher; listening to, weighing up and judging each of the
stories, sifting through each of their perspectives on what really
happened.
Becky is transfixed by the story of Skye and Lazarus who disappeared
after jumping from the dome of St Paul's Cathedral some years
before. Their bodies never hit the ground and yet a man, Icarus, is
in prison for their murders. It is he that Becky wants to interview
while they are on holiday in Suffolk. And she does, becoming
involved with him in the oddest of ways. She and Jazmin become
involved with his story and when letting a stranger out of the
locked cupboard, must run for their lives.
Icarus must leap into the unknown and wants Becky to go with him,
and in so doing, relegates Jazmin to a life of suspicion and
rejection by her peers. The reader is hooked into reading to the end
to find out just what is going on.
Fran Knight
Katinka's tail by Judith Kerr
HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780008255299
(Age: 4+) Cats, Difference, Fantasy. An older woman and her cat live
an uneventful life. Each morning the cat climbs the creeper on the
outside of the house so that when the woman opens the curtains,
there she is. They play together, then cat follows the woman to the
shops and waits for her to return, helping her unpack the groceries.
At night Katinka goes out into the forest and in the morning the
woman must clean up the dead mice on the kitchen floor. As they walk
people often stop to admire the cat, commenting on its tail. Some
are even rude about the cat.
But the two are fond of each other and do all sorts of things
together. One night the woman wakes and looks out of the window to
see her cat being chased by a number of other animals. She follows
the throng to find that Katinka's tail has become a golden beacon,
and they fly up into the clouds.
The woman eventually lands back in bed and when she wakes the next
morning, Katinka is there, outside her window with the same golden
tail that she saw during the night.
This magical tale will enchant younger readers for whom magic is
simply a part of their world. The ordinary cat becomes something
more when during the night the tail takes on magical qualities and
the group flies into the sky. The woman is easily recognised by
readers as an archetype Grandma, in her sensible shoes, fluffy
slippers, and teapot on the table. Children will be enchanted by her
as they appreciate the attributes of the woman and her companion.
Fran Knight
Last hours by Minette Walters
Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760294984
(Age: secondary to adult) Highly recommended. Themes: Crime, Black
Death, Medieval life and times, Murder. Long time crime fiction
writer; Minette Walters, has turned to historical fiction in this
new book, destined to be a series about the advent of the plague in
rural England in the fourteenth century. Set in the small community
of Develish, where Lord Richard rules with an iron fist, some two
hundred serfs farm the strips of land outside the manor walls, owing
allegiance to their lord in the sharing of grain and produce from
their labour. His wife, Lady Anne hates her husband and is in daily
conflict with their haughty, spoilt daughter, Eleanor, but when the
plague comes to the village, the girl's spitefulness seemingly has
no bounds. When Lord Richard leaves for the neighbouring manor
house, there to trade his daughter in marriage his entourage is
racked by the pestilence that has moved over the county of Dorset.
He and a few of his retainers make it back to Devilish, but are
stopped at the moat. Hearing of the ravages of the disease, Lady
Anne has issued orders that no one will be allowed in, lest they
spread the plague to her people, now all crowded into the manor
house and its surrounds within the wall and the moat.
From here, Lady Anne manoeuvres her way into ruling the manor and
the villagers, nominating one of them, Thaddeus, as a steward, and
fighting the machinations of her daughter, those opposed to what she
is doing, the former steward recently hired by her husband, and
Thaddeus' lazy family. Having some two hundred people living
together, and knowing little of what is happening outside, a murder
causes intense concern and it is up to Thaddeus to unravel the
mystery. But it appears that Eleanor may be too close to the murder
for his comfort, so he takes the five young men implicated in the
affray and they leave the manor to look for food and information.
This is a wonderfully involving look at one community and its
attempts to keep the plague out of its midst. The minutiae of life
lived in such close confines, with people at once suspicious and
very fearful, struggling to fill their long days, each day seeing
the food supplies running down, and a priest who is little help,
shows readers what life for many must have been like in 1348 when
probably half of Britain's population died.
This story is a marvelous reconstruction of life in Medieval times,
recalling the harsh lives led by the serfs ad their families, owing
their lives to an insensitive, ignorant and over bearing man who
only sees them as his slaves. to do with as he bids.
A fascinating insight into the background of Walter's writing of the
book is given in this interview.
Fran Knight
The angry chef: Bad science and the truth about healthy eating by Jay Rayner
One world, 2017. ISBN 9781786072160
(Age: 16+). Recommended. Diets. Nutrition. Scientific thinking. Jay
Rayner is the angry chef - he is angry about the false claims and
misconceptions peddled by the fad diet industry. He begins the book
with the story of the Easter lapwing. He describes the spring-time
discovery of hares often alongside scraped nests of colourful eggs -
giving birth to the medieval myth of the Easter bunny. However the
eggs had not been laid by the frolicking hares but by the elusive
wetland bird, the lapwing. People were fooled by the correlation of
hares and eggs and jumped to their own conclusions. It is human
nature to see correlation and assume causation - overlooking the
many possible confounding factors.
In his explose of fad diets, Ray presents many examples of mistaken
beliefs and pseudo-science, examples of mischievous hares sat next
to a pile of colourful eggs. He exposes the false science behind
each diet: from gluten-free, alkaline, detox, sugar-free,
carbohydrate-free, paleo, to the promotion of the wonder foods of
coconut oil and antioxidants, the dangers of the facile ideas of
clean eating, GAPS diet and cancer cures, the demonisation of
processed foods, the simplistic concept of good vs bad food. He
rants with anger at the false claims, the bullshit, and the fake
gurus that people seem to blindly follow, but his anger is tempered
with a good dose of humour that often made me laugh out loud.
And if there is anywhere to lay the blame for all this - it is our
education system. Instead of teaching scientific facts, he argues
that our science courses should be teaching the scientific method -
the need to look for and respect evidence and an understanding of
what constitutes proof. Science should teach children to doubt and
to question, and to learn about concepts such as 'regression to the
mean'. He says
'We should be trying to produce children who understand that
correlation is not always causation, that anecdotes are not
evidence, that a theory is not something dreamed up in a pub, and
that interesting results are often wrong.'
If you are curious about the food theories, he lays it all bare, in
an easy to read manner. I could imagine any of the chapters being
taken as a case study for a science class to examine the theories
and test the evidence. Rayner presents the statistics, the theories
and the laughs, and above all he promotes guilt-free enjoyment of
one of the great pleasures of life - food.
Helen Eddy
The secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton
Flying Eye Books, 2017. ISBN 9781911171256
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Environment, Interdependence,
Lighthouses, Shipping, Mountains. Erin Pike lives with her mother
and dog, Archie, near by a large fishing village. Here sailors tell
tales about Black Rock, stories that make people's hair curl. It is
said that the mountain in the sea could move at will, and when it
does it scratches ships as they pass by, its sides as sharp as a
swordfish. It is able to smash a ship to pieces and is something to
be feared. But Erin wants to see for herself. Often she hides on
mum's boat but Archie always sniffs her out, but one day she hides
herself so well, he misses her. When the boat passes by the rock,
Erin topples into the sea, falling straight down into the gloomy
waters by the rock. She is amazed to see such a variety of fishes
and anchors, and when a hand reaches down and lifts her back up to
the surface, and returns her to shore, no one believes Erin's story.
But one day the ships go out with equipment needed to destroy Black
Rock.
Erin rows out to the rock and stands on the claw that is ready to
chew up Black Rock. Suddenly all the fish that live beneath and
around Black Rock come to the surface shimmering in the moonlight.
The sight changes the fishermen's plan, and the rock is saved.
This delightful story tells of the interdependence between people
and their environment, of the duality of our relationship with the
earth on which we live
A modern folk tale, the story has a mythic quality that will be
eagerly read by younger readers, relishing being part of the
adventure undertaken by Erin to see something for herself, and then
bravely going out to save the rock.
The illustrations reflect the old movies of Saturday afternoon
cinemas in the suburbs, with the circles of pictures, the
highlighting of the action within a circle, the large bleak shots of
the ships coming with their appalling equipment to destroy the rock.
The retro appearance of the book is eye catching and will appeal to
younger readers.
Fran Knight
