Rosewood Chronicles book 1. Penguin, 2017. ISBN 9780141387567
(Age: 11-14) Themes: Fantasy. Boarding school. Princesses. Connie
Glynn's debut novel Undercover princess takes inspiration
from her love of Disney princesses and their stories. She shares
this on her popular Noodlerella vlog and YouTube channel. This
fantasy adventure story uses recognisable Young Adult literary
tropes, well-known character types and settings, typical plot
points and twists, and the prescient struggle of good and evil. Her
familiar settings include an elite boarding school with its secret
magical qualities and the old bakery where the orphan protagonist
lives with her uncaring stepmother. Of course, there is a defiant
princess from the magical kingdom of Maradova, who rebels against
her royal destiny allowing Lottie to fulfil her dream of being a
princess.
Lottie Pumpkin has studied incredibly hard to win a bursary to
prestigious Rosewood Hall in spite of her difficult home life.
Before her death, Lottie's mother has instilled in her a sense of
self worth, with the mantra "I will be kind, I will be brave, I
will be unstoppable." Meanwhile Princess Eleanor (Ellie) Wolfson of
Maradova, finally has been allowed to leave her own country and
attend the same school, in fact she is Lottie's roommate. Following
a huge mix-up, Lottie takes on her royal role allowing Ellie to
enjoy a normal life. There are the familiar highs and low of school
life, friendships, bullying, secret messages to solve, as well as a
quick trip to Maradova for Lottie to take on the role of portman, or
undercover princess.
The text ranges from simplistic to extremely expressive, while the
characters need more depth and back-story. Several scenes are
somewhat confronting and more suited to a teen audience. This novel
is the first in the Rosewood Chronicles series written for
young teen fans that enjoy the fantasy genre.
Rhyllis Bignell
Don't spew in your space suit by Tim Miller and Matt Stanton
HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780733334672
(Age: 5+) Don't spew in your space suit' is another bodily function
picture book by Tim Miller and Matt Stanton (who also bring us the There
is a monster... who farts series) that is sure to
delight young children who thrive on all things gross! The book
follows the story of an astronaut who is looking for life on Mars
but unfortunately has a queasy tummy and doesn't take too well to
space travel. The rhyme is fairly easy to follow, and makes for a
good read aloud story - especially as there are often responses of
'yuk!' 'Eewww!' from the audience. I read this book to a group of
reception boys. Their reviews range from "I think this book is
funny, because it makes me laugh" and "It was pretty good, and I
liked the bit where he had to wipe vomit off the windscreen" to
"The book was silly, and the pictures and words were silly and I
didn't like it". The majority of children who I read this book to
thought it was hilarious, disgusting and good to listen to. Not for
those weak of stomach, or in a bad mood!
Overall it gets 3/5 for its disgusting yet funny theme, and its
bright and engaging illustrations. Best read to children who will
understand the concepts of spew, space travel and aliens - 5 years
and above.
Lauren Fountain
Mrs White and the Red Desert by Josie Wowolla Boyle
Ill. by Maggie Prewett. Magabala Books, 2017. ISBN 9781925360578
(Age: 3-7) Highly recommended. Themes: Aboriginal life, Culture and
identity, Australia - Social life and customs. Magabala Books
continues to publish an excellent range of indigenous stories,
perfectly suited 'to providing an opportunity for all young
Australians to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures'.
ACARA. Mrs White and the Red Desert is an engaging and
colourful story reminiscing about the author's childhood. They lived
in the red, sandy desert 'in a corrugated iron house that was wavy
and buckled and bent just like our grandmothers hair.' The children
played in mud and drew in the rich red sand. She remembers
higgledy-piggledy houses and gardens, the hot winds blowing through
the nail holes and wooden shutters.
This is a gorgeous sensory story, the changing weather having an
effect on her family, the rain's soft pitter-patter on the tin roof
and cold night winds racing through their house. Josie Wowolla
Boyle's imagination turns to humour when the early morning crows
clatter across the rood dressed for shopping.
Mrs White their teacher expresses concern when the children's
homework is handed up, each page is grubby and covered in red dust.
Her visit to the children's desert house proves enlightening, the
house is cleaned, the table set and their homework cleaned with
slices of bread, however only grandmother is watching the skies. Mrs
White in her pristine clothes and hat is caught in the wild
sandstorm and everything inside and outside the house is covered in
red dust, even their teacher.
Josie Wowolla Boyle's beautiful evocative story includes gorgeous
imagery and rich language and Maggie Prewett's vibrant watercolour
illustrations perfectly build the sense of place and drama. Earthy
tones with bold sweeps of red and white add depth to this childhood
memory. Mrs White and the Red Desert is a wonderful book to
share with a young audience, my Reception History classes delighted
in the alliterative text and vibrant images of the crows on the roof
decked out in hats and high heels. A perfect picture book to inspire
art lessons, to encourage children to write stories of their own
childhood and to explore the concepts of aboriginal heritage and
connection to country.
Rhyllis Bignell
Under the cold bright lights by Garry Disher
Text Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781925498882
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Mystery and suspense. Alan Auhl works
for the cold case department, after retiring from Homicide years
before. He lives in a large old house with a random selection of
boarders and people who need his help. At work he juggles an
assortment of cases, including the body that was buried under a
concrete slab and the death of John Elphick, whose daughters are
convinced that he was murdered, as well as investigating the slick
doctor whose wives have a habit of dying. At home he is supporting a
woman who has fled with her 10 year old daughter from domestic
violence and who is facing the Family Court in a fight to limit her
estranged husband's access to her daughter.
The reader is taken on a breath taking ride as Auhl juggles all
these complex cases as well as his feelings for his ex-wife and the
taunts at work about being old and putting up with the nickname of
Retread. He just gets on with the job. Disher captures the attention
of the reader with a description of a snake in the backyard of a
young couple and the subsequent revelation of a skeleton under the
concrete where the snake has taken refuge. The other cases are just
as complicated and Disher manages to keep all the plots interesting,
with many twists and turns and some surprises as well about the way
some of the villains meet their come-uppance.
This is a stand-alone novel, but I hope that Disher continues to
write about the unforgettable Alan Auhl. His characters, vivid prose
and settings are wonderful.
Pat Pledger
Zombie's Birthday Apocalypse by Zack Zombie
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie book 9. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN
9781743818350
(Age: 7-9) Themes: Zombies, Friendship, Birthdays. The popular fan
fiction series continues with Zack Zombie's preparations for his
epic thirteenth birthday party. His birthday falls on Halloween
making it an extra special celebration. With his plans to host a
Larry Snotter party, Zombie realises that he needs to find a job to
finance his expensive costume. On Tuesday when he tries to find his
human friend Steve to discuss his party, he has disappeared. As he
checks out the nearby woods, Zack observes a strange occurrence
amongst the other villagers who are walking around with large
pumpkin heads.
With his neighbourhood preparing scary Halloween decorations in
their front yard, Zack helps Old Man Jenkins with his old Zombie
horse. Mr Jenkins' old bones keep falling apart and he offers him a
job grooming the horse. With a competition for the scariest costume
at school, talk of a Zombie Apocalypse, the mob villagers
disappearing and trying to organise his birthday party, Zack is
keeps busy. The final scenes of saving the mob of pumpkin head
villagers using the school oval sprinklers and Ursula the Witch's
potion prove exciting for Zack and his friends. Zombie's Birthday Apocalypse is a fun junior novel, packed
full of familiar characters, Minecraft images and the strange lives
of Zack, his family and friends. Humour, grossness, body jokes and
plenty of Minecraft activities are just right for the fans of this
popular series.
Rhyllis Bignell
Terrortide by Michael Adams
The Seven Signs book 6. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781743628065
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Themes: Adventure; Danger; Sydney,
Australia; Futuristic adventure. Book 6 in the Seven Signs series is
as terror and suspense-filled as the previous five books in the
series. The young DARE award winners are yet again plunged into
horrific circumstances as they race to save the World from the
actions of the Gamemaster. This unknown and mysterious figure has
sent more images to solve via their hi-tech futuristic communication
devices, and impels all of the seven teens into more
life-threatening scenarios - this time with Sydney, Australia as the
potential target. With one catastrophe leading immediately into
another, it is not surprising that they author ends this penultimate
book of the episodic series on a cliff-hanger ending (or perhaps
more accurately - hanging on by our fingernails).
Readers will be desperate to find out what comes next (very clever
marketing strategy!) and solving the ultimate puzzle as to who is
behind this reprehensible series of awful events, and to see whether
the young teens can be heroic yet again and save the world from
destruction. Or is it too late?
Recommended to adventure junkies aged 13+.
Carolyn Hull
Crimewave by Michael Adams
The Seven Signs series book 5. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN
9781743628058
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Themes: Adventure; Risk; South Korea;
Colombia; Information; Futuristic Crime. With one twist after
another, the seven DARE award winners are thrust again into
life-threatening scenarios in the fifth exciting book of the Seven
Signs Series. The action picks up where it left off in book 4, with
the teenagers in RoboWorld Theme Park in South Korea. With
out-of-control robotic attackers still advancing and the clock
clicking closer to imminent destruction, five of the intrepid teens
must face their own fears and the threat of their own demise to save
the country. Meanwhile, Mila and Isobel are in Bogata, Colombia, and
they become embroiled in the plans of a criminal heavyweight. They
too are in imminent danger.
With a one page introduction or summary of previous events in the
series, the author launches into action. No time to draw breath!
Consequently this is mostly suited to readers who have been waiting
breathlessly to find out what might come next. And again, the author
leaves the reader dangling at the end of the book with a closing
cliff- hanger . . . Ready for the next exciting adventure to save
the world.
Recommended for action lovers aged 13+.
Carolyn Hull
Ava's big move by Mary Van Reyk
Surf Riders Club series. Hachette Australia, 2017. ISBN
9780734417909
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Ava's Big Move is the first book in
the series Surf Riders Club and has been created in
collaboration with Surfing Australia.
A new beginning and a move for a dream to come true sees Ava
unwillingly move with her family to a beachside town. She can't go
on the yearly snowboard trip and she is leaving her best friend.
Ava's first day of school and subsequent weeks end up being amazing
thanks to new friends and the discovery of liking surfing. Now, Ava
just needs to figure out if she has the skills to move to the next
level in surfing lessons. Can she catch the five waves or will she
be left behind? Through her surfing journey, Ava realises the move
to a new town is pretty good. She is spending time with her older
brother , seeing her parent's dreams come true and surviving high
school. Ava's Big Move is a great, positive story about new
beginnings and everyday life. Even better, it is set in Australia.
The themes of resilience, persistence and accepting others are
strong throughout and Ava and her friends are strong role models for
girls. The vocabulary is easy to read and understand. It might even
inspire readers to create stories about their own adventures. highly
recommended for girls aged 10+.
Kylie Kempster
Molly the pirate by Lorraine Teece
Ill. by Paul Sedden. Magabala Books, 2017. ISBN 9781925360660
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Pirates, Central Australia,
Aboriginal themes. The wonderfully spontaneous Molly lives a long
way from the sea, and yet dreams of being a pirate. With mum in the
background trying to hang out the washing on a very blustery day,
Molly dons her eye patch, pirate hat and sword. She rows out to the
pirate ship and there challenges Captain Chicken, but is made to
walk the plank.
She somersaults across the deck, outsmarting the crew made up of
other chickens and the cat, until the crew is so dizzy they feel the
need to lie down for a while. She climbs the rigging and comes back
to the deck to eat with the crew members. They then turn the ship
for shore and Molly returns home, certain that there will be more
adventures. A delightful story of the risk taking Molly and her
pirate crew, readers will love to see how she reacts once on board
the pirate ship, and love reading of her interaction with the crew.
And the illustrations are just magical, with Seden using common
kitchen items on each splendidly vibrant page. Young readers will
love searching them out and laughing at the way the illustrator has
used each in his drawings, while the background of inland Australia
underscores its distance from the sea. Each page is a delight and I
loved the way Sedden has used differing perspectives, challenging
the reader to work out where they are.
Fran Knight
Force of nature by Jane Harper
Aaron Falk book 2. Macmillan Australia, 2017. ISBN
9781743549094
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Mystery and suspense. Aaron Falk returns in
the second of Jane Harper's mysteries, following her best-selling The
dry. This time partnered with Carmen Cooper, they are
investigating a family company, BaileyTennants, which is suspected
of money laundering. His whistle blower, Alice Russell, has promised
to give them the documents to prove the case, but she turns up
missing after a team building bush walk in the rugged Giralang
Ranges. Five women from the company walked into the bush and only
four returned.
The action and the setting keep the reader riveted. Told in
alternative chapters, Harper describes what is happening on the
bushwalk and the direction that Falk's investigation into Alice's
disappearance is taking. The Giralang Ranges provide a dark and
frightening background and when the women take a wrong turning and
become lost there is not only the never ending sameness of the bush
to contend with but the lingering fear that once a serial killer and
his son roamed this wilderness.
Harper brings alive the characters of the five women: there is Jill,
daughter of the patriarch of the family company and nominally in
charge of the group; Alice Russell is self-centred and nasty but
committed to her daughter; the twins Bree and Beth constantly bicker
and Lauren is a self-effacing woman who lacks confidence. As the
members of the group try and find shelter and the way home any group
cohesiveness is lost and old wounds are opened with often nasty
results.
Family dynamics are vividly described. Lauren's daughter is
suffering after being brutally bullied at school. Alice's daughter
who goes to the same school, is also experiencing problems with the
son of the company's director and these complexities add a depth to
the story and the reader's feelings about the main characters.
The reader is never certain if Alice is still alive and has just
chosen to disappear or if she has been murdered by a group member or
someone following them in the bush. This suspense is kept up until
the very end when there is a very satisfying denouement.
This is a worthy follow-up to The dry and I look forward to
reading about Aaron Falk's future investigations.
Pat Pledger
Cinderella by Jane Ray
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406377842
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Diorama, Theatre, Classic tale, Fairytale. A
three dimensional representation of the classic tale of Cinderella
is offered within the covers of this book in six pop up dioramas.
Each double page presents a scene from the fairy tale, with side
flaps giving the story, and the central offering a diorama of the
action presented in the text. In the first diorama, we hear of
Cinderella and her two lazy stepsisters. We see Cinderella sweeping
in the kitchen while her stepmother and stepsisters lounge about, in
an adjacent room preening, drinking tea and eating cake. They are
magnificently dressed, whereas Cinderella is dirty and disheveled.
The page is cut out so that the action stands out from the
background. Through the cut out foreground we can see into the
garden beyond.
Each double page is full of interest, and children will read the
text eagerly looking at the picture presented, searching out the
details of the story.
The book is subtitled, A Three-dimensional Fairy-tale Theatre,
and the side flaps are like curtains opening on the scene presented,
making the viewer's eyes focus on the opening of the stage curtain
and what is then revealed.
A different outing for the classic tale will be eagerly used by
young careful readers.
Fran Knight
Stitches and stuffing by Carrie Gallasch and Sara Acton
Little Hare, 2017. ISBN 9781760127787
Wherever Adeline went, so did Bunnybear. They had been together
since forever, never apart. He was soft and cuddly, his ears and
legs wibbling and wobbling and he flipped and flopped along. He even
had his own seat at the table for morning milk and biscuits with
Nanna. Bunnybear was her best friend and she didn't feel right
without him. Until one day, Bunnybear accidentally got left at the
beach. Caught in a tug-of-war between a curious seagull and
Adeline's puppy, poor Bunnybear was destroyed and Adeline was
distraught. That night there was a Bunnybear-shaped empty space in
her bed and she felt very alone.
Next day Nanna sat in her knitting chair and made a new Bunnybear
for Adeline. But this one wasn't the same. It was too stiff and
straight and no matter how Adeline squished and squashed him, he
felt like a stranger. And so he sat on the shelf, hard and still
like a statue. But then, one day Nanna had to go away for a while
and with no milk and biscuits for morning tea, and no sitting in the
knitting chair with her, the days became long and quiet. And then
Adeline remembered . . .
This is a soft and gentle story, illustrated with the soft and
gentle palette and the soft and gentle lines of watercolours, that
will remind all readers, young and not-so of their favourite
take-along-everywhere toy of their childhood. Everyone has a
Bunnybear in their story, that one toy that we felt lost without
regardless of whether it was shabby or pristine. In fact, shabby was
better because it showed how loved it was but despite that, there is
always room for change and sometimes when it is thrust upon us we
need to embrace it. This softness is not just in the storyline but
also in the rhythm of the story - long sentences that spread out
over vignettes and pages as life continues on its merry way but
changing to shorter, more abrupt statements when the worst happens
and then gradually getting longer and more rhythmic as life takes on
a new pattern. The whole wraps around the child like a hug,
reassuring them that things will work out even if they are
different.
Sometimes when little ones go to big school there is a suggestion
that it is time to leave their preschool lives behind, including
their beloved toys that have been with them since birth. And yet
with this huge change in their lives they are left without the
companionship of their most trusted and comforting friend and ally.
We have to remember we can still count in months the time these
little ones have been in the world and they need and deserve all the
support they can get. The astute teacher will acknowledge that these
are more than just a collection of stitches and stuffing, that they
are imbued with love, safety and security and perhaps having a
special shelf so the special toys can come to school too with the
child deciding when they want to wean themselves. Meanwhile the
teacher librarian can encourage them to read to their special toy in
school and at night and might even provide a collection of teddies
for those who just need an extra hug or two. It worked for me!
Barbara Braxton
The poesy ring: a love story by Bob Graham
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406378276
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes: Love. Marriage. Artifacts.
Historical evidence. The journey of a poesy ring given to a beloved
in times long ago is full of significance as it is lost and then
found nearly two centuries later, meaning the same thing for the
couple today as it once did for the couple that lost it. A whole
story can be evoked from the opening pages watching a young Irish
woman gallop away from the sea, a tall ship disappearing into the
distance. It is 1830 and she has thrown the ring away. It falls to
the ground, spending time with the small animals and grasses that
grow around it. An acorn that falls nearby grows into a huge tree
before a deer finds the ring lodged in its hoof. The ring falls into
a meadow, and when the farmer tills his soil, a bird picks it up.
From there is falls into the sea only to be retrieved from a fishing
net and sold. By now it is 1967, and a couple busking in the New
York underground, take their earnings to a gold shop where they buy
the ring and walk home together in the snow.
The ring has come full circle, finding a finger on which it can sit
symbolising the love between two people.
This touching story of love, dedicated to Graham's partner of fifty
years, Carolyn, will endear itself to all readers, showcasing the
endurance and tenacity of love and its symbols. The inscription
inside the ring, Love never dies, resonates through the story as the
ring, buffeted by the passing seasons is eventually found in a shop
in New York, bringing a small tear to the eye of all who read it.
Graham's soft watercolour illustrations show time passing from tall
ships, then wartime destroyers and later a fishing trawler, while a
man turns the soil with his plough, reaping the crop with a scythe,
the images moving on to the escalator in the underground and the
shops in the streets of New York. This book lovingly shows the
passing of time and the enduring power of the little ring, lost and
now found, a circle of love for a new generation. Younger readers
will have a great time seeking the smaller pictures on each page,
reflecting the passing of time, while older readers will ponder the
timelessness of the gold ring and all that it implies. Graham
successfully inhabits his books with the small things of life, the
wonderful image of the ploughing man and his horses, the boots of
the fisherman, the tattoo on Sonny's hand, the children giving money
to the buskers. His books give a feeling of solidity, of family, of
community and continuity, and no more so than here, with the ring
coming full circle, to the hand of a woman in New York.
A wonderful interview of Bob Graham by Jason Steger of the Sydney
Morning Herald can be found here.
Fran Knight
On the free by Coert Voorhees
Carolrhoda Lab, 2017. ISBN 9781512429138
(Age: 15+) Themes: Survival. Disasters. Resilience. Santiago has
elected to undertake the Bear Canyon Wilderness Therapy Programme in
the Colorado mountains as a diversion from the juvenile justice
system. A small party supervised by two counsellors sets off on a
demanding trek designed to encourage the attendees to evaluate their
lives and take responsibility for the future. Santi's character is
brilliantly depicted. He's a good kid who has made a couple of poor
decisions which lead to serious consequences. I found myself nodding
at the entirely realistic portrayal of a lad lacking parental
guidance whose ethnicity and socio-economic background limit his
opportunities. When drug offences lead to criminal bad company and a
custodial sentence, I groaned, not just because Santi's choices were
so obviously flawed, but because this is daily reality for so many
young people.
It was also refreshing to see the Wilderness Programme presented as
a well-intentioned but slightly delusional attempt to help troubled
youths who treated it with some derision. This was partly due to
their adolescent cynicism and posturing but also because its
organisation and staffing were imperfect.
Victor is another trekker and is a thoroughly unpleasant character
who enjoys inflicting discomfort and humiliation on his fellows.
Again, the revelation of his past steers the reader to understand
and feel compassion for a young man whose future could have been so
much happier and more fulfilling.
The interaction and tension between Santi and Victor and other party
members is realistically portrayed and a natural disaster which
leads the pair to fight for life in the company of Amelia, one of
the camp counsellors is entirely plausible.
This is a good survival story which could have been brilliant. The
crafting of characters, setting and events in the context of
wilderness adventure created a fast-paced and satisfying read which
unfortunately lost its way a little after the disaster. The
inclusion of another aspect seemed contrived and unnecessary,
cluttering a story which was developing nicely on its own.
This is still a worthy read and I know it will appeal to those who
enjoy survival stories where individuals have to use skill and
resilience to overcome significant physical and mental challenges.
I'd suggest this suits readers 15+ and the text contains some
profanity which achieves a nice balance in presenting realistic
teenage dialogue which the readership will identify with, but which
is not particularly offensive or gratuitous.
Rob Welsh
Little Shaq: Star of the week by Shaquille O'Neal
Ill. by Theodore Taylor III. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781619638822
(Age: 6+) "Little Shaq has always wanted his own kitten, but his
parents aren't sure he's responsible enough. When Little Shaq is
chosen as his class's Star of the Week, he knows that this is his
moment to shine, to prove to his parents that they can count on him.
Will Little Shaq be able to show he's ready for his very own pet?"
(Publisher)
Written by Shaquille O'Neale and illustrated in colour by Theodore
Taylor III, the Little Shaq story is sure to turn into a popular
series with young sports enthusiasts. This will fit nicely into the
'quick reads' section as it is set out like a chapter book and will
not take the reader long at all to complete. The relatively large
text with illustrations interspersed will act as a confidence
builder for children striving to read the 'chapter book'.
The book celebrates family, friends and community and the simple
language used is tailor-made to the target audience. Not only can
Shaquille play basketball, I think he has also hit the nail on the
head with this book. Suitable for students aged 6 and up.
Kathryn Schumacher
