Reviews

Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann

Flying Eye Books, 2017. ISBN 9781911171317
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Polar bears. Climate change. Hope. Difference. An animal floats into the bay, and finds a cave to shelter in. The animals all stay away from him, they have never seen anything like him before, and when he goes out into the forest and eats leaves, they run away. The other animals view him with suspicion, concerned that he is different. Everyday the creature they have called Leaf, is discussed amongst the other animals. One day they see him covered in beautiful leaves running through the forest. He leaps off the edge of the cliff but falls into the water, retreating to his cave. When he attempts this again and is lying exhausted on the shore, the crows decide to talk to him. He tells them that he is a polar bear and has drifted a long way from his home and desperately wants to go back. The crows work out a way that they can take the animal back to his own environment and the other animals decide to tell his story, so that no animal would ever get lost again.
Children will love hearing of the polar bear's plight and the way the animals are at first suspicious of something so different, relating it to their own classroom or neighbourhood, where someone new is not initially welcomed. The story of the animals working together to help the polar bear will encourage them to feel for the newcomer, and marvel at the way things can be resolved.
This story of the outsider is beautifully illustrated with brightly coloured detailed drawings that will entice younger readers to look more closely at the pages to see what they can see.
Fran Knight

The secret garden and other stories

Usborne Illustrated classics. Usborne, 2017. ISBN 9781409586562
Usborne have added another volume to their stable of illustrated collections that bring us the myths and legends that have been shared with and enjoyed by children throughout the generations. This collection includes The secret garden, The railway children, The wizard of Oz, Black Beauty, Little women and Heidi, all based on the original stories and beautifully illustrated to entice the young reader ready to take their reading in a new direction.
There are some stories that have endured over time for very good reasons and this collection is one that celebrates some of those that continue to be published in full so many years later. They are the sorts of stories that grandparents and even great-grandparents remember fondly and love to give, so these abridged versions are the perfect introduction to the longer, original stories. Apart from just being a good read, they give 21st century children a glimpse into the lives of children of the past, to a time when life wasn't dominated by screens and technology. Who wouldn't be tempted to explore the mysteries of Misselthwaite Manor, wander down the yellow brick road or be afraid of going from luxury to poverty overnight?
As well as being an essential addition to the collection, this could be one to flag in your suggestions for Christmas purchases for parents!
Barbara Braxton

Garcia and Colette go exploring by Hannah Barnaby and Andrew Joyner

HarperCollins Children's, 2017. ISBN 9781460754306
Garcia the Rabbit and Colette the Fox cannot agree on where they want to go exploring - Garcia is fixated on space while Colette wants to see the sea. With no agreement in sight they agree to go their separate ways. Garcia builds a snazzy, silver rocket while Colette makes a gold and glorious submarine. Packing peanut butter sandwiches, a notebook, a pen and their lucky charms, each heads off on their own adventure. But is exploring new and exciting places all that much fun when you don't have your best friend by your side?
Cleverly written and illustrated so that each character remains connected despite their physical separation, this is a charming story of friendship and compromise that will appeal to a broad range - those who love the sea and those who love space. Is there a middle ground and how can it be reached? A great way to introduce the art of negotiation and seeking win-win solutions, while younger children can have fun contributing to murals of what each friend saw on their travels.
Barbara Braxton

Literature to Support the Australian Curriculum Book 2 - Annotated Lists of Fiction and Poetry by Fran Knight and Pat Pledger

Paper cranes don't fly by Peter Vu

Ford Street Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781925272765
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Knowing someone with a terminal illness can be a challenge at any age. But when it's your best friend and you're just finishing high school? It can change everything.
Adam has been sick ever since he was little. A benign brain tumour- but a tumour none-the-less. At any point it could become cancerous and there is only so much that the doctors can do. But Adam isn't just the sick kid at school. He is best friends with Tess and Ambrose - a friendship that was strong enough to last from day one, survive the diagnosis, and resist crumbling when Adam attended a different high school. Together they are invincible. Adam is invincible. But their greatest challenge is yet to come. Adam is readmitted to hospital during exam season. Another surgery. Routine. During this time he also makes another friend, a fellow patient by the name of Rachael who could almost compete with Tess and Ambrose for his affection. Hospital days are slow days, yet between Rachael, Tess, and Ambrose, Adam is kept busy. Despite his cancer Adam seems to be doing well. He is lucky to have such strong friendships and his family's support. As it must, disaster strikes and Adam and his friends must come to terms with what his illness means.
This is a very powerful novel. Vu gives us some important life lessons about love, friendship, and appreciating the day to day. I would highly recommend for people fifteen and up, however, the subject matter may be distressing and the book will probably break your heart.
Kayla Gaskell, 21

Gap year in Ghost Town by Michael Pryor

Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760292768
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Ghosts. Humour. Melbourne. Anton Marin lives with his father in Melbourne. The Marin family own a small bookstore and he has taken a gap year, trying to decide if he will join the family business of ghost hunting. He has the ability to ease a ghost's path to the next world. Rani Cross is a member of the Company of the Righteous, and she doesn't ease a ghost's passage to the other world, rather she uses her sword. When they meet, they don't agree about how ghosts should be handled but Melbourne is under siege with a huge increase in the number of violent ghost manifestations and these supernatural forces have to be controlled. With his father and friend Bec helping out, Anton joins forces with Rani and the four of them work to protect the people of Melbourne.
The setting of Melbourne will thrill readers who come from Victoria and other readers will be fascinated by glimpses of this interesting city. There are snippets of information and descriptions that bring the city to life and it provides a perfect background for the ghostly appearances that take place.
There is action galore for those who like a fast paced read, but what I enjoyed most was the snappy humour of Anton's very amusing dialogue and the platonic friendship between him and Bec and the friendship that flourished between Bec and Rani. It was refreshing not to have the inevitable love triangle in a book and the characters were interesting enough to keep the reader engrossed as the group battled the ghosts.
There is plenty of scope for more books to follow Gap year in Ghost Town and I look forward to reading about this intrepid group working together to battle any danger that may come their way from ghosts.
Pat Pledger

Third Witch by Jackie French

Angus and Robertson, 2017. ISBN 9780732298531
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: Macbeth; Shakespeare; Power and ambition; Royalty. Shakespeare's Macbeth is an incredibly powerful story of the insidious impact of uncontrolled ambition, drawing the main characters into a maelstrom of madness with their moral compasses twisting in response to the choices they have made; choices based on the 'counsel' of witches. Jackie French has woven a tale into this Shakespearean drama, with her central protagonist, Annie Grasseyes, acting as the Third Witch. This simple village girl now works as Lady's maid and companion to Lady Macbeth and at the behest of her employer acts as the prophetic 'Third Witch' in response to the powerful woman's desire to spur the ambition of her husband. The slow downward twisting of the central characters of the Macbeth story are then revealed as the words spoken play out in their lives. The witches are portrayed as 'actors' and speakers of unwittingly persuasive words, rather than as supernatural participants who can influence the future.
Jackie French has very cleverly created a back story and context for the original dramatic text setting (while being very conscious of its lack of historical veracity due to the influence of James I's views on the dramatist's work). The original Shakespearean words are woven into the novel with recognisable phrases scattered appropriately through the plot. There is also a romantic tangle for Annie. Through this all, the original text is honoured and the book would be a fantastic read for students who struggle with the complexity of the Shakespearean language but want to understand this critical text. (Although they should always read the original text first!) Jackie French adds notes at the end of the text explaining several recipes and commenting on some of the social complexities and motivations of the characters, as well as her own motivations and love of Macbeth.
A very powerful book. Highly recommended for age 14+ (Some understanding of Macbeth would add appreciation to the reading of this novelisation.)
Carolyn Hull

Poe stories and poems: A graphic adaptation by Gareth Hinds

The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson

Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781407170992
(Age: 10-14) Highly recommended. 'Goldfish Boy' is the nickname given to Matthew by one of the visiting grandchildren of a neighbour. Matthew is in his own form of goldfish bowl, staying in his bedroom night and day, staring out of the window, looking at the goings-on in his neighbourhood.
His OCD behaviour has made it impossible for him to attend school or join in any family activities. He records all the actions of the people who live in his small street in notebooks. They are all everyday occurrences until toddler Teddy disappears from his grandad's front garden. Who has taken him and can Matthew solve the puzzle?
Matthew is helped by a young neighbour, Melody Bird, who insists on supporting him in his quest. She has her own issues and problems (as do all the street residents) but her own determination and acceptance of Matthew creates a friendship between them.
Lisa Thompson has made Matthew a believable character who struggles with a family tragedy by keeping germs at bay. He is flawed but likable and his humour and observations of others adds a lightness to her writing.
Bullying, kidnapping, OCD, loneliness and personal loss are all issues discussed, as the mystery of the missing child is slowly unravelled.
The cover by Mike Lowery shows Matthew 'alone' in a crowd of his neighbours. Its restricted pallet of colours works well and demonstrates this book is not a mainstream mystery story.
This was an engrossing read and the nearly 400 pages of story passed very quickly. A very accomplished first novel by Lisa Thompson. I highly recommend this book for students aged 10 to 14 years old.
Jane Moore

Theatre of life: photographic portraits by Alex Frayne

Wakefield Press, 2017. ISBN 9781743054949
(Age: Secondary - Adult) Highly recommended. This is a fascinating book. The collection of photographs truly capture the 'theatre of life' - with expressions, fleeting moments, iconic scenes, and portraits that make you gaze again at the character expressed in the lines and shadows. The moments of light and shade, the framing of a particular shot, make you see the beauty or the uniqueness of each picture. I especially loved the intimacy of the mother and daughter at the bus stop, the woman descending the stairs, the blindfolded lady in brilliant yellow holding a chicken in her arms, - so many unique glimpses of life. The character portraits are stunning - with emotions etched in wrinkles or the particular slant of the head, and the look in their eyes, from the sad poignancy of 'Intersex Angel' to the visionary thoughts of Samak Fallah Aka 'The Thinker', the humour and warm of The Rockbusters, and the curiosity and wonder of the child Alice - all draw you in to contemplate the individual people and their lives.
When you close the book, some images will remain with you. For me it was the shock of the scene in 'The System' of an amputee lying face down on concrete next to a plastic bowl, with a naive idyllic scene painted on the locked cupboard behind him. Other scenes are rediscovered when you return and open the book again.
These aren't staged photographs, they are glimpses of people living their lives, all around the world. Each is accompanied by a few notes - some about the person or context, adding further detail or sharing an added insight, others are notes about the camera and techniques employed, revealing some of the magic and the craft of photography. The book will be of interest to the artist and the photographer, and to people who love stories - for there are so many amazing stories expressed in those faces, one can only gaze and imagine.
In schools I can imagine this book being a source of inspiration for both Art and photography classes as well as for English creative writing.
Helen Eddy

On the night of the shooting star by Amy Hest and Jenni Desmond

Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406377330
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Friendship. Borders. In this fable for modern times, Dog and Bunny live next to each other. They carry on their own lives, doing what each does: Dog loves to knit and sits in the garden knitting and listening to his radio, while Bunny nibbles all day in the long grass on her side of the fence.
The beautiful illustrations show us the two lives, living next door but not interacting at any time. Each wonders what the other is doing but no one speaks. Each wonders why the other has no friend, but does nothing about it. Until one night a shooting start passes overhead. It is gone in an instant, but as each animal retires to their own houses, they think about what they have seen.
They resolve to do something, and Dog takes a plate of biscuits to the fence, while Bunny brings out cocoa.
Once the ice is broken, the two become inseparable friends, spending each day with each other doing the things they love to do and doing them together.
Readers will understand the message of the book immediately. It is a situation they will all know well, finding new friends, meeting new people, being reticent to make the first move. All sorts of discussion will emanate after reading this book, and children will eagerly scan the pages for detail about the lives of Dog and Bunny shown in the witty illustrations. And of course, talk about shooting stars, and how they occur and when they can be seen. Wikipedia has a concise definition of a falling or shooting star, and there are some photos of them on the internet.
Fran Knight

Toto: the dog-gone amazing story of the Wizard of Oz by Michael Morpurgo

Ill. by Emma Chichester Clark. Harper Collins, 2017. ISBN 9780008134594
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. When I had my sixth birthday my older sister gave me an illustrated copy of The Wizard of Oz and I immediately fell in love with the story. This poor book (which I still have) was re-read many times and is now looking a little shabby but is still treasured deeply.
How absolutely marvellous to have one of our greatest modern storytellers bring a fresh new take on this now 'antique' tale - first published in 1900 by L. Frank Baum. Michael Morpgurgo has conceived a wondrous version which re-tells the story from the point of view of Toto, Dorothy's courageous little dog.
Now an old Papa dog, Toto delights in telling the young pups stories and of course the favourite is the story of his and Dorothy's adventures in the Land of Oz. Most of the pups get bored with the endless reminiscences but not the youngest who laps them up especially the Oz story no matter how many times he hears them.
Toto's voice is completely as one might imagine from a little Kansas country dog and this re-tell keeps closely to the original story which is especially satisfying. Morpgurgo also keeps closely to the language style of the original while still making it accessible to modern readers.
Colourful and contemporary styled illustrations give this book a really attractive and vibrant look which will thoroughly engage young readers for what might be their first introduction to the Oz stories. They will definitely love the 'emerald' foiled highlights on the cover!
Much as I love my original even after so many years this was simply a joy to read - as indeed are all Morpurgo books!
Highly recommended for readers from around 8 years upwards!
Sue Warren

Ready, steady, hatch by Ben Long

Ill. by David Cornish. Ford Street, 2017. ISBN 9781925272536
Way down yonder in the pumpkin patch, ten little eggs were beginning to hatch. As they did, they danced and twirled - it was time to go and see the world. But the last little chick gets distracted by a large cherry, unseen by the others who marched on to meet their mother. But she was very concerned when she counted them because that morning there were ten and now there were only nine! So with Mother Hen in front they set out on a hunt to find the missing chick. But no matter how or where they searched, they had no luck until...
This is a rollicking romp in rhyme which will appeal to young readers as they enjoy the language, the search and the charming illustrations which add so much action and sound you are drawn into the story. The rhythm of the rhyme is reinforced as the chicks march to the musical notes and then drum on logs and stomp their feet trying to bring the little one out of hiding.
There is something about the theme of Chooks in Books that has always appealed, perhaps because it lends itself to lots of research such as investigating whether chickens are the only creatures that start life as eggs as well as lots of artwork for there are so many ways to create chickens to build a class mural to retell the story, surround with chook facts, and build a wall of Chooks in Books stories. Imagine how much easier the concept of 10 and ordinal numbers will become as the children identify the subtle differences between the line of chooks and then line themselves up like the chickens and march or run or creep around to the beat of a drum.
Ben Long and David Cornish have created a story that will capture the attention of little ones and reaffirm their understanding that there is much fun to be had between the pages of the book.
Barbara Braxton

City of saints and thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

Oneworld Publications, 2017. ISBN 9781786072290
(Age: 14+ ) Highly recommended. This novel grabs your attention from the very first page and races along at an intense pace. Christina, a young refugee from Congo, commonly known as Tiny Girl, is living a life of danger as a thief in Sangui City, Kenya. We learn her rules of survival: don't exist, trust no-one, don't have friends, have a plan etc. Her plan is: Dirt. Money. Blood. She wants to get the dirt on Mr Greyhill and his secret gold and arms deals with corrupt militia, pass the information on to the Goonda gang for their blackmail extortion racket, and then take the ultimate revenge on Greyhill himself, in retribution for his murder of her mother. With his death she will finally be free to take care of her sister Kiki, in hiding in a convent school.
Tiny sticks to her rules, she is highly skilled, fearless and dangerous; but not everything goes to her plan. She finds that at moments of desperation, she has to count on help from people she had not allowed herself to consider as friends, the gifted tech-savvy Boy-Boy, and her childhood playmate, Michael, Greyhill's son. Can she allow herself to trust them, and count on them when all their lives are in danger?
The characters, whilst larger than life, are still believable: Tina's grief for her mother, her struggle to find her roots and what that means for her identity, finding her own values, these are all things that young readers may readily identify with. The themes of refugees, social justice, modern day conflict and corruption are also very relevant.
The story is an incredibly exciting and tense thriller; I could easily envisage it as an action movie, with each suspenseful moment holding the audience on the edge of their seats. But it is also draws on real-life persecution stories that the author heard firsthand in her work with refugees in Kenya, as well as from documentation from Human Rights Watch and the UN Security Council. A Q&A with Natalie C. Anderson tells about her experiences and how they shaped the book.
Helen Eddy

Whimsy and Woe by Rebecca McRitchie

HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9781460753040
(Age: 10+) Recommended. For fans of Withering-By-Sea comes a story from talented debut author Rebecca McRitchie about two curiously named children.
After being abandoned by their thespian parents one afternoon while playing their weekly family game of hide-and-seek, Whimsy and Woe Mordaunt are left in the care of their austere Aunt Apoline.
Forced to work in her boarding house, looking after the guests, sharpening the thorns of every plant in the poisonous plant garden and listening to off-key renditions of 'Fish Are Friends Too' - an aria made famous by the legendary Magnus Montgomery - Whimsy and Woe lose all hope that their parents will someday return. Until one day, quite by accident, the siblings stumble upon a half-charred letter that sets them on a course to freedom and finding their parents. Dark, funny, darkly funny and funnily dark, Whimsy and Woe takes readers on an adventure with two intrepid siblings in a tale of mischief, monocles, mice and mist.
I found this book to be intriguing and I think it will be a huge hit with children who love A Series of Unfortunate Events. It is not for the faint hearted as it is a long read but extremely engaging. Both Whimsy and Woe are strong lead characters who meet a variety of characters, both good and bad. They must escape from ever presenting perils which results in only strengthening their relationship. Themes such as perseverance, family and adventure are developed. This is a must have in the library collection and would make a fantastic read aloud but only by teachers who read on a daily basis as it is rather lengthy. I can imagine the class hanging on every word and wanting more at the end of a reading session.
Kathryn Schumacher