Paris Nocturne by Patrick Modiano, trans. by Phoebe Western-Evans
Text, 2015,ISBN 9781925240108
Little Jewel by Patrick Modiano, trans. by Phoebe Western-Evans
Text, 2015, ISBN 9781925240115
(Age: Senior secondary) Patrick Modiano is the winner of the 2014
Nobel Prize for literature. In the reviewed titles his themes of
memory and loss are teased out in the experiences of two young
narrators, the eponymous Little Jewel and the other nameless. The
main characters restlessly traverse the streets of Paris on foot or
by Metro or train; they wait in waiting rooms or bars for hints
about their past and their futures. Key events from their childhoods
are eventually remembered as they follow back and forth significant
threads of thought. The elusive dread that is part of movie director
David Lynch's work is similar to the fear of knowledge and the
questioning of reality that is evoked in these novels. The narrators
experience similar events, the smell of ether, the dog that was lost
in childhood, the shabby overcoats that point to knowledge of the
sinister parent who has in each case disappeared. Little seems
certain in their lives as their thoughts move back and forth in time
and their bodies from place to place. These are city dwellers, and
they list the streets they restlessly walk, but to them landscape
and country places seem critical for identity. Much of the action is
dream-like but is anchored in precise locations, the country towns
from childhood, the apartment rooms that they may have stayed in and
the places they may escape to.
The main character in Little Jewel, nineteen-year-old
Therese, is waiting in the Metro when she sees a woman in a yellow
coat who she feels may be her mother. As she follows the woman who
is obviously impoverished Therese remembers details about her and
their life together. Her mother was an actress and dancer and had
once been in a movie with Therese whom she called Little Jewel. The
career of neither developed and the little girl is abandoned to
friends of her mother. This story is remembered over time when
Therese becomes a companion to a little girl whose parents are cold
and neglectful. When the child wants a dog as a companion the mother
orders Therese to put a stop to this. Therese remembers a dog she
herself had as a child, a dog that her mother callously abandoned.
When Therese nearly faints she is resuscitated with a whiff of ether
which reminds her of a childhood incident when she was taken to nuns
after an accident. The nuns treat her with ether and lots of
kindness. The little girl and her parents who increasingly seem
untrustworthy and cruel disappear and Therese is again abandoned.
Meanwhile she learns that the woman in the yellow coat is her mother
and is known as Death Cheater or the Kraut. Instead of confronting
her Therese turns from the past to the comfort of suicide, but is
saved and in a room of newborns (the hospital has run out of beds)
begins life again, supported by several friends. Paris Nocturne begins with a minor car crash. The nameless
21-year-old narrator is hit and slightly injured by a 'sea-green
Fiat' driven by a young blonde woman. When they are both taken to
hospital a bond seems to be established, but a heavily built dark
man, Soliere, seems determined that the relationship should not
develop. The smell of ether in the hospital reminds the narrator of
an incident from his past and the reader begins to learn of his
unhappy childhood, when he was raised by an untrustworthy father in
a series of hotel rooms. This culminated in his father calling the
police chief to take the boy, now aged seventeen, away as a
nuisance. This humiliating encounter perhaps resulted in other
memories being suppressed, but Soliere reminds the narrator of his
father and he now remembers meetings in specific cafes. His father
became more dishevelled until finally they no longer met. The
Narrator's memory of specific streets and rooms seems to assure him
of his own reality. He learns the name of the car's driver and
becomes obsessed with finding her. Events like encounters with
Soliere seem sinister and designed to point him away from her, and
the chronology is not always clear as memories are intertwined with
the present. One night the narrator follows a black dog which seems
to be the one he had as a child. The streets seem to become darker
and Soliere more sinister, but when he finds the driver, Jacqueline
Beausergent, her calm and confident manner reassures him and he is
further soothed by her memories of a village near one that he had
stayed in as a child. He seems ready to accept happiness.
In both novels there are the recurring elements of the colour that
provokes memory, the lost dog that symbolises a loss of love and
security, ether that promises safety in loss of memory and escape
and characters that parallel each other in terms of character and
action. Both concern the helplessness and unhappiness of children,
the disconnect between young adults and their social environment and
the nature of memory, in a way that is Proustian. The characters are
restless and rootless as they move through the streets of Paris,
seen here as both seedy and sinister. The language is deceptively
simple but rich in metaphor. The novels are short but reward close
reading and could be used by senior students.
Jenny Hamilton
A Lottie Lipton Adventure : The Secrets of the Stone by Dan Metcalf
A & C Black, 2015. ISBN 9781472911841
(Age: 7-10) Recommended. Lottie is a brave, young would-be detective
who happens to live in the British Museum with her Uncle Bert, the
Curator of Egyptology.
Lottie has a strong sense of adventure, which comes in handy when
there is a late night break in at the museum. Clues are discovered
and Lottie, her uncle and the museum caretaker Reg, begin a night
time chase through London for information to solve the whereabouts
of Neptune's missing trident. Of course, they are not the only ones
interested in the outcome as a famous thief is on the trail as well.
This is a fun story that gives the reader chances to solve the
riddles before Lottie does on the following page.
There are lots of connections to history, starting with the Rosetta
Stone and ending with the Elgin Marbles. Children who love history
will enjoy these links and may be inquisitive enough to find out
more information.
The novel is about 75 pages long, with many black and white
illustrations. Young, confident readers will enjoy this book and
will have appeal to 7-10 year old students. I recommend this book
and will include both titles (the other Lottie Lipton title is The Curse of the Cairo Cat) in our primary school library.
Jane Moore
Dear Dad, I want to be just like you by Ed Allen
Ill. by Simon Williams. Scholastic Australia, 2015. ISBN
9781760153496
(Age 5-9) Recommended. Father's Day. Humour. This is a picture book
that has letters to open and flaps to lift and it would be an ideal
present for children to share with their father especially on
Father's Day. Included are some very funny letters to different
fathers, including a crocodile, a whale, a rooster, a kangaroo, a
penguin and many other animals. The one to a Kookaburra father has a
joke inside that young children will love while some of the others
will make the reader think about the animal and what it can do. I
especially liked the letter from Tad to his father the frog, saying
'Soon we will be able to hop and catch flies together' and wanted to
find out more about the penguin father who looked after his two
children while Mum was away.
The illustrations are bright and colourful and will appeal to the
target audience. They complement the funny text and add to the
humour of the book. The letters that can be taken out of their
little envelopes are quite sturdy, but may not stand up to a class
handling the book, although each envelope is a different size and
has clues about what letter belongs to it. Thus the letter from the
puppies has paw prints on it. Confident readers may well enjoy
taking all the letters out and then working out which one belongs in
what envelope!
The clever and funny text about what makes each animal dad so
special is a highlight of this book. It would be fun to work out
just what is amazing about children's fathers and the final page has
note paper that the child can pull out to write a letter to their
own Dad.
Pat Pledger
Dino-Daddy by Mark Sperring
Ill. by Sam Lloyd. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408849705
If you're looking for a rollicking good read that is lots of fun and
has wonderful illustrations, then Dino-Daddy should be high
on the list. The third in a series which includes Dino-Mummy
and Dino-Baby, Dino-Daddy is the perfect daddy
making mischief and making fun. As well as the energetic pictures,
the rhyming structure of the texts moves this along at a fast clip
that will make everyone wish for a dino-daddy. Perfect for very
young readers and those with a fascination for dinosaurs it should
be a surefire hit and a great read as part of Father's Day
celebrations.
Barbara Braxton
The fire sermon by Francesca Haig
Harper Collins, 2015. ISBN 9780007563067
(Age: 13+) In a post-apocalyptic world set hundreds of years in the
future, all births are twins, one an Omega always with a deformity,
limbless or worse, and an Alpha, a normal desirable twin. When one
twin dies the other will also die no matter the distance or
lifestyle they are leading at the time. The story starts with twins
Cassandra the Omega and Zach the Alpha. Normally separated at birth
Cassandra has hidden her ability to see into the future, creating
the two twin as outcastes by others because they can't tell who the
Alpha twin is. When they finally are split from each other Cassandra
is sent to live with other Omegas while Zach decides to work for the
Council where he starts his climb up the corporate ladder. Cassandra
is kidnapped and locked into a cell where she is interrogated on how
strong her skills really are. She finally escapes the cell only to
find a room full of tanks with Omegas suspended in a liquid. One of
the tanks holds a boy who makes eye contact with her. She rescues
Kip by breaking the tank and together they escape for a mysterious
island where Omegas are treated not like outcastes and Alphas are
desperate to find them. The power to change the world lies in both
Cass and Zach's hands but if they are not careful both will die in
the struggle for power.
Francesca Haig has built a bleak and troubled world based on fear
and prejudice. Her characters feel fear, insecurity and are not born
equipped to wage war, but when push comes to shove, and the heart is
involved heroes rise, take risks and learn to believe in the
possibility of a better world for everyone. The story is fast paced
and quite easy to follow along with. If the reader likes The
Hunger Games and The Maze Runner they will enjoy this
first book of the series.
Jody Holmes
Eve and the Fiery Phoenix by Jess Black
Keeper of the Crystals series. New Frontier Publishing, 2015.
ISBN 9781925059441
(Age: 7+) Themes: Fantasy adventure; Environmental concerns. This is
the second in the Keeper of the Crystals series and the
young central characters Eve and Oscar are again magically drawn
into a rescue adventure. This time they need to rescue the fiery
phoenix and rescue the jungle land of Griffid from destruction due
to darkness. The magic is gentle and Eve displays the ability of
hearing the Phoenix's calls for help. The rescue is exciting, but
without anxiety-inducing detail. The children display clever
solutions to the problems they face.
This is an entry level fantasy adventure for young readers wanting
something more exciting from an early chapter book. Teachers may
also appreciate this series for its 'read-aloud' potential. There
are nine short chapters, which could be read to children in years
1-3 over a short time. References to environmental issues might also
raise discussion about our own world's dependence on the sun for our
survival.
Carolyn Hull
The boy, the bear, the baron and the bard and other dramatic tales by Gregory Rogers
Allen and Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760112394 (Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Historical, Elizabethan times,
Shakespeare, Medieval knights, Wordless picture book. Gregory
Roger's award winning picture books, The boy, the bear, the
baron and the bard, Midsummer knight and The hero
of Little Street, are offered together in one volume for his
fans and devotees and will attract a new range of readers as
children are introduced to these breathtaking wordless picture
books.
I loved rereading them, recalling discussions with classes in the
past, filling in the detail of Elizabethan England while watching
the boy escape from William Shakespeare. The first story brims over
with enthusiasm for that time in history and children will adore
finding small images which will engender so many more questions,
adding to their historical knowledge. All the trappings of
Elizabethan London are there: bear baiting, the Globe Theatre and
the others on the south side of The Thames, the Queen and her barge
on the river, the man in the tower waiting execution, monkeys in the
street, fashion, housing and so on, a whole world to enjoy as the
boy escapes the Bard's chase.
And with the next story in this mesmerising volume, Midsummer
knight, again held my attention, continuing the story of Bear
and his foray into the castle in the middle of the forest where he
rescues a queen from the dungeons and overcomes her enemies,
restoring her to the throne. Again the detail is glorious; the
background superb in presenting before a young audience the times of
castles and knights, of queens and dungeons, of power struggles.
Bear has been lured into the forest by Puck, the fairy from A
Midsummer knight's dream, and so readers will love deciding to
what extent this is Bear's dream.
The same boy appears in the last story, The hero of Little
Street, where he plays in Trafalgar Square before going into
the National Gallery. Here he falls into a Vermeer panting and lands
in seventeenth century Amsterdam, where he is chased by a pack of
dogs. All the excitement of the chase is there as he evades his
pursuers only to have one follow him out of the painting at the end
with hilarious results. The lustrous illustrations reveal Amsterdam
of the times, and readers will love picking out breadth of the
detail Rogers includes. Historical illustration at its best, I have
enjoyed rereading them immensely and I'm sure new readers and old
will as well.
Fran Knight
Seahorse by Bruce Pascoe
Magabala Books, 2015. ISBN 9781921248931
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Themes: Fishing, Family Life, Boating,
Mysteries, Adventure. Jack's family, dad Vince, mum Carla and sister
Tania love to spend time camping, fishing, diving and exploring
Seahorse Bay. Carla is content to sit on the rocks, catching fish
for their tea while Vince dives out on the ocean side of the reef
looking for crayfish. Eight year old Tania is ready to practise her
snorkelling skills, ably looked after by her big brother as they
search for abalone on the rocks. They love their time spent together
in this idyllic setting, however, things change when Jack discovers
a deliberately sunken boat nearby. Who is the man dressed in black,
watching them with binoculars, from a hiding spot at the top of the
cliffs?
Father and son decide to salvage the boat after checking with the
local police officer. Jack rescues a little seahorse caught in the
cabin and that's how the boat is named. Mum notices the mysterious
man and his old rusty Falcon hanging around. The family is even
threatened and forced to take the bloke into town. With the help of
the police, the mystery is resolved and Jack, his parents and sister
Tania are free to take the repaired boat exploring the nearby
islands and coves around Seahorse Bay.
Bruce Pascoe's narrative is rich in description, interwoven with
historical facts about Aboriginal life in the region. There's the
story of an escaped convict who settled down with an aboriginal wife
to a resilient life on the coast, and many Tasmanian descendants can
be traced back to them. He shares his love of fishing and outdoor
activities in Jack's story. This junior novel is suited for readers
with a higher interest age and lower reading age.
Rhyllis Bignell
The good girls by Sara Shepard
Hot Key Books, 2015. ISBN 9781471404320
(Age: 16+) Themes: Murder-mystery genre; Relationships; Trust;
Teen-age drama; Bullying. A coterie of 'perfect girls', while in a
Film Studies class in a Washington suburban High School, create a
list of a number of people who they believe deserve to die. When
these same people begin to be killed in exactly the circumstances
described in the 'wish list' the 'good girls' are thrust into a
psychological thriller and become afraid that they are responsible.
Trust and relationships are stretched and tortured as more of their
complex lives and affiliations are revealed to the world. With
interesting twists and boyfriend/girlfriend and other teenage issues
coming to the fore, this book feels like a novelisation of a Teenage
Chick-flick Murder-Drama or Soap Opera. The family lives of the main
characters cover an array of 21st Century dramas - loss of a
sibling, loss of a parent; same sex parents, step-parent dilemmas,
parent in jail, hoarding; and amongst the teenagers and their
classmates - suicide, bullying, sexual exploitation, psychological
abuse, competitiveness, under-age drinking and partying are also
part of the dramatic background within the narrative. When these are
listed, it becomes obvious that perhaps the author has tried too
hard to weave all of these personal trials into the one
murder-mystery. The solution to the mystery is worth waiting for!
Not great literature and not unreservedly recommended, but it will
be read by the television generation (Sara Shepard is the author of
Pretty Little Liars) and those who like the Teen
'Chick-flick-style' Murder-mystery genre - Aged 16+ .
Carolyn Hull
The marriage of opposites by Alice Hoffman
Scribner, 2015. ISBN 9781471112102
(Age: Adult/young adult) Recommended. Alice Hoffman is a highly
successful author with more than thirty works in her manifest. In The
Marriage of Opposites Hoffman paints her perspective on the
family life of Rachel Pomie and her son Camille Pissarro. Camille
Pissarro helped introduce the world to Impressionist painting and is
widely viewed, along with Claude Monet and others, as one of the
shapers of Impressionism.
Hoffman's impression of Pissarro's family focuses attention on
Pissaro's mother - her rebellious childhood, her forbidden love, two
marriages, and her life on the Island of St Thomas. However through
Hoffman's study of Rachel, the reader begins to understand the man
Camille, his journey, and what led him to become the great painter
widely recognised today as the Father of Impressionism.
Rachel Pomie began her life on the island of St Thomas. Her
grandparents had fled to the New World from France during the
Inquisition. Finally in 1754 after the King of Denmark passed an
edict allowing Jews to do business with non-Jews, Rachel's parents
arrived on the colourful Island of St Thomas, Island of Turtles. It
was here that Rachel grew up and where she married Camille's father,
Frederic. Rachel and her best friend Jestine, the daughter of her
mother's maid, roamed the jungles on the island, dreamed dreams and
watched for turtles and pelicans. Yet Rachel always longed for
Paris, the city of her ancestors. A city she had not experienced . .
. a city that seemed to elude her.
Hoffman's attention to detail is both astounding and captivating.
For readers who like to lose themselves inside the poetry of
storytelling, this novel is a must. Her prose is flecked with
folklore and colour - from the vibrant environment of St Thomas, to
the neutrals of the Paris winters. Throughout, there is the intrigue
of family secrets kept dark, rebellion against beliefs and rules
held by a small Jewish island community, and the overwhelming desire
to travel abroad. This novel is a must for adults who enjoy a
lyrical narrative and their fiction spiced with historical elements.
Colleen Tuovinen
Fearless with my Dad by Cori Brooke
New Frontier Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781925059403
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Fearless with my Dad is a
beautiful picture book, following a young boy and his dad. Together
they are pirates, flying like an eagle and travelling to the moon.
The underlying theme is a child can be anything and do anything as
long as they have their dad there to support them.
The beautifully illustrated text will engage younger readers and
encourage new vocabulary as children and their carers discuss all
the amazing adventures of this boy and his dad. Older readers could
create their own version and the main character could be changed to
a girl.
It would make a great gift for a father on Father's Day - no matter
their age - but would be a great gift for a first time dad.
Highly recommended for all readers - whether they read it
independently (aged 6+) or with a parent.
Kylie Kempster
Something's amiss at the Zoo by Jen Breach
Lothian Children's Books, 2015. ISBN 9780734416223
The zookeepers at this crazy, mixed-up zoo really don't seem to know
what's best for their animals. Who ever heard of Kitty Litter for
Catfish?
Could a shark be happy in a tiny jungle pool? Does a spider monkey
really want to eat flies and spin a web? And, LOOK OUT elephant
beetle! Look out for the elephants!
The expressions on the faces of the animals on this book's front
cover can only leave the reader wondering what COULD be amiss at
this zoo.
Happily a small, clever boy comes and helps to salvage the situation
for the bewildered zoo animals, so they can all reside happily.
This amusing, beautifully illustrated book is sure to appeal to
younger readers.
J. Smith
Birdy by Jess Vallance
Hot Key Books, 2015. ISBN 9781471404665
(Ages: 14+) Some strong language. 'Frances Bird has been a loner for
so long that she's given up on ever finding real friendship. But
then she's asked to show a new girl around school, and she begins to
think her luck could finally be changing. Eccentric, talkative and
just a little bit posh, Alberta is not at all how Frances imagined a
best friend could be. But the two girls click immediately, and it's
not long before they are inseparable. Frances could not be happier.
As the weeks go on, Frances finds out more about her new best friend
- her past, her secrets, her plans for the future - and she starts
to examine their friendship more closely, is it, perhaps, just too
good to be true?' (Publisher)
An interesting read. The protagonist is very snarky and sarcastic,
much like many teens today, appealing to the audience greatly.
Vallance shows true friendship with all the tension and problems
that take place in school. Throughout the whole of the novel the
suspense made me want to keep reading and not put it down just so I
could know why Frances Bird had to write it down. A great read for
anyone that loves a bit of dark, moodiness and a creep factor in
their life.
Cecilia Richards
The Rapunzel dilemma by Jennifer Kloester
Penguin Books, 2014. ISBN 9780143571087
(Ages: 12+) Modern interpretations of familiar fairy tales can be
fascinating to read. I recall those of Robin McKinley and Gail
Carson Levine - cleverly told with a touch of something magical,
which stays with the reader long after the story has been read.
Jennifer Kloester's modern day version of Rapunzel (a
companion novel to The Cinderella Moment) lacks the skilled
approach, which brings the fairy tale to the fore. Rich girl, Lily,
longs to join the London Drama Academy, and when successful for a
trial period, meets fellow students who do not believe that she has
been granted a place entirely due to her talents. Ronan Carver, a
talented but mysterious art student, seems to understand her. They
begin meeting in the old tower room, which was previously providing
a haven for her. Now her world is split between her drama studies
and her love for Ronan, and real life is very different from being
on stage. The author is said to have been inspired by the stories of
Georgette Heyer - but I can't help thinking that the influence of
other historical romances has made this novel rather light and
silly, relying heavily on teenage angst and envy. The Rapunzel
Dilemma is readable and gives some insight to life in a
competitive world for aspiring youngsters but it lacks a strong and
contemporary storyline.
Julie Wells
Suri's wall by Lucy Estela
Ill. by Matt Ottley. Penguin, 2015. ISBN 9780670077755
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Resilience. Determination. Children in war.
Belief. Measuring her height against the wall Suri is surprised to
find that she can now see over the top. The children come to her
eager to see what she sees, forgetting their differences. She
describes the rolling hills, the golden bridge, the harbour filled
with ships, one resplendent with its red sails and ornate carvings.
Ottley has given this story of children in war an historical look:
the ships are galleons, the people dressed in Medieval garb, buffalo
pull large carts of grain, encouraging the reader to think about the
timelessness of the impact of war on children.
Questions will keep popping into readers' mouths as they survey the
scene Suri describes, asking when the story is set, where the
children are, why they are in such a place, where are their parents
and so on. Readers will accept what Suri sees but the last image of
a war torn city and sunken ships will encourage readers to view the
whole story from a different perspective and turn to the start of
the book and reread it.
The character of Suri rejected at first because she is so tall, is
now a necessary part of the children's days as she describes what is
over the wall. Their belief in her stories keeps them hopeful
reflecting what people do all over the world, to keep children safe
from the vicissitudes of life during war.
Each question will raise others and so groups of children reading
this book will widen their understanding of homeless children around
the world. Their view of the world is not the one so beautifully
described by Suri but a harsh cruel one reminiscent of the image
Suri really sees.
Each child in Ottley's illustrations is different, their bleak
situation, living in rows of dormitory beds, eating at a long table,
the browns and grays contrasting with the scene described by Suri,
serve to underline the predicament they are in and will further
endear them to the reader. Their faces will stay with the reader as
the book is closed.
Fran Knight
