Ill. by Tony Ross. HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780008259679
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. One thing is an absolute given in our
library. David Walliams' books are rarely re-shelved. They are
snatched up from the returns trolley with the speed of a striking
mongoose or tussled over in the actual returns line up. Walliams has
a legion of followers and has fast become the contemporary Roald
Dahl with his knack of preposterous stories and outrageous
characters.
This follow up to the first World's Worst Children brings
his readers ten more particularly horrid kids and will produce as
much laughter as the previous.
Imagine having a baby so huge and so hungry that it will eat
anything and everything - and by everything, I mean the cat, his
parents, helicopters - yes, ANYTHING! Or perhaps you'd rather meet
Gruesome Griselda who prefers to stand out from the other girls at
her exclusive school, the well-groomed polite ones, by being
exceedingly grubby and rude. Then there's Cruel Clarissa who seems
to be just perfect particularly with her passion for all things pink
but is really a very calculating kitty tormentor. These are but a
few of the beastly children to whom readers will flock.
With super colourful illustrations jam-packed throughout and some of
the most creative use of font/type I have ever seen, there is no
doubt that this one is also destined never to be shelved. If I only
I could be bribed. I could make a fortune for holding out for the
highest bidder as the first borrower - sigh.
Highly recommended for subversive boys and girls from around 7 years
old upwards.
Sue Warren
Egg by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow, 2017. ISBN 9780062408723
Four eggs - one pink, one yellow, one blue, one green. Crack. Crack
Crack. Three hatch and release their little ones - but the green one
does not. Waiting, waiting, waiting . . . Listening, listening,
listening . . . Peck. Peck. Peck. Until finally . . . But what
emerges is not what is expected. And as the birds fly away in
surprise it is left alone, sad and miserable. Until . . .
Described as "a graphic novel for pre-schoolers", Caldecott
Medallist Kevin Henkes has woven a magnificent story with the
minimum of words and some seemingly simple illustrations. Using the
softest pastel palette, simple lines and shading he conveys so much
emotion and action that even the very youngest reader will be able
to sit and tell the story to themselves and their teddies without
having to know one word of the sparse text. They will enjoy
predicting what might be in that final egg and be surprised when the
secret is discovered. Could that really be inside an egg? Are birds
the only things that hatch from eggs? They will also empathise with
the surprise when it is left alone and lonely, perhaps able to
express their own feelings when they have been in a similar
situation. A perfect opportunity to build a word wall of synonyms
for 'sad". Inviting them to retell the story will encourage them to
organise and order their thoughts, begin to understand sequence is
important, and use their own words and language skills to express
what happened - critical elements in developing early reading
skills. And of course, this story is the perfect lead-in to the
classic tale of The Ugly Duckling.
Brilliant for littlies but older children could gain a lot from
looking at the techniques used to produce so much from so little.
Barbara Braxton
Where's Wally? : the totally essential travel collection by Martin Handford
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406375718
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Picture puzzles. Where's Wally? :
the totally essential travel collection collects together all
seven of the Where's Wally books : Where's Wally, Where's
Wally now?, Where's Wally? 3 : the fantastic journey,
Where's Wally in Hollywood, Where's Wally the Wonder Book,
Where's Wally the great picture hunt and Where's Wally
the incredible paper chase. As well there are six postcards to
colour in.
Fans of the Where's Wally books will be delighted to see all
seven book collected together and travellers young and old will love
spending time trying to find Wally as he goes on many adventures.
Before the start of each of Wally's adventures, there is a checklist
of other things to find, as well as searching out Wally in the
pages, so hours could be spent just going through any one of the
stories.
I thoroughly enjoyed just opening the pages at random and trying to
find Wally - one real challenge was 'Where's Wally the musical',
where there are literally hundreds of Wally look alikes in the
chorus lines. And then there's the 'Land of Woofs', where Woof has
to be found among a myriad of dogs in striped coats. He is the only
one with five red stripes on his tail!
As the title suggests this would be a fabulous book to give as a
present to anybody embarking on a long trip.
Pat Pledger
The Summon Stone by Ian Irvine
Orbit, 2016. ISBN 9780356505206
(Age 13+) Recommended. Fantasy. The Summon Stone is the
first book of a new trilogy The Gates of Good and Evil by
Ian Irvine. This trilogy is the fourth quartet/trilogy of Three
Worlds Cycle series.
Ian Irvine has set this fantasy story on the planet Santhenar, the
least powerful but the most populous of the three worlds and the
home of the old human peoples. The Summon Stone is located somewhere
on this planet and is a gate between worlds.
The Merdrun people are a cruel race and are gathering in the void
between worlds awaiting the awakening of the Summon Stone, which
will enable a gate to be opened between the void and Santhenar. The
Merdrun intend to kill every inhabitant of Santhenar and make the
planet their own. The Summon Stone is evil and, as it slowly
awakens, begins to corrupt most of the inhabitants of Santhenar.
Four inhabitants of Santhenar are fighting to destroy the Summon
Stone and stop the Merdrun from invading their planet. The four are
Llian, a master chronicler and a storyteller; his partner Karen, a
triun and a sensitive; Whelm, a student storyteller mentored by
Llian; and Ariel, a crippled girl of 15 years, who is training
herself to be a perfumer.
The characters feel like real people, grow and change with each new
situation they find themselves facing, and display courage and
resilience in confronting their cunning and cruel enemies. The Summon Stone is a new series by Ian Irving but is based
on the worlds and their inhabitants from his previous books of the Three
Worlds Cycle series. However, if you have not read any of the
books of the Three Worlds Cycle series, there is not
sufficient information in the text or the glossary in the back of
the book for the reader to feel they have enough important
information for an understanding of what is happening.
If you have read other books of the Three Worlds Cycle
series written by Ian Irving and enjoyed them, you will like this
new series.
Glen Avery
Peas and quiet by Gabrielle Tozer
Ill. by Sue deGennaro. Angus and Robertson, 2018. ISBN 9781460752395
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Friendship. Getting along. With her lovely
watercolour and coloured pencil illustrations, Sue deGennaro has
beautifully realised the story presented by Tozer. Her understated,
almost muted colours enliven the two little peas as they trip up in
their friendship and learn to solve their problem. Pip and Pop are
two peas in the pea pod, so alike its hard to tell them apart. They
do everything together, but one thing aggravates Pip and another
annoys Pop. Pip loves to sing while she does the dishes, her off key
voice rising if Pop dares question her singing. But Pop has his own
discomforting habit: he snores. One day Pop has had enough of the
singing. He packs his bag and leaves. They say some hurtful things
to each other, but Pip soon learns that life apart is life alone.
She can sing to her heart's content, and cook all she likes, but
when it comes to eating what she cooks, she thinks it better to have
someone there. She wonders if Pop is alright, looking wistfully out
of the kitchen window. One day a parcel is delivered to the door,
and when it is opened, Pop jumps out of the box. He apologises for
his grumpiness hoping Pip will let him in. She suppresses a smile
and welcomes him back and they solve their problem with an ingenious
solution.
Readers will love listening to the lovely rhymes of this tale,
predicting the rhyming words at the end of each verse, and learning
some of the verses to say aloud with the reader. They will adore the
pictures of Pip and Pop in their checked and spotty pants, and love
picking out all the detail which deGennaro includes in her
meticulous drawings. This charming story stands alone but is also a
useful story to lead children into discussions about friendship and
getting along together. And of course, the underlying idiom or
simile, 'like two peas in a pod' could be used to discuss those
figures of speech, including puns as reflected in the title.
Fran Knight
D-Bot Squad series by Mac Park
Ill. by James Hart. Allen and Unwin, 2017. Sky high. ISBN 9781760295981 Double trouble. ISBN 9781760295998
(Age: 5-7) Recommended. Dinosaurs. Robots. Adventure
Stories. Susannah McFarlane and Louise Park authors of the popular
series Zac Power have written an exciting new series perfect
for young readers. D-Bot Squad takes place in a world filled with
dinosaurs, high-tech gadgets and young riders who rescue and
teleport these creatures back to safety.
In Sky high Hunter Marks is learning to ride his dino-bot,
mastering the controls in windy conditions. He is part of the D-Bot
Squad whose mission is to catch robotic dinosaurs that have escaped
from a secret island. After being dive-bombed by seagulls and a dip
in the sea, the young rider captures the pterodactyl and teleports
it back to base. Unfortunately, when Hunter decides to ignore
mission control and go after a second animal, he is caught in the
claws of a flying Quetzalcoatlus and he needs to be rescued himself.
Double trouble continues Hunter's story, he is being held in
the clutches of the flying dinosaur as it flies high above the sea.
How can he escape? Charlie and her d-bot fly in to save Hunter, in a
daring rescue. Teamwork is needed to capture this dinosaur and
teleport this animal to safety.
Easy to read text, short paragraphs, engaging font styles and sizes
are interspersed with a combination of graphic novel spreads to
engage and encourage the development of reading and visual literacy.
These D-Bot Squad novels are just right for reluctant readers and
for children beginning to read chapter books. After sharing these
fun stories, Early Years students can research the dinosaurs
included, develop their own project cards, then design and create
their own dinobots.
Rhyllis Bignell
The names they gave us by Emery Lord
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408877814
(Age: 14+) Recommended. A coming of age story about summer camp and
girlhood - a high school senior and bible camp graduate becomes a
counsellor at a camp for young disadvantaged children. When Lucy
Hansson's mother's cancer returns despite all of Lucy's prayers and
bargains with God, she begins to act out in response to her
faltering faith. Her equally devout boyfriend, Lucas, dumps her. Her
mother wants to spare Lucy the worst of her cancer treatment and
asks her to work at the summer camp she herself attended as a
troubled teen.
At camp Daybreak Lucy sees how the less fortunate live and becomes
protective of her young charges. The extraordinary camaraderie
between counsellors is a bonus. At camp, Lucy learns about her
mother's past and she falls for Jones. Henry Jones not only shares
her love of music, but unlike her ex-boyfriend Lucas, he can truly
connect with her emotionally.
The summer lurches from one drama to another as the minor characters
are fleshed out through a gambit of themes - child abuse, bullying,
intolerance, anxiety, death, teenage pregnancy and more. Daybreak
distracts Lucy from the tragedy unfolding in her own perfect
Christian family - but ironically exposes their dark secrets.
Through this unforgettable narrative, Lucy stays true to her
identity but develops a newfound understanding of both human frailty
and boundless spirit. Readers will soar and cry with Lucy and her
fellow counsellors. Perhaps some will even feel inspired to search
for happiness, not in self-absorption but in the service of others.
Deborah Robins
The darkest dark by Chris Hadfield
Ill. by Terry and Eric Fran. Macmillan, 2017. ISBN 9781509824090
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Space, Astronauts, Fear of the dark,
Overcoming fear, Canada, Aspirations. Canadian astronaut Chris
Hadfield has put his considerable background experience in space to
pen am exciting picture book based partly on his childhood. The boy
Chris is an astronaut, building space ships from what ever he finds
around the house, chasing aliens away, flying to Mars in his bath.
His imagination is wild, but when it comes to going to bed his
imagination grows even wilder, imagining all sorts of aliens and
monsters in his bedroom. His parents try all sorts of techniques to
overcome his fears, but to no avail; he still ends up in their bed
at all times of the night. Astute readers will notice the calendar,
July 1969, and be aware that on several days during this momentous
month, two men landed on the moon. Chris and his family are invited
next door to watch the moon landing on their neighbour's television.
And watching this Chris sees the darkness of space, and resolves not
to be afraid again, but to do everything in his power to become what
he wants to be.
The superb illustrations done in pencil, then coloured digitally,
are stunning, reflecting the Canadian hinterland with its pine
cabins and forests, lakes and star filled skies. The images showing
the space capsule, Apollo 11, are absorbing and will be pored over
by younger readers.
For classes looking at space and the moon landing, rockets and
science this book will be a wonderful introduction to that work, as
well as being a platform for talking about fears and overcoming
those fears.
Hadfield wrote this book with journalist and author, Kate Fillion,
and the Fan brothers worked on the illustrations together. Readers
will be encouraged reading the extra information Hadfield adds at
the end, displaying photos of his youth and time as an astronaut and
telling the readers how he made his dream come true.
Fran Knight
Release by Patrick Ness
Walker Books 2017. ISBN 9781406331172
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Adam Thorn has always liked boys. At
seventeen he has had two boyfriends and four sexual partners. But
despite being comfortable enough with himself, he is not comfortable
being open about himself with his family, who are deeply religious
and anti-gay. This is the crux of a number of problems - many of
which drive Adam to keep his sexuality away from his family as much
as possible.
It was meant to be the best day. Adam has a tight schedule but he's
looking forward to the evening and Enzo's going away party. But
first - chores. He must stay on his parent's good side otherwise
they will change their minds about the 'gathering'. Things start to
go downhill from the beginning. When Adam's brother, Marty, goes to
him for advice, Marty accuses him of not knowing what real love is.
This in mind, on the day Adam is planning to have sex with Linus and
farewell Enzo, his ex-in-denial, Adam starts to wonder if something
is wrong with him and whether he might just not deserve love.
Meanwhile, not so far away, the spirit of a dead girl merges with
the spirit of the lake to get revenge on her murderous boyfriend.
While it can be said that this is a coming out narrative, Ness
produces a book that shows the uncertainty and fear in which many
people hold coming out to their families. It is an easy and
engrossing read and I would recommend for teenagers sixteen and up.
Kayla Gaskell, 21
The Medusa chronicles by Stephen Baxter and Alistair Reynolds
Gollancz, 2016. ISBN 9781473210196
(Age 14+) Highly recommended. Science Fiction. With permission from the Clarke Estate, this novel continues the account of Commander Howard Falcon, who is the main character in Arthur C. Clarke's award winning short story A meeting with Medusa. Howard's life changes after a horrific crash in the Grand Canyon and he is saved by experimental surgery. This surgery changes Howard into a cyborg - part human and part machine - and has the effect of extending his life by centuries. The Medusa Chronicles is a compelling account of Howard's journey over the centuries involving the evolution of AI into thinking machines, the manipulation of the intelligence of animals of earth, human exploration and colonization of planets and moons and their interaction with the inhabitants of these planets and moons. The reader is not required to have read Clarke's A Meeting with Medusa before reading this novel as the authors encompass Clarke's short story in their novel.
The Medusa Chronicles delves into how the human race reacts to intelligent machines, intelligent animals and native inhabitants of other worlds, the possible consequences of this interaction and the moral and ethical issues that are raised. The ending reminds you of parts of 2001: A Space Odyssey revealing mystical and enormous possibilities of the future.
If you are a fan of science fiction genre and, in particular, Arthur C. Clarke's novels you will thoroughly enjoy this book. This is a classical science fiction novel.
Glen Avery
Super Fly vs Furious Flea by Todd H Doodler
Super Fly series. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781619633841
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Humour, Rubbish. This is one in a series
about Super Fly, a geeky school student who loves to invent things,
and one day becomes a super fly, able to fly 9,000 times faster than
normal, cleverer by 9,000 times than usual and altogether a really
handy person to have around. But he cannot reveal himself to his
fellow students, let alone the bully in the school, Cornelius C
Roach.
The first chapter in this rollicking book reprises some of the fun
that has gone on before, acquainting readers with the reason Eugene
Flystein became Super Fly, and hinting at problems he has solved,
along with his sister, Fly Girl and his friend and sidekick,
Fantastic Flea.
But in this story, rifts appear between Fantastic Flea and Eugene,
as he becomes rather conceited after being named Student of the
Season. The Roach senses the rift and turns Fantastic Flea against
his friend. The Flea take his training to heart, getting himself fit
for the big meet.
The humour comes thick and fast with puns on the protagonists names
and where they live. Each part of the rubbish tip at Stinkopolis is
used, including the toilet bowl where Eugene and his family live.
Tongue in cheek humour, a liberal sprinkling of puns and toilet
humour will make this an instant hit with those newly skilled at
reading chapter books. The chapters are short and include
illustrations, and I love the way the author has used language which
will stretch some children's vocabulary.
All in all, fun from start to finish.
Fran Knight
Timmy Failure: the book you're not supposed to have by Stephan Pastis
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406373653
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Timmy has been banned from his detective work
and has to wait until school is over. The teachers have gone on
strike so school has been extended. Timmy has to find a way to carry
out his work and solve the mystery of the missing Rollo and do all
this without getting caught by his mother or his loony cousins.
This book was a funny and interesting book, the character's roles
were strange and all played funny/clever roles. I loved how the
story had feeling and the plot was imaginative. The story had many
problems, some big some small, all of them got solved in the end.
The theme engages the reader and it has a new perspective from what
I normally read. The settings are creative; the settings are set
around Timmy's home town. The book is written from Timmy's point of
view. The book has an imagery style.
I would recommend this book to 9+ boys who are interested in
detective stories and to read the books in order.
Grace Colliver (Student)
Trouble tomorrow by Terry Whitebeach and Sarafino Enadio
Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760291464
(Age: Mid teens) Highly recommended. One of the benefits of reading
stories, it is said, is that the reader travels to places they
otherwise would not; and confront experiences they would not
otherwise have. From these things we learn, vicariously. By the end
of the prologue this book has transported the reader to the civil
war lands of southern Sudan, landing in the midst of a village raid
by rebel soldiers - as far from western comfort zones as could be.
The reader is running beside Obulejo, mid-teens son in a highly
respected village family with a father of wise morals. But returning
to family doesn't ensure safety as the raids continue; finally
Obulejo keeps running. The landscapes he must cross do not bring
safety either. Constantly danger prowls: groups of wandering rebels;
tribal groups protecting their country; and, of course, wild animals
on the hunt. Reaching a refugee camp only provides an illusion of
safety. There is protection from others for a while but the common
goal of survival - basic survival - means that each individual must
eventually find a way to simply stay alive. The reader feels
Obulejo's agony as he makes decisions that he must, which fail his
father's teachings. The writing is relentless, compelling,
unremitting - as it should be to reflect the ever-present dangers
and horrors that haunt the lives of all of these refugees.
Eventually Obulejo escapes the clutches of the camp environment. To
detail here how he does would spoil the gripping tension of his
story. But it takes many years and those who would deny him the
safety of our lands should read a book such as this to better
understand why that position is wrong. Every mid-teen Australian
should be encouraged to read this book, highly recommended for that
reason.
Kerry Neary
Glitch by Michelle Worthington
Ill. by Andrew Plant. Ford St Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781925272710
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Recycling. STEM. Friendship. Building.
Glitch and June live on a rubbish heap. Glitch collects all sort of
spare parts from the rubbish and builds the most amazing billycarts,
ready for June to race. But he is a worrier. He twitches about minor
things but these end up with June losing the race. One year he
forgot to check the brakes, one year he turned left instead of right
and one year he led June onto a big rock. Consequently they have
never won a race. On their first test tun for this year's race, they
have an accident and June's antennae are bent. She can not drive
without them so tells Glitch that it is up to him. This makes him
twitchier than ever, and when June comes to collect him the next day
he gives an assortment of excuses not to drive. But she perseveres,
and encourages him, telling him that no matter what happens, they
will always be friends. The competition is fierce and as they round
the finishing line, they lose by a nose. But coming second is no
problem, says June, because they will win next year.
This is a charming tale of friendship and all it entails,
understanding, sympathy, encouragement, companionship and so on, as
June displays the very best of what a friend brings to a
relationship. She is not judgmental, instead encouraging her friend
to do his best, and offering an alternate goal.
Plant's illustrations are wonderful, with the mess of a rubbish dump
crowded around the bugs as they delve into the mass of thrown out
bits and pieces. Plant skillfully displays their characters in a
merest twinkle of an eye or twitch of an antenna, and the billycarts
made up from the stuff thrown away will encourage readers to rethink
the things that are discarded, and perhaps look anew at what is
thrown out from the classroom and at home.
Discussions about the rubbish tip could produce some interesting
results, not the least of which could be to make something from
recycled materials. I loved working out what rubbish had been used
to make the billycarts, and I'm sure readers will too, and watch out
for the different methods of construction used by Glitch.
Fran Knight
Ella diaries: Going green by Meredith Costain
Ill. by Danielle McDonald. Scholastic Australia, 2017. ISBN
9781760279059
(Age: 7+) Ella's school is attempting to go green. A Planet
Protection Captain must be elected to head the campaign. Ella has
always dreamed of being the Captain but she is up against some stiff
competition in the form of Peach, who will stop at nothing to
achieve success. Who will come out with the top job? As with all the
Ella diaries this will be another welcome addition to the very
popular series. It is easy to read and with a fast-paced story
incorporating descriptive language, it will appeal to girls from 7
upwards. It fits into the diary formats like Diary of a...,
Diary
of a wimpy kid. It has illustrations interspersed
throughout the text which makes the book seem a lot longer than it
really is. This is great for struggling students that want to be
seen to be reading longer books.
The theme of the book is prevalent in all schools today and one that
the majority of students are interested in - how can we reduce our
carbon footprint? What can we do at our school to make a change for
the better?
This series is walking off our shelves, the books are in constant
demand and this will be another welcome addition to the collection.
Kathryn Schumacher
