Reviews

The Cull by Tony Park

Macmillan Australia, 2017. ISBN 9781743548455
(Age: Senior Fiction - not appropriate for students under 16.) Former mercenary Sonja Kurtz is hired by a billionaire business tycoon, Julia Clyde-Smith to head an elite squad whose goal is to take down Africa's poaching kingpins. While Sonja tries to stay under the radar, she is targeted by the underworld syndicate known as The Scorpions and begins to suspect that Julia's crusade has gone too far. The soldier realizes they're fighting a war on numerous fronts, against enemies both known and unknown.
Author Tony Park uses his experiences as a former army officer living in Africa, in his 14th novel. The subject of modern day wildlife wars makes for gripping reading. The Cull draws attention to the often violent battle residents of South Africa and surrounding countries are experiencing daily.
I have not read any of the previous novels and so found that a new reader has to piece together a puzzle of 'who's who'. The back stories of several of the main characters and their prior relationships are glossed over and as a result complex scenes between key characters can be a little confusing. The character development of Mario, for example, uses quite explicit violent sex scenes to demonstrate how he has a track record of losing control during battle. While the novel is a good read in itself, I would not be expecting to see this one in many senior fiction collections. However, I would recommend for a very mature student studying poaching warfare.
Clare Thompson

Little Paws series by Jess Black

Ill. by Gabrielle Evans. Penguin Random House Australia, 2017.
Welcome Home, Harley. ISBN 9780143781776
Ringo's Road Trip. ISBN 9780143781813
Meg's Big Mystery. ISBN 9780143781790
Goldie Makes the Grade. ISBN 9780143781837
Guide Dogs Australia provide essential services to those with vision impairment as well as those who suffer other conditions through their Pets as Therapy program, relieve the isolation and loneliness of the elderly through Companion Dogs and are piloting Autism Assistance dogs for children so this new series which highlights the training of these dogs as well as helping to raise funds for that training is as much a community service as it is a really good read for those newly independent readers.
Each book focuses on the children in different families helping to train the dogs for their special jobs, taking on the responsibility of all aspects of what is involved, providing an engaging story as well as guidance for how the reader might train their own four-legged, tail- wagging friend. They also shed some insight into how life can be for those whose vision is impaired and the impact having some of the stress removed can have, maybe even encouraging them to become puppy-raisers themselves. So many refuse to do it because of the heartbreak of having to part with the dog, but there's a lesson to be learned in suffering a little to give someone else so much.
2017 celebrates 60 years since Guide Dogs Australia placed the first dog and the purchase of each book supports their work so that even more puppies can bring help and joy to others. But apart from that, each story is a good read and Miss Dog-Loving 6 who is on the cusp of being ready to read chapter books independently is going to love them. They will give her that little push she needs to make the leap!
Barbara Braxton

Goth Girl and the sinister symphony by Chris Riddell

Goth Girl book 4. Macmillan Children's Books, 2017. ISBN 9781447277941
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Goth Girl is back in another fabulous adventure as her father, Lord Goth, holds a music festival, Gothstock, in the grounds of Ghastly-Gorm Hall. Ada is home for the school holidays with her friends Emily and William Cabbage and the three, together with Kingsley the chimney caretaker, Ruby the outer-pantry maid and Arthur Halford, the hobby horse groom, form the Attic Club, its purpose to report on unusual happenings in the house. Of course, they are all worried that there will be problems with Gothstock as Maltravers, the indoor gamekeeper and outdoor butler, is organising it and Ada is worried about her father, besieged by three young and very fashionable women, brought to the Hall by his mother. Then there is Shaun the faun who likes to sleep in wardrobes.
This continues on in the very witty and highly amusing narrative that will have adults in stitches and children hanging on to see what happens next. Not only are there literary and classical music allusions in this volume, Riddell has spattered references to contemporary celebrities, so the reader will giggle at the idea of Tailor Extremely Swift who looks after everyone's wardrobes and the band the Ladies of G.A.G.G.A, as well as recognising Donald and Moravia Ear-Trumpet!
The illustrations are gorgeous, Lord Goth is the dark brooding Regency hero, Ada is stunningly beautiful in her lovely clothes and there are many funny drawings that will have the reader laughing out loud. There is also a tiny wordless book at the back, Fable of a Faun by Shaun Tumnus, which is also beautifully illustrated in soft pastels.
This will appeal to children and adults alike, the children loving the characters, illustrations and adventures, while adults will adore the sly wit and humour.
Pat Pledger

Trouble and the exploding house by Cate Whittle

Ill. by Stephen Michael King. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781742990798
(Age: 6 - 8) Recommended. Dragons. Trouble and the exploding house concludes the amusing series about young Georgia, her family and their pet dragon, Trouble, who certainly lives up to his name. Each story introduces a big problem that Georgia faces head on and with courage, creativity and determination she sets out to solve it. Georgia and her family now live in their house on top of a mountain, thanks to Trouble's helpful ways. Unfortunately, the Man from the Government arrives after a difficult climb and informs the family about an issue. They now live in a wildlife park and have only two weeks to move before their home is blown up. It is up to Georgia to find a way to convince the officials that their house belongs up on the mountaintop and Trouble deserves to life in his roomy carpeted cave nearby. When the man from the Government returns with the Demolition Expert, everyone panics, Dad tries to appeal the decision but unfortunately, he is too late.
Bold Georgia decides to take action; she remembers last term's Science lessons about animals and their unique habitats and formulates a plan. With her family living in a tent in their old backyard, she begins a Save the Dragon Campaign. Her friends, family, school community and local townspeople rally behind her, signing petitions, making banners and a quilt. The media reports on the family's problems and Trouble the Dragon is filmed flying around his natural habitat, the mountain.
With wonderful and funny illustrations by Stephen Michael King and easy-to-read text, Trouble and the exploding house is just right for junior readers. Author Cate Whittle provides a recap at the beginning of each book so they can be read individually, or in order. Georgia is a brave and likeable protagonist and Trouble is an endearing but bothersome sidekick. She delights the reader with engaging dragon antics, plenty of picnics with potato chips and fizzy sarsaparilla and surrounds Georgia with her supportive friends and family.
Rhyllis Bignell

Sage Cookson's literary launch by Sally Murphy

At the beach I see by Kamsani Bin Salleh

Young Art series. Magabala Books, 2017. ISBN 9781925360462
(Age: 0-5) Board book. Sea creatures. Pattern illustrations. This is the second title in the Young Art board book series by young Indigenous Australian artists. The previous release was At the zoo I see.
Here, Salleh's patterned illustrations reflect the natural world. Each page contains a simple white background featuring black line drawings of ocean creatures and birds that can be found around the Australian coastline. The patterned drawings have then been washed with vibrant colours. The text names the creatures and describes their movement: scuttling crabs, dancing jellyfish, waving coral, scattered shells, flying fish, drifting seaweed, crawling sea stars, gliding seabirds. The illustrations give a sense of this movement described within the text, both within the drawing of the individual creatures and the way they flow from page to page. This is an ideal book to share with the very young as it introduces new vocabulary (names of creatures, adjectives) but could also be used with older children as a foray into patterning art.
Nicole Nelson

Secrets in death by J.D. Robb

In death series, book 45. Little, Brown, 2017. ISBN 9780349415789
(Age: Adult) Recommended. Mystery. It is amazing how J.D. Robb manages to come up with new plots and twists even after 44 previous books. Secrets in death is just as compulsive as the previous books and leaves the reader wanting more of the fabulous couple, Eve Dallas and Roarke.
This time, the plot centres on the murder of Larinda Mars, who bled out in front of Dallas while she was in a fashionable bar. As the investigation gets underway, it becomes apparent that Mars not only traded in gossip for her show, but traded in blackmail on the side. With so many suspects to choose from, Dallas and her team have a busy time trying to uncover the secrets that Mars carried with her, not just about the people on her list but about the reasons that her face had been virtually reconstructed. And for readers, there is a secret close to home that is finally revealed.
The success of this series is a tribute to J.D.Robb's ability to write a tight, interesting murder story, this time concentrating on how the team do the investigation. I was left wishing that the story hadn't finished. Fans will not be disappointed.
Pat Pledger

Tiny Timmy : The big break by Tim Cahill

Ill. by Heath McKenzie. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781742764948
(Age: 6+) The big break is the 6th Book in the Tiny Timmy series by Socceroos legend Tim Cahill, and it does not disappoint. This book deals with a major injury (broken bone) and the impacts of this on a mad keen sports player! On top of this set back, Tiny Timmy also has to study and participate in big tests at school! This book is a wonderful read that is engaging for both girls and boys and has many relatable experiences and provides talking points for parents and their children.
This story (and whole series) really shows the benefit in pushing yourself, trying your hardest and not giving up. The injury aspect of the story also shows kids that set-backs are small in the scheme of things and working hard helps to get results.
I enjoyed the line drawings by Heath McKenzie, they are fun and add a great visual aspect to this short novel. Throughout the story there are many different soccer terms and also hints which would be a great incentive for a young child (approximately 8 years old) who loves soccer, but is struggling to enjoy reading.
I loved that the length of the chapters were short enough for children starting with chapter books, and that the lines of text had a good amount of space between them to enable easy reading. The book featured a variety of fonts in a variety of sizes and also word-art style words. While this made the pages visually appealing it could also be distracting for children with reading or visual issues.
The style of this book could also be likened to The Diary of a Wimpy Kid or WeirDo series, with the line drawings and entertaining, relatable content.
On the whole, a great story that could be read by younger, fluent readers or by the parents of any soccer mad kid!
Lauren Fountain

Duck, Duck, Porcupine! by Salina Yoon

Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781619637245
(Age: 4-8) Beginning readers.This new series is similar to the Elephant and Piggie books. It is comprised of crisp, simple, full-page illustrations with bold outlining and page borders. It contains no narration, mostly speech bubbles and some sounds and environmental text. The small amount of large, bold text on each page makes it perfect for beginning readers. There are some visual clues to help young readers and it uses mostly high frequency and phonetic words. Duck, Duck, Porcupine! includes three short stories, each featuring Big Duck, Little Duck and Porcupine. Big Duck is organised, bossy and knows just about everything. Porcupine is a great friend who will go along with just about anything. Little Duck cannot talk yet but he thinks outside the box and is very clever. The three characters are all incredibly lovable. In the first story the friends go out for a picnic but it starts raining. Big Duck and Porcupine are disappointed that their picnic is ruined but Little Duck shows them how to have fun in spite of the wet weather. In the second story Big Duck knows she has forgotten something and Little Duck is trying ever so hard to tell her what it is. In the last story the friends decide to go camping. While Big Duck and Porcupine are still busy gathering the 100 necessary camping items Little Duck is already having fun camping! This is an engaging text for young children with pictures that help tell the story and beautifully illustrate the nuances of the three friends. Simple illustrations, a restrained colour palette and minimal background detail will help to keep young readers focused on the text and the expressions and actions of the characters. The characters are endearing and both children and adults will enjoy their humourous adventures.
Nicole Nelson

Animals rock and other wild songs (with CD) written and sung by Beau Young and Shelley Craft

Ill. by Susy Boyer. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781743810538
(Age: 2-5) Sing-a-long book. This is a sing-a-long book and CD set comprising five songs by the Animals Rock band (they also have an album available called On the Farm). Like many similar book plus CD publications, it relies heavily on the CD. Reading the lyrics aloud or attempting to put them to a tune will be disappointing for most. When played, however, the five original tracks are fun and catchy and should be appreciated by both children and adults. There are a couple of louder and rockier songs but the rest have a laid-back, folky, sometimes even country sound. The first track introduces the members of the Animals Rock band: Lila Horse, Gordo Gorilla, Ginger Giraffe and Leonius Lion. The other four songs each feature a different animal, putting forward a few fun facts about each within the lyrics. While there is not enough detail to make these educational songs, children may discover new things about the animals. Each song is short with a repeated chorus that children will be able to sing. The full lyrics are also inside the back cover. The fun illustrations will give children something to look at while they listen to the music. When used in conjunction with the CD this will be of use to music teachers or can just be used as a fun sing-a-long book for preschool/classroom or home use.
Nicole Nelson

What's up top? by Marc Martin

Penguin Random House, 2017. ISBN 9780143783886
(Ages: 4-7) Questions, Rhyme, Imagination. Questions, questions, questions. There is one on every page. And none of them are answered. Even the endpapers are covered in question marks. What's Up Top? the front cover asks, the writing leading our eye up the ladder, its end invisible. A small green frog sits, apparently also pondering the question. The reader is given many possible answers, each more elaborate and creative than the last, but no definitive one. From 'Is it a hat?' to 'The string of a kite on a meteorite that's attached to a whale . . . while a sloth eating soup parachutes through a hoop for a group of iguanas in purple pyjamas?', the reader is taken on a journey of infinite possibility. We see the narrator at the end. He's a penguin. He can't tell us the answer: 'I don't climb up ladders . . . I'm no good with heights!' he says.
This will be great as a creative writing prompt. It could also be used when introducing and discussing the use of question marks. It is, however, just a fun read aloud rhyme that holds us in suspense then lets us enter the imaginative realm ourselves. What IS up top is kind of unimportant and probably boring. As the book says 'It's probably a bird . . . or maybe just sky?'. The truth is never going to be as interesting as what we can imagine.
Nicole Nelson

Opposite Land by Charlotte Rose Hamlyn

Random House Australia, 2017. ISBN 9780143780816
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Themes: Friendship; Graphic Novels; Opposites; Fantasy; Humour. Written by Charlotte Rose Hamlyn (a former Adelaide girl, who has worked as a screenwriter for many children's cartoons, as well as presenting a TV Art program for children), this is a graphic novel with incredibly quirky characters and plot direction. The central character - a girl called Steve - has had a disastrous day at her new school when she makes a mistake in choosing who to befriend. When she debriefs to her mother at the end of the school day an unpleasant day spirals into an argument. (Dare I suggest it - they have opposite views!) An opposite book written by her grandfather is shared, and it draws Steve to the eponymous Opposite Land where 'socks wear feet, broccoli is meat, behind is ahead, and people poop from their head!' Steve proceeds to save the un-saveable from the Emperor Never, and learn some important truths along the way.
Hamlyn's illustrations are exceptionally quirky, and the humour is quite clever as the 'opposites' interact with Steve and the reader in confusing ways. Younger readers will like the odd drawings, and slightly older readers will appreciate the 'clever' interpretation of an 'opposite world'.
Although graphic novels are not my personal favourites, I can see the place for this book for a cartoon-loving reader.
Recommended for ages 8-12 years.
Carolyn Hull

The scared book by Debra Tidball

Ill. by Kim Siew. Hachette Australia, 2017. ISBN 9780734417503
(Age: 3-6) Interactive book, Fear. "Hello! Thank you for reading me. I hope I'm not a scary story" says the first page. But then, uh oh, there are monsters. "I can't tell you the rest of this story because . . . I'm scared!" says the book. Then follows descriptors of how it feels to be scared: a tingle in the spine, goose bumps, giant butterflies and monsters, not to mention the smell that they leave. The book asks the reader to help by scratching away the tingles, rubbing away the goose bumps, blowing away the butterflies and then helping it to relax by following a spiral with their finger. This is a clever publication because it provides a visual representation of fear and gives simple and practical ways for children to deal with it. It also normalises the bodily feelings associated with the emotion. Touching or manipulating parts of the body and breathing are all ways of helping to alleviate stress and children can practice using these within the context of helping the book overcome its fear. The monsters are not threatening looking (they are almost cute) so children will not become scared themselves.
This is a fun book that provides effective methods and a useful vocabulary for children to talk about and overcome their fear. It also reassures children that fear is normal, that everyone has different things they are scared of and that it is okay to ask for help.
Nicole Nelson

Jigsaw of fire and stars by Yaba Badoe

Zephyr, 2017. ISBN 9781786697981
When a boatload of African refugees is rammed and sunk by people smugglers, Sante's family set her adrift on the sea in a chest containing all their wealth, in the hope that she will survive.
Discovered by Mama Rose and raised as her own alongside two other foundlings Cat and Cobra, Sante grows up in a small Gypsy community, travelling throughout Europe and performing circus tricks for a living.
The youths possess unusual talents. Sante sees the terrible demise of her family in dreams, can sometimes read the thoughts of people and communicates with Triss, an eagle which protects her and does her bidding. Cobra has an affinity with snakes and can charm them to behave as he pleases whilst Cat is an unerring knife thrower.
Sante's family and friends are used to constantly moving to escape the attention of authorities who often chase and harass them. When they realise that the appearance of suspicious men is somehow connected to Sante's dead relatives, their instinct is to remove themselves and disappear, rather than engaging the help of police whom they naturally distrust.
The arrival of the mysterious Scarlett, a young girl of similar age who is clearly traumatised, prompts Sante, Cat and Cobra to remain and assist her against the wishes of their elders. The trio discovers a sinister people smuggling network where adolescents are sold into sexual slavery and they become embroiled in a dangerous and nasty situation.
In order to survive and to attempt to bring the criminals to justice, Sante, Cat and Cobra summon all of their powers, both physical and magical as they navigate a confusing maelstrom of events.
The theme of sex trafficking seems out of place in a story which appears to be written for early teens, however nothing explicit is depicted. The writing style, language and plot developments may not appeal to older readers and the topic seems worthy of a more sophisticated presentation in my view.
Rob Welsh

Free as a cloud by Bai Bing

Ill. by Yu Rong. Starfish Bay Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781760360351
(Age: 4-6) Free as a cloud is a distinctive picture book, with bold black two dimensional cut-outs dominating the pages, interspersed with soft pencil sketches showing Sweetie the myna bird's experiences in the city. The story told from Sweetie's point of view, describes her thoughts on captivity and freedom. On her flight over a Chinese city, she observes a happy friendly family and she decides to join them. Sweetie loves their kind ways, she has a comfortable cage, great food and a caring home. She is taken on bike rides through the town, eats sweet juicy fruit, but something makes her unhappy. Sweetie suffers from melancholy and loses her desire to sing. 'I don't want to be a sad bird trapped in a cage.'
When the family realises their much-loved pet is sad, they try to help her, and all their friends come over with their pets for a wonderful party. Sweetie's family finally realises she needs to return to her jungle home, filled with colourful flowers. As the jungle animals watch, she flies happily into the sky greeting the clouds, joyfully singing to the other birds.
Free as a Cloud has a simple straightforward text, which sometimes sounds a little formal. The illustrations lift the story, so much action and activity, represented by the characters' silhouettes in the foreground with colourful vignettes of everyday life adding depth to the bold illustrations. With the themes of captivity and freedom, this picture book is suited to readers from 4-6.
Rhyllis Bignell