The inverted banyan tree, and the way thither by J.K. Asher
Atlantis Books, 2017. ISBN 9781925117950
(Age: Adult) Recommended. Shifting scenes of 1944 Japanese occupied
Malaya, British colonial Malaya of the 1950s, and then "Visit
Malaysia 1985", present a twisting story of tiger hunts, murder,
ritual ceremonies, spirit guides, war crimes, love relationships,
extremist terrorism, life and death. Although at times confusing, a
picture is gradually built up of the complex relationships of the
British, Portuguese, Japanese, Hindu Indian, Chinese, and indigenous
Malay peoples that are woven together in a story that reveals the
hopes, beliefs, love, pain and suffering of them all. At the heart
of it is a story that is in many ways prescient of the present day
turmoil of fundamentalist terrorist hijacking of Muslim religion,
fuelled by Western imperialism. It is sobering to think that we do
not seem to learn anything from history.
The protagonist, Alistair, is British, slightly resentful that he
has not achieved the status and success of fellow traveller to
Malaysia, the businessman Ashman. Alistair meets and falls in love
with Ivy, a Serani or Eurasian, and befriends Dom, another Serani,
torn between Muslim and Christian, seeking guidance from the Spirit
Guide. Clearly Alistair is sensitive and understanding of the
nuances of relationships between the different cultural groups, but
is caught in the bureaucracy of the duties assigned to him by his
British superiors, intent on carving up the sacred Tiger Sanctuary.
That oblivious sense of superiority on the part of the colonisers is
what leads to the hostage and suicide plan of the extremist, Jihad,
member of the Al-Sijjin sect.
There are many other threads to this story: the unerring love
between Ismael and his teenage saviour Mariam; the haunted Japanese
war criminal seeking reparation by returning stolen artefacts; the
gifted student Isa cut down by ritualistic murderers; spiritualist
Ummah seeking the best solution for his people; and so many more,
that on finishing the book, I just wanted to start it all over again
to better understand and appreciate all the relationships.
This is a complex book that explores relationships between cultures,
just as the banyan tree creates intertwined trunks, roots, and
branches; it is deserving of more than one reading.
Helen Eddy
I went to see Santa by Paul Howard
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408844724
It's a classic scenario of little ones and their need to be just
that bit better than their friend. So when the little girl announces
that she went to see Santa and got a pair of Christmas glasses, her
friend says well he not only got Christmas glasses but also an
amazing magic set!
And so it goes on and on, getting more and more fabulous until the
most unexpected end!
Young children love stories like this where they can not only join
in but also help the ageing, forgetful adult remember all the things
in the list. If you share this with more than one, prepare for a
rollicking, raucous time that will bring joy and delight and an
affirmation that stories and books and reading are FUN!
Barbara Braxton
No limits by Ellie Marney
Ellie Marney, 2017. ISBN 9780648088516
(Age: New adult - adult) Highly recommended. Warning: contains
sexual references, drug use and swearing and is for older teens.
Themes: Romantic suspense. Drugs. Domestic violence. Murder. Ouyen
(Vic.). Mildura (Vic.). Marney continues the story of Harris
Derwent, the young man readers met in her Every breath
series. The story starts off with Harris, injured after helping
Rachel Watts, in hospital where he meets Amita Blunt, the police
sergeant's daughter. Unsteady on his feet, when he leaves the
hospital the only place he has to go is home, where he is at the
mercy of his violent father. The only solution he can find to paying
off his father's debts is to join a drug cartel and he makes the
decision to feed information through Amita to her father.
This was a totally engrossing story that fans of the Every
breath series will really enjoy although it is much darker and
more mature than those three books. The suspense throughout the book
was breath taking - I was on the edge of my seat, worrying about
Harris and whether he could escape his father's violence, and then
worried about whether he could hide his undercover activities when
telling the police about the drug deals, and then worried about
whether he would escape the drug cartel. At the same time the
growing relationship between Amita and Harris was beautifully
described and real. Both characters were complicated and the life
choices both had to make weren't easy.
The setting of the country towns of Ouyen and Mildura provided a
wonderful atmospheric background to the scenes of the dreadful drug
trade and how it operated. Readers familiar with those two towns
will recognise them and those new to Australian country towns will
learn a lot about how they function, with football dominating,
silence prevailing about domestic violence and a small town cop
being important in the community. The drug culture will be a
revelation as well. No limits puts Marney right at the top of the romantic
suspense genre and I look forward to more novels in this vein.
Pat Pledger
Snow penguin by Tony Mitton
Ill. by Alison Brown. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408862957
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Penguins, Antarctica, Adventure,
Exploration. In the Antarctic, one little penguin decides to explore
his surrounds. He leaves the warmth of his family, and looks
outward, standing on a piece of ice which cracks and floats away
from the land. On his little piece of ice he sees the most wondrous
things: a blue whale which thrashes its large tail nearby, its baby
calf at its side, a school of orca swim by, an elephant seal waking
from its nap, a seal and its pup.
Told in rhyming lines, the words are easily remembered by young
people willing and eager to say the story out loud, while predicting
the rhyming word at the end of each sentence.
It is when the baby penguin sees the seal and its pup that he begins
to think about his own family and wonders how to get back to them.
Thankfully his piece of ice knocks into the ice near the pack of
penguins and he is able to be reunited with his family.
Younger children will love reading of the little penguin and its
adventures on the ice, reading along with the teacher or parent,
predicting the words that rhyme, learning about the animals and
their environment in the Antarctic. The illustrations add to the
enjoyment of the read, covering every page with the cold blues and
whites of the Antarctic environment.
Fran Knight
What's going on down there?: A boy's guide to growing up by Karen Gravelle
Ill. by Robert Leighton. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781681193618
Recommended. Themes: Sex; Growth and Development. This is a very
simply written, down-to-earth explanation of the growth and
development that occurs during puberty, focusing on the
circumstances for boys. It does also include brief discussions of
the changes that girls will experience in puberty. It includes small
humourous illustrations to make the reader comfortable with the
emotionally charged revelations of all the changes that a young
man's body will experience. With simple explanations of puberty,
sex, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, what constitutes
sexual harassment, making babies and 'normal', this book gives
accessible information that is mostly helpful for a younger reader.
This would also be a good reference for those who want to be ready
for discussing these issues with a young boy in the pre-puberty or
beginning puberty phase. Teachers and parents should probably
pre-read this book before handing it over, to be sure they are ready
for questions and to enable an open discussion about 'What is going
on down there!' Some minor references to moral decision-making with
regard to sexual choices is included, but the purpose of the book is
primarily to discuss physical changes and to explain sex to a young
reader.
Carolyn Hull
Under the cold bright lights by Garry Disher
Text Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781925498882
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Themes: Abuse, Domestic violence,
Crime, Victoria, Cold case. When a snake disappears under a concrete
slab, Nathan rings a snake catcher who decides that the slab must be
lifted. This reveals a skeleton, and Alan Auhl and his partner,
Claire Pascal are called in from the Cold Case and Missing Persons
Squad to deal with it. As their investigations proceed, the plodding
routine questioning of neighbours, trawling land titles,
investigating all the previous tenants and owners, unfolds while
evidence from the body is elicited by forensic analysis, keeping the
reader alert to every possibility. In the background, Auhl, recently
returned to the police force in his mid fifties, is called Retread
by the younger members of his team, a term he bears with equanimity.
Home is a three story terrace house in Carlton, inherited from his
parents; his estranged wife lives on one floor, his student daughter
on another and many blow ins, friends of his daughter or waifs
someone has sent him, occupy various rooms. One taking refuge is
Neve and her ten year old daughter, Pia, running from an abusive
husband. Their fear is palpable, and the way they are treated in
court by the husband's solicitor, their own legal aid lawyer and the
judge make horrifying reading, the psycho babble used by the
husband's team making the readers' insides turn, and Auhl there for
support, more determined to help them.
Alongside the 'slab man' case, Auhl is juggling a case which haunts
him each year. On the anniversary of John Elphick's death, his
daughters, convinced he was murdered, ring Auhl asking if he has
taken the investigation further. Now in a position to act, he
rereads the coroner's report and looks more closely at what
happened, despite the warning by his boss. But Auhl is a maverick
and by now, the reader will love him for it. His taking in the waifs
of the world, his ironic look at what goes on around him, his dry
wit and banter with his friends and colleagues, embed him in the
readers' imaginations.
But a doctor has arrived at the police station, convinced that his
wife is trying to murder him. Auhl sits in on the interview
remembering his Homicide investigation of the doctor several years
ago after the suspicious death of his second wife, and the hatred
between them makes for a tense interview.
The investigations into the 'slab man's death takes Auhl to a
fundamentalist community where 'slab man's partner, found dead some
years earlier, once lived. Here follows a dark entanglement of
intrigue, where women are abused in the name of religion and kept in
the background, fearful of what may happen to them if they disobey.
Behind many of the crimes investigated in Disher's latest
enthralling novel, is the theme of controlling husbands, of men who
use power over women, of men who will stop at nothing to retain it.
The book flows by, building the horror of what happens behind closed
doors, and people's inability to stop it. From the pastor's son,
protecting his now demented father, the doctor, trying to manipulate
the police, the house owner not owning up to asbestos before she
sells, the range of ideas and themes offered in this latest book
will keep readers thinking all the while tracking around the twists
and turns of an excellent plot, designed to take the reader down a
path not usually explored and leaving them with heady questions
about law, justice and morality. This stand alone novel is sure to
elicit calls from many readers for a further outing for Alan Auhl,
and I am one of them.
Fran Knight
Toto: The dog-gone amazing story of the Wizard of Oz by Michael Morpurgo
Ill. by Emma Chichester Clark. Harper Collins Children's books,
2017. ISBN 9780008134600
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy tale; Home; Kindness;
Resilience. Michael Morpurgo has added his wonderful skills to
retell the story of Dorothy and Toto and the Wizard of Oz. Told from
the perspective of Toto, who tells the tale of the journey to the
Land of Oz to the young and weakest puppy (who might need its own
message of kindness, courage and goodness); this is a beautiful
rendering of the traditional tale. Dorothy's friendship with
Scarecrow, Tinman and the cowardly Lion is retold in a warm and
powerful way, highlighting the value of friendship and self-belief
against the odds. The potentially scary moments in the story are
always forewarned by the narrator Toto, with comforting comments to
remind the reader that all will turn out well in the end. The
strength of the story is always in the honourable and good and kind
way that Dorothy responds, her resilience in the face of difficulty
and in her mantra that "home is home . . . and home is best" even
when uncertainties cross her path. And of course Scarecrow, the
Tinman and Lion also learn valuable lessons too.
Illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark are naive and warm and
intriguing, and will appeal to young readers. This is certainly a
book that would make a wonderful read-aloud for a parent to a child
and the lessons that could be shared would enrich their
relationship. The mastery of Morpurgo's writing skill is that the
book would be loved by both adult and child, and I am sure, read
more than once. I was also impressed with the way that the wicked
witches had minimal 'fright-power' for a young reader (no scary
dreams likely after reading!)
Carolyn Hull
Take three girls by Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell and Fiona Wood
Pan Macmillan, 2017. ISBN 9781742612744
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. Sexual references and strong
language. Themes: Cyber bullying, Feminism, Friendship, Sexual
relationships, Identity, Sibling rivalry. With three outstanding
award winning writers co-authoring Take three girls, the
reader can expect a wonderful story and this book does not
disappoint. The three main protagonists will linger in the memory:
Ady appears to be confident and cool, but is concealing troubles at
home; Kate is very intelligent and loves music, but must risk her
scholarship to pursue her dreams; Clem finds it difficult to return
to swimming after an accident because she is fixated on an older boy
and is trying to keep her twin Iris at arms-length. When the private
school they attend starts a Wellness program to combat the cyber
bullying that is taking place, the three girls find themselves in
the same group and begin to question the nature of friendship
especially as the toxic PSST website has targeted them and other
girls with nasty rumours and innuendos. As the cover states: "Rumour
is the new truth".
This book pulls no punches and looks squarely at the issues that
many girls face today. It deals frankly and openly with sexual
harassment, a first sexual encounter, cyber bullying, a parent with
a drug problem, sibling rivalry and friendship through a series of
chapters, journal entries and letters by each of the girls, and the
reader becomes totally involved with the three such different
characters and cares deeply about their problems. The nature of
friendship is a theme that runs through the book, and the three
girls thrown together by a random act in class, find that real
friends accept them, help them out with their issues and support
them through difficult times. The comments posted up on PSST, the
website, are shocking and very nasty but the three authors have
managed to demonstrate that girls don't have to put up with such
bullying and have given Kate a wonderful way of turning the bullying
around.
Once I started Take three girls I couldn't put it down. It
is very topical and beautifully written with characters that I cared
about.
Pat Pledger
First day by Margaret Wild
Ill. by Kim Gamble. Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760293918
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: First day at school, School,
Friendship, Family. First published in 1998, this welcome reprint
will resonate with all readers, those about to being school as well
as those who recall the butterflies in their stomach of their first
day be it last week or fifty years ago. The warmth of the story is
embedded in the showcasing of several families as they prepare for
their first day. Each child is introduced while doing something in
preparation for their day: Salma makes her lunch, Khalil puts on his
shoes and ties his laces, Jun is practising his counting, Stephen
practises his name and phone number, Penny poses for a photo to be
taken by dad, Alex does up her buttons, while Alex's mum wonders if
the others at her new school will laugh at her. Each has learnt
something in the lead up to growing older, and each has some concern
about what will happen. Some are concerned about finding friends,
while one is worried about going to the toilet. The story follows
each as they make their way to school on the bus, in the car,
walking with mum or dad. At school there are routines to be followed
and things to learn about fitting into the way things happen. Each
is shown with warmth and children reading will learn about these
systems without being aware of it.
The wonderfully soft and witty water colour illustrations by Gamble
suit the mood of the story beautifully, reflecting the diversity
inherent in the tale, inviting the reader to identify with the range
of children on the pages, and look at the range of adventures
offered in the new school.
The witty parallel between the children and Alex's mum, all
beginning school on the same day will further endear the readers to
this lovely tale.
The book is divided into seven sections, Before school, Going to
school, Starting school, In the morning, During lunch, In the
afternoon and Home time, making it easier for younger readers. A
charming tale for novice school goers of all ages.
Fran Knight
Karl, the Universe and everything by Dr Karl Kruszelnicki
Pan Macmillan Australia, 2017. ISBN 9781925481327
"Grab your towel and hitchhike across the galaxy with Australia's
most popular scientist Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. Learn about Dr Karl,
the universe and everything, and discover how air-conditioning is
sexist, how you can kill a spinning hard drive by shouting at it and
how space junk is threatening our future capabilities for space
travel.
Could there be life on one of Saturn's moons? How much power could
you collect from all the lightning on Earth? Why do books have
book-smell? Why is 10 per cent of the Earth's land area prone to
sinkholes?
Why are some people chronically late? What would happen if the Earth
stopped spinning? Why do most people hardly remember anything from
the first half-a-dozen years of their life?
How close are we to the Artificial Uterus? Why do some songs turn
into "earworms" and stick inside your brain? Why does your hotel
room access card get wiped so easily?
And is your home WiFi really spying on you?"(Publisher)
For those of us that can remember Keith Martyn's Almanac that used
to come out annually, I think this book has a similar feel. The book
is well set out with a very detailed contents page at the front and
each chapter varies in length. While it is not a book that a child
would pick up and read from cover to cover, it is certainly one that
would appeal to children who soak up facts. The text is a good size
and title pages separate the chapters. This adds to the appeal of
the book as it does not look overwhelming, despite the fact it
contains an enormous amount of information. The interspersed
illustrations also add to the overall look of the book. I like the
personal anecdotes that pop up every now and then. An interesting
non fiction addition to a collection.
Kathryn Schumacher
The girl, the dog and the writer in Rome by Katrina Nannestrad
ABC Books, 2017. ISBN 9780733338175
(Age: 9+) "For the first ten years of Freja's life, she and her
mother Clementine have roamed the Arctic in search of zoological
wonders. Happy, content, together. Freja and Clem. Clem and Freja.
But now, everything is changing, and Clementine must send Freja away
to live with her old friend Tobias, a bestselling crime writer and,
quite possibly, the most absent-minded man on earth. Tobias isn't
used to life with a child, and Freja isn't used to people at all,
but together they'll stumble into an Italian adventure so big that
it will change things forever . . . Award-winning Australian author
Katrina Nannestad returns with a delicious new series about family,
friendship and finding yourself." Publisher
This is a beautiful story about family, friendship, identity,
bravery and it gives a fascinating insight into the amazing city of
Rome. The added addition of the glossary at the end of the book is a
welcome addition for those of us that are unfamiliar with Italian!
Throughout the book Freja displays bravery a number of times
including when she has to leave her mum to live with Tobias.
Nannestrad has created a beautifully written story rich in
description that encounters a unique friendship between a young girl
and Tobias, a eccentric bestselling crime writer. This book would be
suitable for all aged 9 and up. Although it is a lengthy novel, the
text is quite large and the book does not appear daunting. This will
be a welcome addition to the library and I am sure it will not be
sitting on the shelves for very long.
Kathryn Schumacher
I want to be in a scary story by Sean Taylor
Ill. by Jean Jullien. Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406363463
Ages: 3 - 7) Highly recommended. Picture Book. Little Monster is the
cute, purple coloured cartoon character of this tale. The text
spoken by LM is in matching purple. He clearly loves stories and
announces to the narrator that he would like to be in one himself
(herself?) Nowhere is Little Monster's gender identified but seems
male for whatever reason I can't quite put my finger on which
probably reflects on my upbringing. Certainly though, any little
girl monster reading the story is in no way excluded.
The story he would like to be in needs to be scary so he says. The
narrator, having a sound understanding of little one's psyche better
than he does, suggests maybe a funny story would be a more suitable
idea. The very bold and brave LM however, disagrees and insists on
"scary". The story begins to unfold with the setting of spooky
houses and forests and suggestions by the narrator to populate it
with witches and ghosts. As each page turns, the little reader can
see LM's consternation unfolding at the thought of personally
encountering these challenges and LM saves face by announcing that
he would definitely prefer to be the one to do the scaring. Even
that obviously has its less than acceptable challenges and so LM
takes the narrative direction into his own hands. He creates the
wonderful compromise of a funny, scary story that suits his
specifications down to the ground. He, of course, enjoyed it so
much, he would like to be in another story again tomorrow.
I enjoyed reading this book and I'm pretty sure my 4 year old
granddaughter is going to enjoy exploring "scary's" acceptable
boundaries with me as we read it.
Elizabeth Avery
The last girl by Nadia Murad and Jenna Krajeski
Virago, 2017. ISBN 9780349009759
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Highly recommended. The Yazidi
people are a religious minority group living primarily in a northern
province of Iraq. Because they worship a fallen angel, Melek Taus,
the peacock angel, they have been branded devil worshippers by the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syris (ISIS) who have selected verses of
the Qur'an to justify treating the Yazidi as property not humans.
Thus Yazidi may be traded as slaves or killed without any qualm of
conscience.
Nadia Murad, a Yazidi, born and raised in the small village of
Kocho, Iraq, has documented how ISIS lay siege to their village,
killed the men and elderly women, took the young men for
brainwashing as soldiers and suicide bombers, and forced the girls
and young women into sexual slavery. Nadia was sold and traded on
the slave market by ISIS extremists, and repeatedly subjected to
torture and rape. She survived and eventually escaped, bravely
assisted by a Kurdish Muslim family, and she lives on to reveal to
the world the genocide of the Yazidi undertaken by ISIS, and to
fight for the survivors of human trafficking. She is the 2016
recipient of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, along with
friend Lamiya Aji Bashar who was seriously disfigured by a landmine
in her bid for freedom. The last girl is Nadia's story, beginning with the humble
Yazidi village life, of extended family and close community, where
her simple girlish dreams were to become a hairstylist or
beautician. Then in 2014, her village was encircled by ISIS and the
people massacred, the girls taken away on buses to Mosul to ISIS
headquarters to become sex slaves. Some committed suicide, some like
Nadia eventually escaped, others continue to suffer somewhere in
Iraq or have been trafficked to Syria.
If you think this all sounds too horrible to read, Murad spares us
the graphic details. Her way of coping at the worst times was to
shut down her mind, and she does the same in the book, she shuts
down on the details, and just tells us the events. It is
nevertheless a very moving story, one that needs to be heard.
As Amal Clooney says in the foreward to the book, amazingly Nadia
Murad's spirit has not been broken, and she continues to campaign
for justice. 'She has become the voice of every Yazidi who is a
victim of genocide, every woman who has been abused, every refugee
who has been left behind'.
Students studying modern slavery or the refugee crisis could gain
insight from reading this book. Other readers could gain a better
understanding of how ISIS is an extremist group that is a threat to
all people, Muslims and Westerners alike.
Helen Eddy
The Creakers by Tom Fletcher
Penguin, 2017. ISBN 9780141388762
(Age: 10+) Recommended. "What silently waits in the shadows at
night? What's under your bed, keeping just out of sight? Do you ever
hear strange, creaking noises at night? Ever wonder what makes those
noises? Lucy Dungston always did. Until, one morning, Lucy discovers
that all the grown-ups have disappeared - as if into thin air. Chaos
descends as the children in Lucy's town run riot. It's mayhem. It's
madness. To most kids, it's amazing! But Lucy wants to find out the
truth. Lucy lost her dad not long ago, and she's determined not to
lose her mum too. She's going to get her back - and nothing is going
to stop her...
...except maybe the Creakers." (Publisher)
Tom Fletcher is certainly a talented author. He has managed to
capture his audience once again as in The Christmassaurus.
It will certainly be a big hit with the girls with the lead
character being a short haired heroine who is kind, smart and brave!
Lucy is an inspiring role model who stands up for what she believes
in and feels quite comfortable making friends with children that are
usually outcasts. It is interesting to find the hidden message of
the importance and usefulness of recycling and sustainability with
waste products. The book will ignite the imagination in all and
engage even the most reluctant reader. With snippets of unbelievable
magic and laugh out loud moments, Fletcher's book has mastered the
art of describing things in a funny way. I can see children aged ten
and up (as there are a few scary bits) enjoying this read - a must
have for the library collection. It would also make a great read
aloud with some adult humour sprinkled throughout.
Kathryn Schumacher
It's OK to feel the way you do by Josh Langley
Big Sky Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781925520965
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. It's OK to feel the way you do
is all about expressing emotions and feelings. It is a beautifully
illustrated picture book, covering feelings such as anger, sadness
and happiness. Each section explains how the feelings can make us
feel and advice is offered for the negative feelings. The coping
strategies include remembering happy moments and breathing in and
out. This book is a way for children to learn about feelings, to
learn how to express and cope. It is a book for children to read
with an adult rather than independently so the topics can be
discussed. Children could then read it again later. It's OK to feel the way you do is an excellent bedtime book or
it could be read once a child has calmed after feeling angry or
anxious. Families (or classes) could create their own version,
recording how they were feeling after different events and what they
did to help themselves or their friends feel better. Many children
struggle to describe or explain how they feel and this is a lovely
way to get a discussion happening when the child is calm and
focused. The style of illustrations is aimed at all primary school
aged children and the text is aimed at readers aged 7+. Highly
recommended for children aged 4+
Kylie Kempster
