Reviews

Of Jenny and the Aliens by Ryan Gebhart

Candlewick Press, 2017. ISBN 9780763688455
(Age: Older teens) Themes: Aliens; Sexual Relationships; Teenage angst. The Aliens have got in contact with earth and the world wonders whether this is the end. For Derek though, an 'End of the World as we know it' party leads him to a sexual encounter with the liberated and feisty Jenny who then proceeds to spin his world into an orbit that is completely out of control. His encounter with the Alien is positively humble and calm in comparison - even when it transitions to the literal 'Out of this World' experience. Essentially this book transitions from an American teenage sex romp (with soft-porn detail), into the roller-coaster of a relationship that does not seem to follow a straight path, and then morphs into a strange encounter with aliens that in some way is meant to solve all the sexual and relationship angst that Derek is experiencing! There is almost a hallucinogenic strangeness to some parts of the book. The family break-up history that runs as an undercurrent to the flow of the story is one of the few conventional aspects of the story.
This is not a coming-of-age story or a science fiction story - it is just strange. This book did not win me over. If it was attempting to be humorous, it did not quite hit its mark. The friendship between Derek and Karo (the alien musician) was under-developed and should have been fleshed out with much more narrative intensity. Unfortunately it lacked the spark of literary quality.
Note: Drug taking, alcohol consumption, Sexual activity.
Carolyn Hull

White Night by Ellie Marney

Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760293550
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: Mystery and suspense. Diversity. Family relationships. Collectives. Environmental protection. Country life. "In Bo Mitchell's country town, a White Night light-show event has the potential to raise vital funds to save the skate park. And out of town, a girl from a secretive off-the-grid community called Garden of Eden has the potential to change the way Bo sees the world. But are there too many secrets in Eden?" (Publisher)
With problems looming at home with his father, Bo becomes increasingly drawn to Rory, the girl from the Garden of Eden commune, the members of which believe in being self-sufficient, growing their own food, recycling everything and refusing to use plastic. But some things about Ray, the mediator in the community, seem off as Bo becomes more involved in their life.
Bo is one of the most engaging male adolescents that I have read about for quite some time. He has a very caring relationship with Rory and although there are opportunities, he doesnt take advantage of her. Although things are strained at home with family secrets beginning to emerge, Marney shows a loving home life with rules that Bo respects. At school, things are hard for Rory as she tries to fit in, but Bo tries to help her out, while he struggles with deciding what courses he should do - play football or become a chef. Bo's friends too are very relatable, as they party by the creek and organise a White Night to make enough money to keep the skate park open.
Marney has written a cracking suspenseful story that keeps the reader engaged and wondering what will happen next. At the same time life in a small country town is explored and the reader will learn lots about how teens could organise to keep a community place as Sprog fights to save the skate park.
With its complex themes of sustainability, family relations and communal living as well as a tense plot, White Night could make an engaging class novel for older teens.
Pat Pledger

How to blitz nits (and other nasties) by Mumsnet

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408862155
(Age: Parenting book) This is a parenting book for people who hate parenting books. It portrays the reality of being a parent in a way that politically correct parenting books rarely do. Would they talk about what to do when you child does a poo so epic that it reaches their neck? Or how to stop your child scratching their bum when they have worms?
While witty and limited in scope, this semi-reference book is definitely more useful than it first appears. Factual information mingles with real posts from the English online parenting community Mumsnet; this use of first-hand anecdotes and advice means that it doesn't just tell you what you 'should' do or what is proven to work. There are old wives tales and ingenious (not always medically recommended or socially approved!) solutions to tricky problems (for example, how to pin down a child to administer eye drops or fight molluscum with a toothpick).
It addresses 10 main issues: nits, threadworms, ringworm, warts and veruccas, molluscum, conjunctivitis, foreign objects, vomit, poo, and dragons under the bed. Sometimes as a parent you just need to know someone else has faced the same horrors or that someone else has had it worse and on this level the book provides genuine laugh out loud moments.
It is a funny read, perfect for parents who want to know the essentials but want to take it with a pinch of salt and a few laughs along the way. Simple language peppered with witticism makes this an engaging and quick read and it will probably be reached for again when advice is needed on how to clean vomit out of the couch or de-nit the household.
Nicole Nelson

Insides out by Zack Zombie

Diary of a Minecraft Zombie Book 11. Koala Books, 2017. ISBN 9781743818398
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. This book is written from Zack's point of view and describes what it is like to be a 13 year old Zombie.
Zack finds himself changing and he has to find a way to deal with his feelings before they are the end of him. Lots of strange things happen to Zack but with the support of his friends he manages to get through the tough situation and come out the other side relatively unscathed.
If you want to find out how Zack deals with his feelings you will have to read the book.
I would highly recommend this book to children aged 8+. It is book 11 in the series but can be read independently of the series and the reader is able to make sense of what is going on, although some Minecraft knowledge can be useful.
Karen Colliver

Parmesan the reluctant racehorse by Jacqui Halpin

The elephant by Peter Carnavas

University of Queensland Press, 2017. ISBN 9780702259616
(Age: Primary) I highly recommend this book. Olive imagines the sadness felt by her family members as different grey animals. These animals appear to follow the person around and pull them down, while the grey animals are there the person seems to have trouble being happy.
Olive is determined to get rid of these animals and make her family happy again. Olive confides in her best friend to help her with a task that seems so mammoth. She soon realises that getting rid of these animals may not be as easy as she first thought but she is determined.
This book touches on a topic that is very real but not talked about especially with younger children. This book is well written for younger readers and it gives some idea about the topic of depression without going into too much detail. The book uses language easily understood by younger readers.
The simple illustrations in the book support the story and help to depict the mood of the chapter.
I would recommend this book for primary school age children; it could be used as a class novel to support learning around emotions and encouraging discussions about different emotions.
Karen Colliver

The wizards of once by Cressida Cowell

Hodder Children's Books, 2017. ISBN 9781444939576
(Age: 10+) A wizard with no magic and a warrior with magic get stuck in a big mess. Can a wizard and a warrior be friends and get out alive?
This story is make-believe but the story is so intense it feels like you are the characters. The characters are Xar a wizard (with no magic) and Wish a warrior princess (who has magic). These characters entwine in an adventure that neither of them or their friends will forget.
The settings are the bad woods, the wizard camp and the warrior fortress.
The story has a few plots entwined together to make this story. The theme for this story is fantasy and being friends with the enemy.
I recommend this book to 10+ boys and girls. Also if you have enjoyed this book you might like How to train your dragon because it's the same author and if you have read How to train your dragon you might like this book.
Grace Colliver, Year 6

Battle for the shadow sword by Adam Blade

Team hero, bk 1. Orchard Books, 2017. ISBN 9781408343517
The first chapter is when Jack used his powers to save people in his class. The first chapter made me want to read more.
The problem was not predictable and the conclusion was not predictable either. Sometimes when you put the book down you ended on a cliff hanger.
The book was very interesting and the best part was near the end of the book.
The main character is a bit believable. The problem is sometimes similar with Sea Quest and Beast Quest books and I would recommend this book for Beast Quest and Sea Quest fans.
Heath Colliver, Year 6

Skip to the loo! A potty book by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Ill. by Anita Jeram. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406377347
(Ages: 1-3) Toilet training. Board book. Rhyming book. Bunny needs his potty so off he skips to the loo and one by one, many other characters join in. "Look! Everyone's on their potties! POO! POO! POO!" It's a potty party: all the animals are sitting on their potties of varying shapes and sizes and there are balloons and music. "WAIT! Isn't someone missing? I wonder... is it YOU?".
From the illustrator of Guess how much I love you comes this potty book, which encourages toilet trainees to join the potty fun. The mirror page at the end is a cute invitation to the reader to join in and is definitely the most successful element of the book. While it could be useful alongside other toilet training books, it is not instructive enough to work as a standalone introduction to toileting. Despite it being a play on the song 'Skip to my Lou', the text itself is not singable; it even sounds clunky and lacks rhythm when read. In addition, the progression of animals is a little odd. It starts off fairly standard, with a bunny and a kangaroo, but then along comes Lord and Lady Huff-Puff (two dressed up cats), a naughty big fat monster called Stinkaroo and some spooky wookie ghosties (animals wearing white sheets). In addition, the old-fashioned chamber pots some of the animals are using as potties might be confusing, particularly as they look like teacups.
It is all a little hodgepodge and while the toilet message is there and the illustrations are well done, it definitely isn't an essential book for young toilet trainees.
Nicole Nelson

Room on our rock by Kate and Jol Temple

Ill. by Terri Rose Baynton. Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781742764108
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Refugees. By the time any child reads to the end of this book, they will be saddened by the selfish seals, reigning over their bit of rock in a vast ocean, turning away a mother and her pup who try to land. But the instructions at the end of the book tell the reader to read backwards, and in doing so, the same words are read, but reading them from back to front offers a message as old as time: welcome.
No one could be in any doubt about the message in this lovely book. The selfish seals try to keep their land for themselves, even though there is plenty of room. But in reading backwards, a welcome is given to share their rock, to join them.
The evocative watercolour illustrations give a poignancy to the animals as they lounge on their rock or swim and surf in the ocean. The vastness of the sea and waves is given sway on every page, underscoring the isolation of Australia from the rest of the world, and with the first reading of the book, a voice is raised with concern about how Australia meets its refugee responsibilities.
But the tide turns with the reading backwards, and will delight and engage young readers, revitailising discussions within the classroom about our multicultural country, its immigrants and their huge contribution to the Australian way of life. One of these books has a place in every school.
Fran Knight

Jack's daughter: Growing up German in World War 11 Broken Hill by Christine Ellis

Wakefield Press, 2017. ISBN 9781743055090
Recommended for mature readers of historical biography. Christine Ellis writes a loving biography of her mother's life.
Maisie Schuster's father Jack died at the age of 54 years when she was ten years old. His illness from pneumoconiosis (caused by dust from mining) not only robbed him of his own life but also assigned Maisie to a life of hardship and pain which she would not have endured had he been present to protect and guide her through adolescence.
Maisie and Jack had enjoyed an especially close and loving relationship and the girl's life became miserable and unduly harsh as she coped with a hard, sometimes brutal mother who appears to have transferred her own suffering to the daughter. Circumstances were made worse by the depressed economy and high unemployment in their city of Broken Hill. The fact that Jack was German and World War 2 had begun a year previously also meant that the family suffered from suspicion, bullying and bureaucratic discrimination.
Given that the nation was at war, fear of enemy infiltrators is on some level understandable, except when applied to families who had been residents and model citizens for decades. Some aspects of the security measures were breathtakingly stupid and unfair.
Life was incredibly tough for everyone at the time and for Maisie's family living on the late Jack's compensation payments, frugal attention to the spending of every penny resulted in them living in what we would now recognise as desperate poverty. At the time however it was simply accepted as hard times, with an observation that the situation for others was worse.
Christine Ellis rejoices in her mother's resilience, resourcefulness and kindness to others. Whilst I completely understand her pride, I felt a great sense of sadness that this woman was perpetually dragged down by others when she showed so much promise in her achievements. Denied education by her mother, this academically gifted achiever who yearned for a nursing career was instead pulled out of school for domestic work at home, caring for her mother and brothers. Refusing to give up, she set up her own hairdressing operation and earned managerial positions in business, only to have to leave to care for her manipulative and controlling mother who subjected her to physical and emotional abuse, including savage beatings.
Sadly, it would appear that this treatment conditioned Maisie to perpetually relegate her own needs and wishes to those of her family members and later an abusive husband. At times it seems that Maisie's pain and misery will never end, yet I'm pleased to say that hope and fulfilment are also present in this account.
Whilst heartbreaking in parts, Christine Ellis emphasises all that was good in her mother's adventures and gives an affirming tribute to her mother.
Rob Welsh

48 hours: The vanishing by Gabrielle Lord

48 Hours series book 1. Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781743629758
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Themes: Kidnapping, Detectives, Murder enquiries. Jazz's best friend, Anika has been kidnapped. Her blog about a dusty old journal she found hidden in her house seems to have attracted the wrong sort of attention. Her parents are adamant that the police not be called as they wait by the phone for instructions from the kidnappers. So Jazz, an amateur detective who sees everything through a detective's eye, decides to find Anika. But she needs help, and the only other person with a brain like hers is her mortal enemy, Phoenix, whose mother just happens to be a forensic scientist with a lab at her home!
Together they search Anika's house for clues, using the correct gear from the lab, but the CCTV reveals nothing, until a loose floorboard opens up a portal ripe for avoiding being seen. Gathering DNA evidence along with fingerprints, the results lead them to a cold case.
But the 48 hours deadline is looming large over their heads, so time is of the utmost importance.
An exciting opening book in a new series, 48 Hours will have readers looking forward to the next in the series, as Lord offers a range of research techniques for the amateur detective. The Vanishing offers two new characters, sometimes at odds with each other, but combining their skills to find an answer to the question as quickly as possible.
Well written, with plot twists to keep readers going, and forensic detail to intrigue, the series offers an easy to read set of books for middle school people.
Fran Knight

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

Ill. by Jon Klassen. HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780008158286
(Age: 11 - adult) Highly recommended. War, peace, Animals, Foxes. When his gruff and distant father leaves to fight in the war, motherless Peter is forced to stay with his grandfather and made to abandon his pet, a fox called Pax.
At his grandfather's he learns of the dog his father once owned and cared for. They were inseparable. Duty and responsibility overwhelms Peter. He feels abject guilt at leaving his pet behind and decides he should be with Pax. He packs his rucksack, takes some water and food, and sets off, back to the place where he abandoned the fox, and in alternate chapters we learn of what Pax is doing to get back to his human.
After he falls and breaks a bone in his foot Peter meets Vola a one legged recluse living in the woods. Through her he comes to understand the effect of war, as he is maneuvered to use her marionettes to tell the story of Sinbad. She killed a man in a previous war and finding a tattered copy of the Voyages of Sinbad in his coat pocket, carved the puppets as a memorial to him, but now she needs to see it performed. Peter is forced to stay with her until his foot has healed enough for him to move on, but he is anxious to leave and she is just as anxious that he is able to survive alone. The two rub against each other just as Pax is finding it difficult surviving with the other foxes he meets, learning the skills he missed as a kit,
An involving story of survival, the author is able to get inside the fox's head to portray its survival with assured realism. She beautifully contrasts the development of all three characters as they adapt to the changes in their world, while Klassen's brittle, black and white illustrations form a majestic backdrop to the events.
Beautifully written, Pax can be read by children and adults alike. The image of war is ever present, from the father going off to war, the woman, Vola and her wooden leg and her mission to see the Sinbad story performed, and the threat of encroaching war.
Peter eventually leaves to find the fox, and a heart stopping conclusion brings the reader to rethink the idea of friendship and challenge the concept of war and its effects on the people involved.
Allusions to Sheherazade, the tale of the phoenix, the stories of Sinbad, the roc, and so on are throughout the book, impelling the reader to look further into the tale. The stories behind Vola's life too are captivating as she becomes the teacher she wanted to be, rather than the soldier she was.
This wonderful book held me to the end.
Fran Knight

The brilliant fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781681195476
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. E.B. White Read Aloud Award 2010. On your mark... get set... go finish your science project? All Gianna Zales wants is to compete at the cross-country finals, but there's something standing in her way - a science project. She has less than a week to collect and document twenty-five leaves, and she'll lose her spot on the team if she can't pull it off. With a forgetful grandmother, a hearse-driving father, a mean-girl running rival, and new feelings toward her best friend, Gianna wishes life would just leave her alone to finish the project. Can Gianna Z. get the stroke of brilliance she needs to make it all work out?
Gianna will quickly draw people in with her infectious personality and will resonate with many tweens. With themes of family, friendship and being true to oneself, connections will be able to be made throughout the story. The various storylines including the lengths some will go to avoid completing homework, an ailing grandmother who is developing signs of Alzheimer's and the stereotypical mean girl all combine together to make an enthralling book. Gianna is torn in so many directions while trying to balance her commitment to the track team and taking on the roles of artist, daughter, friend and grand-daughter. This book will be a huge hit with a wide variety of children and I would strongly recommend it for ages 10 and up. A must have for the library collection.
Kathryn Schumacher

Deception by Teri Terry

Dark Matter, book 2. Orchard Books, 2018. ISBN 9781408341742
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Themes: Science fiction. Epidemics. Dystopian fiction. Following on immediately from Contagion, the first book in the series, readers are swept into the British countryside as an epidemic sweeps the country. Shay is convinced that she is the carrier of the virus and without telling Kai, has left Shetland to give herself up to the authorities. Kai follows her trail, desperate to find her and faces danger on the way as the survivors of the plague are hunted down by vigilantes and the secret service.
This is an adrenaline fuelled story that is fast paced and very exciting. Told in short snappy chapters from three viewpoints, Shay, Kai and Callie, recount their stories and give different viewpoints of what is happening. Shay comes into her own, as she learns to use her towering intellect and new powers, while Kai's determination and skills of survival are wonderful. Some more survivors, including Spike and Freja, are introduced and enrich the plot, giving insight into how people are coping with the epidemic.
Readers with a bent for science will also find the descriptions of antimatter and matter fascinating as Terry gives an explanation of the origin of the virus and the creation of the survivor's strange powers. There is much to ponder about the misuse of scientific experimentation even if the end result might provide cures for diseases.
There are some unexpected twists and turns and conclusion which will keep the reader enthralled and waiting for the next book in the series. Both Contagion and Deception would engage anyone who likes easy to read but totally engrossing stories.
Pat Pledger