The genius factor: How to capture an invisible cat by Paul Tobin
Ill. by Thierry Lafontaine. Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781619638402
(Age: 9+) Nate Bannister is a socially awkward, sixth grade student
with a brilliant creative mind, with an amazing IQ, tested at school
and confirmed by professionals. He is an amazing inventor, and has a
mechanical nose, a self-driving car and has accelerated his dog
Bosper and he now is able to talk.
Every Friday the 13th, Nate undertakes three not-so-smart things,
just to make his not-so-normal life even more interesting. On this
occasion, he has taught Maths to a caterpillar, mailed a love-letter
and rather unfortunately changed Piston his cat into a super-sized
invisible pet. Delphine, one of the students in his class and
afterschool dog walker, observes Nate's differences. After a chance
encounter at the dog park, Nate invites Delphine over to his house
and they become embroiled in a crazy race to capture Piston the
enormous cat who has escaped the backyard and is likely to destroy
everything in town.
Nate's ability to drive the family car is an asset; he's mailed six
special messages that need to be found quickly because when combined
they form conjoined molecules that provide the formula for reversing
Piston's size issues. Added to these dramas, the Red Death Tea
Society and its leader Sir Jakob Maculte are determined to foil Nate
and Delphine's mission before Saturday the 14th.
Simple black and white illustrations drawn by Thierry Lafontaine
focus on some of Nate's craziest ideas - anti-gravity cloth tinfoil,
Sir William the robot gull and pill bottles filled with survival
pills. The reader needs to accept without question the craziness of
Nate's life, and step on board for a wild ride.
Rhyllis Bignell
Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes
HarperCollins, 2016. ISBN 9780008175399
(Age: 12+) As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of
Hearts, Dinah's days are filled with boring lessons and endless
royal duties, and the constant humiliations at the hands of her
father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is
visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, and the love of her
life. When a stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as
everything she's ever wanted threatens to crumble down around her.
As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody
events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls
of Wonderland. Dinah now must run for her life before she loses her
own head to a clever and faceless foe.
Ok, when I first started reading this book I thought that it was
going to be a cliched story of Alice in Wonderland, I
recognised traits among the characters from the original e.g. Harris
as the white rabbit, George as the mad hatter. Dinah's character
frustrated me to no end. She was a whingey and a spoilt brat.
However, as the story continued, the character grew some depth. As
the king's character started to untangle, the story became
engrossing. The writing of the story was relaxed allowing a younger
audience to easily follow along. My problem was I was waiting for
the characters to evolve into the characters in Alice in
Wonderland but once certain events happened Dinah and her
family and friends all stood by themselves. There are another 2
books to follow on from this one and I am excited to be able to read
them.
Jody Holmes
Neffy and the feathered dinosaurs by Joe Lillington
Flying Eye Books, 2016. ISBN 9781909263895
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Dinosaurs. A factual picture book,
this fascinating look at a young Microraptor, Neffy, as she takes
her first flight, will delight both children and any adult who
happens to pick it up. Each double page spread of the book is
divided into three sections. At the top of the page is the fiction
story of Neffy who is just learning to fly. This is illustrated in
bold colours and gives the reader a good idea of what the little
microraptor would look like. Then there is some information about
the dinosaur herself. As the fiction story continues, Neffy has many
adventures in her quest to soar into the air. She crashes into a
sinosauropteryx, and there is information given about this dinosaur,
its weight, size, diet, habitat, family, location and when it lives.
This format continues as Neffy encounters a troodon, gallimimus, and
many other dinosaurs, all vividly illustrated. Finally she manages
to fly and finds the sky is full of other flying creatures.
This makes for a very entertaining and illuminating read. Young
children will be very interested in the fiction story of Neffy and
will want to cheer her along in her quest to learn how to fly. All
children (and adults) will be fascinated by the facts that are given
about each dinosaur, especially the little anecdotes about how they
were found and what they ate. An example is the deinonychus 'who had
a strong curved toe claw to hold down prey and them them alive'.
There are many other often amusing and entertaining snippets about
the different dinosaurs that will hold the attention of both a
reader and a child who is listening to the book being read aloud.
All the information is based on what palaeontologists have found out
about the dinosaurs from ancient fossils and the book also shows how
the scientific evidence changes as more discoveries are made.
At the end of the book there is a double page spread showing the
size of different dinosaurs, there is an author's note about how the
story is told, and a glossary explains some of the vocabulary used
in the book. The end papers show a map of Earth during the
Cretaceous period.
The illustrations in bold blacks, dark greens and vivid blues add
another dimension to the story and information. The faces of the
dinosaurs are fabulous and will certainly engage the reader.
This book is a keeper. Children who are interested in dinosaurs will
absolutely love it and parents and teachers will find that it is a
wonderful resource for discussion and information.
Pat Pledger
Counterstrike by Peter Jay Black
Urban Outlaws series bk. 4. Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408851494
(Age: 10-14) Recommended. The Urban Outlaws Jack, Charlie, Obi, Wren
and Slink, return in Counterstrike and undertake their most
difficult mission fraught with danger. They need all their high-tech
skills, athleticism, to rely on other underground gangs and trust in
fifteen-year-old Jack their leader's abilities to carry out this
mission in such a short amount of time. Their enemy Hector and his
evil gang is just as determined to find the Medusa weapon locked
deep underground in the Facility. This by far their most difficult
mission for the outlaws as Jack is stretched almost to breaking
point and one of their team is injured.
Twists and turns abound as each team member draws on their own
skills and expertise to plan their break in to the Facility and make
their way to the fifth underground level. Charlie confronts her deep
grief as she returns to her father's auto workshop, the scene of his
murder. Here she uses her amazing mechanical skills to engineer a
dual driver Ford Escort needed to fool the guards at the Facility.
Computer espionage, hacking, viruses and accessing supercomputers
seems easy to Obi and Noble their only adult friend and rescuer.
These five young vigilantes have moved on from their previous Random
Acts of Kindness, stealing from the rich and helping the poor to
survive. Only once does the action slow as they deliver pet lunch
boxes to a rescue dogs' home.
Peter Jay Black understands the reading audience, clever dialogue,
great teenage camaraderie, high-tech equipment, amazing physical
abilities and realistic characters and yes, he leaves us with a
cliff-hanger. How are the Urban Outlaws going to solve their most
difficult dilemma?
Rhyllis Bignell
When friendship followed me home by Paul Griffin
Text Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9781925355499
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Cancer, Death and Dying, Families,
Orphans, Friendship. Sixty five year old Tess, a speech therapist,
adopts one of her clients, Ben and takes him home, giving him
something he has never experienced before - a loving mother. One day
a scruffy little dog follows him and joins his new family. Ben has
lived most of his twelve years in foster homes and friendship and
home are two things always out of his reach until now. But the dog
introduces him to both. A rainbow girl at the local library who
wears crazy colours and wigs over her chemo induced bald head
challenges his view of things around him. Her mother, the librarian,
allows him to bring Flip the dog into the library encouraging him to
do a dog obedience class with Flip, leading to their participation
in a reading program.
But Tess dies and Ben is alone again, although this time taken in by
Tess' sister and her partner, Leo. But things do not work out with
Leo, and Ben finds that he and Flip are alone again, this time,
homeless. But his new friends seek him out and take him home.
A wonderfully emotive story about finding one's place the story of
Ben and his dog, Flip and their friend, Halley, will more than
satisfy upper primary and lower secondary readers. Halley is a
wonderful character, full of concern for her new friend, as she
makes up a story, The Magic Box, which they write together,
her leading him along to accept a future without her, but along the
way, finding a home.
Readers will gain some understanding of what life with cancer is
like as Halley goes from one round of chemotherapy to another,
finally refusing the last experimental drug. And they will certainly
understand the importance of one close friend, one who will clean up
the sick and rub her back as she vomits into the toilet. Ben is so
conditioned to seeing things are always his fault that he finds it
difficult to accept the home her parents offer him. This is a heart
wrenching read so be warned. Teacher's
notes are available.
Fran Knight
The dry: A novel by Jane Harper
Pan Macmillan Australia , 2016. ISBN 9781743548059
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Mystery. A very suspenseful and
engrossing Australian mystery thriller The dry perfectly
portrays life in a small country town in the middle of a devastating
drought. When Luke is found dead in an apparent suicide after
killing his wife and small children, Federal Agent Aaron Falk
returns to his hometown for the funeral. Luke's parents beg him to
investigate as they can't believe that their son was depressed and
would do such a thing. Falk feels obliged to look into the matter
because Luke had been his alibi when he was accused of murder as a
teenager and with the help of a young local policeman begins to turn
up hidden secrets from the past.
Falk is most reluctant to look into the deaths but evidence keeps
turning up that makes him convinced that something is going on.
Harper paints a compelling picture of what life in a small country
town can be like particularly during the hardship of a drought. Her
characters are all really well developed and believable and the plot
is very cleverly crafted. Harper revs up the suspense and the reader
is kept guessing all the way through, not only about Luke's apparent
murder/suicide, but the disappearance of the young girl in Falk's
past.
This is a stunning debut from Jane Harper with an appealing
protagonist in Aaron Falk. I look forward to hopefully reading more
books from this author.
Pat Pledger
Witch watch by Sibeal Pounder
Ill. by Laura Ellen Anderson. Witch Wars series. Bloomsbury,
2016. ISBN 9781408852699
(Age: 8+) Witch watch follows closely on from the second
story in the Witch Wars series. Once again, there are
strange things happening in Ritzy City, life is all black and white,
devoid of colour until a mysterious green apple materializes in the
street. When Tiga's witch guardian Miss Heks reappears in a bright
orange dress and magically places her tatty house on Ritzy Avenue,
Tiga, Peggy and Fluffanora know something is wrong. WARWOP! The
witch magazine also reports rumours of wicked Celia Crayfish
sightings all over town. Disguised as the waitress, Norma Milton, she
is determined to bring her friends the adult witches back to Ritzy
City and stoop the girls ruling the place.
The girls fly off on their magic broomstick for a big adventure to
help Tiga look for her mother Gretal Green who has disappeared up
the pipes into Silver City. The magic is fanciful, with silly
spells, talking cats, wicked witches in boxes amongst watermelon
green houses, slippery slug spies and WARWOP! Magazine reports.
The action is fast-paced; the nine-year-old witches seem to act more
like teenagers as they dive in to thwart the mysterious
reappearance of the adult witches. This is a fun story for fans of
the previous books in the series; Laura Ellen Anderson's stylized
illustrations portray the girls as teenage characters as well as
their ritzy clothes.
Rhyllis Bignell
Copy cat by Ali Pye
Nosy Crow, 2016. ISBN 9780857636812
Bella loves Anna so much that she wants to be just like her - so
much so that she copies everything Anna does. Whether it's playing
with the hula hoop, being a ballerina or a pirate, Bella is right
there being Anna's mirror. But trouble erupts when Anna decides to
be a princess and Bella copies her as usual, but there is just one
crown. Anna gets very cross and tells Bella to stop copying her and
goes off to play be herself.
At first Bella is sad because she has no one to copy and no one to
play with - and then she discovers a skipping rope in her toybox.
And as she practises and practises, Chloe looks on wishing she could
skip too.
'It's easy!' said Bella. 'Just copy me!'
And then Anna comes looking for Bella.
Even though this story stars three cats, it could quite easily focus
on three children in the playground so well does it reflect the
different dynamics of friendships and activities as they ebb and
flow. Told with a lot of repetitive text that invites the young
reader to join in, it not only engages them but also opens up
opportunities to talk about friendships and how to make and maintain
them. The eye-catching, colourful illustrations add an extra
dimension to this well-told tale that is perfect for early childhood
readers who enjoy something a little different.
Barbara Braxton
LEGO: Build Your Own Adventure - Star Wars
ISBN 9781465450456
LEGO: Build Your Own Adventure - City
ISBN 9780241237052
Dorling Kindersley, 2016
Kit including hbk book and LEGO pieces.
Given the buzzword of the moment in school libraries is
'makerspaces' and there are constant requests to the forums I belong
to for
ideas about activities that can be offered, especially those which
enhance
the library experience as well as the design, make, appraise
process, this
series offers a wide-ranging solution.
While we are all familiar with the regular box of Lego bricks and
paper
instructions for making what's inside (instructions which always get
damaged
or lost), the instructions for these creations come in a hardcover
book with
the LEGO pieces in a separate container which can be opened out to
form the
foundation of the adventures. They are enclosed in a sturdy slipcase
which
makes for easy storage. The box also has a pictorial list of its
contents so
putting them back should be easy.
Each comes with a mini-figure and a vehicle related to the theme -
City has
a fireman and a firetruck while Star Wars has a rebel pilot and
Y-Wing
Starfighter - and the makers are encouraged to build them from the
supplied
bricks following the very clear, full-colour numbered instructions.
Then,
within the book there are suggestions for building further
adventures using
their own bricks to create their own story. Each is divided into
chapters
with clear pictures of the models that could be built to enhance the
telling
although instructions are not given because builders might not have
the
precise bricks used. For example, in City which features Ed the
firefighter
there are clear pictures to build the fire station environment as
well as
suggestions for uniform lockers, a town map and a tool bench. Each
chapter
then features a cityscape with a range of related suggestions for
getting
the imagination and creativity into top gear.
For those new to LEGO there is a pictorial 'glossary' identifying
terminology with examples so budding builders can hunt through their
existing LEGO collection to find the sorts of pieces they will need,
as well
as five pre-build checks which would make a handy poster to display
in the
makerspace.
1. Organise your bricks into colours and types
2. Be creative and substitute other bricks if you don't have the
exact
one in the plan
3. Research what you want to build by finding pictures on it in
books or
online
4. Have fun and if something isn't what you thought it would be,
change
it to something else
5. Make a model stable to house the creations
While each of the books in the series would be perfect for an
individual
LEGO fan, their appeal for the library collection is that there are
plenty
of ideas and opportunities for groups of builders to collaborate and
negotiate to build an entire scene that could then be photographed
and used
as an individual story stimulus, allowing each to create and achieve
at
their own level.
Whether your library or school has an existing LEGO collection or is
just
starting to acquire one, this series is an excellent starting point
to
giving its place in the makerspace and the curriculum focus and
purpose, not
just for the thinking and building processes involved but also those
essential people skills of collaborating, negotiating, making
suggestions
tactfully, offering feedback and being a team member.
Barbara Braxton
The House on Hummingbird Island by Sam Angus
Pan Macmillan, 2016. ISBN 9781447263036
(Age: 11-14) Highly recommended. Twelve-year-old Idie Grace's life
changes dramatically, when she is taken from the safety of her
Grancat's English home and sent on a sea voyage to the West Indies
to her ancestral home. Accompanying her is her drunk governess and
the accountant Numbers who leave the child to her own devices on
board. Idie is a wild untameable child who loves to ride her horse
Baronet on the ship's deck. Her past is surrounded by intrigue; her
diary entries record the secrets of her heart as she longs to solve
the mysterious disappearance of her mother.
The bright and shining years before 1914 are filled with light and
freedom, and Idie packs her home with an abundance of rainbow
coloured animals, toucans, a sun fowl in the dining room, a turtle
in the bathroom and her talking parakeet companion Homer. Baronet
her horse moves from the stables to take up residence in the hall.
Her Pippi Longstocking life is wonderfully described as colourful,
poignant, exotic, filled with exotic fauna, lush island foliage,
delicious food and her friendship and adventures with neighbour
Austin. In the background the adult characters have more sinister
intentions: what role does Calypso play in her illness, why does he
want to take her inheritance away? Her ethereal Aunt Celia's madness
and her need to keep the house closed up are worrisome to Idie. The
narrative has a darker subplot that develops - a counterpoint to the
halcyon days Idie experiences. There are themes of racism,
loneliness, British colonialism, mental illness, social acceptance,
prejudice and war. The young protagonist matures, continuing to seek
answers to her mother's death, and the narrative includes letters to
her cousin Myles in England who also keeps an Idie Book filled with
her developing story.
Halfway through the story the onset of World War 1 comes to the
forefront. As the islanders enlist, including servants from Idie's
estate and her friend Austin, the realities of war come to the fore.
Sam Angus weaves these two distinct storylines together; the
multi-layered threads drawn together in a revelatory conclusion.
Sam Angus's The House on Hummingbird Island is a lush
narrative, led by a feisty independent protagonist, and a mystery
that counterbalances the vividness of Idie's life with the dark
shadows that surround her.
Rhyllis Bignell
Chook Doolan: The tiny guitar by James Roy
Ill. by Lucinda Gifford. Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781922244963
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Another book in the delightful Chook
Doolan series, finds Chook worried about his friend Eddie
Two-hats who usually busks on a corner that he passes on his way to
school. Eddie has told him that he won't eat if he doesn't busk, so
Chook is dismayed when Eddie is taken away in an ambulance and is
afraid that he will lose his spot on the corner. Chook's dad has
just brought him back a ukulele and Chook decides that he will learn
how to play it and look after Eddie's corner while he is away.
Chook is such a caring boy. Although he is the first to admit that
he is scared about lots of things and that's why his nickname is
Chook, his worry about his friend is paramount as he tries to learn
to play the ukulele and even though he is fearful about playing in
front of an audience he is determined to keep Eddie's corner for
him.
Gifford's illustrations are a delight and the reader is drawn into
the humour and horror of the noise that Chook makes as he tries to
figure out the notes. The expressions on the faces of the family are
priceless and the appearance of Joe, wearing a disguise of a hat and
sunglasses is hilarious. However it is the compassion that Chook
feels for his friend and his determination to help him that makes
this story a stand out.
It is ideal for the young emerging reader and would also be a good
quick read aloud in the classroom or at bedtime.
Pat Pledger
Chook Doolan saves the day by James Roy
Ill. by Lucinda Gifford. Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781922244956
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Soccer. Chess. Courage. Chook doesn't
want to play soccer as it is scary. He would much prefer to play
chess in the library or at home with his mother but as his librarian
says, 'you have to exercise your body as well as your brain'. His
friend Joe gives him tips about playing soccer, but it is his
brother Ricky who teaches him how to be a goalie and gives him all
the strategies to save a goal.
Once again James Roy has come up with a realistic story that has
great appeal and goes along at an engrossing pace to keep the
reader's interest. Many children are scared about playing sport and
would prefer to be indoors, but here Chook has some great support
from his friend and brother that helps him save the goal at his
soccer team. Not that doing that seems to impress Chook himself - he
still would prefer to play chess!
The black and white illustrations are full of humour and add depth
to the story, providing the reader with lots of funny moments as
Chook's efforts to become a soccer player are portrayed.
This series is ideal for the child who is just becoming an
independent reader. The warmth, contemporary themes and understated
courage of Chook make the books stand out.
Pat Pledger
No man is an island by Adele Dumont
Hachette, 2016. ISBN 9780733636370
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. Adele Dumont was one of those eager
young people who answered the call to volunteer for a month at the
Christmas Island detention camp teaching English to refugees.
Finding the joy in teaching such enthusiastic resilient learners
despite their desperate circumstances, she goes from there to gain
employment as a teacher with Serco, giving English classes at the
Curtin detention centre in Derby, WA, for two years. The book No
man is an island is drawn from her experiences recorded in her
personal journals throughout her time there.
I felt completely drawn into her story of the warm relationships and
deep respect that builds between her and the Afghani men who call
her 'My teacher, my teacher'. She becomes someone in between the
'us' of the 'officers' and the 'them' of the 'clients'. She forms
genuine friendships and builds trust. The classes become a highlight
in the days that easily lose meaning in the interminable wait for
some kind of response to the men's applications for refugee status.
The camp is barren, set in a harsh unwelcoming landscape, and the
lives of the refugee men are on hold, not knowing when they will get
a case interview, how it will be decided, and what that will mean
afterwards. It is the interminable waiting and sense of hopelessness
that gradually takes its toll, with the glazing over of the faces,
the self-harm and suicide. Dumont herself starts to share the same
feeling of loss and fear. She describes the disorientation and loss
of identity she feels when she gets to go to the 'outside'. She at
least has that break away, the men 'inside' have no reprieve. They
are held in indefinite detention.
It is a very cruel system and one that all Australians should know
about - it is what our government, our country, is doing to
dehumanise and destroy people who just are seeking safety and a new
future. Dumont's book doesn't argue a case, it is not political in
the way that Chasing
Asylum by Eva Orner (2016) is, it just
quietly draws the reader into that world hidden away from our eyes,
so that we feel what Dumont felt, and gain some insight into the
harm that is being done.
Helen Eddy
Toad delight by Morris Gleitzman
Penguin, 2016. ISBN 9780143309239
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Toads, Humour, Cooking. A fifth in the Toad
series has Limpy wandering the highways saying goodbye to his
flattened toad relatives yet again. Squashed by cars and trucks the
cane toads have no chance of survival, and Limpy spends his time
warning his family of the dangers of lurking there. But his cousin,
Goliath is in love, and the object of his passion is a penguin back
pack. After the aggrieved family comes to grab their child's
backpack from him, things get funnier as Limpy tries his hand at a
road side stall to improve the image of the cane toad with humans,
and Goliath is taken to the city to be part of a TV cooking show, as
one of the ingredients, while brave Limpy cajoles the blue healer
into letting him get into the SUV to follow the TV crew to try and
save Goliath. Gleitzman's humour is infectious and younger readers
will laugh out loud as Limpy tries in vain to help his family. Jokes
using words such as bum and poo will tickle their funny bones, and
the preposterous idea of a cane toad being the hero of the story has
not lost its shine. Readers will hunt out the others in the series (Toad
rage, Toad heaven, Toad surprise and Toad
away).
With the help of the insects and Goliath, readers will take in the
subtle environmental message while Limpy saves the day.
Fran Knight
Marge in charge by Isla Fisher
Ill. by Eglantine Ceulemans. Piccadilly Press, 2016. ISBN
9781848125339
(Age: 6-8) Highly recommended. Marvellous Marge is a babysitter
extraordinaire, tiny in stature, with rainbow dyed hair and a
multitude of magical stories, tricks and unusual child minding
techniques; she sweeps in to Jake and Jemima's ordinary house and
takes charge. Mum and Dad are off for a special dinner and there is
a list on the fridge for this babysitter to follow. Jake's hair
needs a wash and he must eat his broccoli with his macaroni and
cheese. Of course, older sister Jemima knows these are all things
her little brother refuses to do. Marge turns bath time into a
wonderful game with bubbles everywhere from full bottles of shampoo
and a tub that overflows; somehow, Jake's hair turns out squeaky
clean. Marge is a force to be reckoned with, leaving messes in her
wake, she turns dinnertime into a royal dinner party; even the dog
and pet snails become dinner guests.
Marge's second babysitting adventure involves taking Jake to his
best friend Theo's fifth birthday in the park. The tiny babysitter
saves the day with her magic tricks, face painting, rescuing the
rain-drenched jumping castle and of course plenty of tall tales
about Marge's life at the royal palace. She has an irreverent,
slightly cheeky and at times, laughingly naughty approach to
childminding and both Jake and Jemima love her.
In the third short story, Marge at large at school is another
fun-filled day, here she helps Jake conquer his fears, wear his new
school shoes and learn to enjoy playing a musical instrument. Just
like The Pied Piper, Marge takes over music practice and creates an
amazing band with everyone playing and having fun.
Isla Fisher has created a wildly imaginative and engaging
protagonist whose witty dialogue and amazing stories of her
menagerie of pets and palace life are enchanting. Eglantine
Ceulemans' line drawings bring Marge to life with her crazy hair,
creative costumes and her unique style of childminding. This is a
brilliant read aloud story for junior primary classes and to share
at home; children will love Marge's distinctive way of engaging with
Jake and Jemima.
Rhyllis Bignell
