Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408855409
(Age: 13+) Recommended. 'I am Alina Chase - my soul is my own.'
Set in the near future, the world makes the amazing discovery of
souls. They can be accessed, they can be studied. Souls never die,
they get reborn into new bodies, new identities. But are they the
same person? Will they have the same likes, dislikes, same
interests, same fears? The studies say yes.
Alina is being held captive on an island, guards surrounding every
exit possible, with servants and caretakers who never stay for too long.
Her mother gone, her father dead, her whole life spent in boundaries
all because of one thing: her soul is June Calahan's, a notorious
criminal that nobody wants to have her history repeated, and so is
Alina's fate. But one day, she escapes, escapes with the help of
strangers and she finds herself in June's place - running, hiding
and finding the truth.
Gripping you tight and never letting you go, Miranda grabs your
shoulders and leaps with you off into a frenzy of action and
suspense. Readers will have no problem falling in love with the main
heroine as she struggles to prove to the world and herself that she
is her own identity, not a copy, not a soul, but Alina Chase. Dive
into this book of self identity, innocence and guilt, loss and new
love, chase the answers and hide from the lies. Twists and truths
that sends one gasping and riddles in desperate need of solving - Soul print does not disappoint.
Clarissa Cornelius (Student)
Dog and the lost leg by Carlee Yardley
Walker Books 2015. ISBN 9781925081084
(Age: 5-7) Dog was not feeling well. What could be wrong?
Then Dog's good friend, Fox, noticed that Dog was missing a leg! No
wonder Dog could not jiggle!
Dog tried all sorts of other legs as, together, the friends searched
for the missing leg and Fox tried, in vain, to cheer up his friend.
He was even offered an extra tail to try! But, dog was NOT happy.
Then, Fox had an idea...
Dog and Fox, and everyone else including the scenery in this very
appealing book, are patchwork, the kind your big sister might have
made.
And, thanks to clever Pip, Dog got a brand new leg, AND his jiggle
back.
A delightful story to captivate younger children.
J Kerr-Smith
The really old forest by Cecil Kim
Ill. by Elsa Huet. Ed. by Joy Cowley. Big & Small, 2015. ISBN
9781925186468
(Age: Yr 2+) Told in a series of letters between penpals Nicole in
Australia and Jack in England in the mid 80s, this is the story of
the preservation of the Millaa Millaa rainforest in Queensland.
Nicole tells Jack about the rainforest and its beauty, as well as
its importance to the economy of the local area as a source of
timber for furniture, ships and paper as well as the slash-and-burn
farmers who want the land to grow crops. But this is the dawning of
the 'green age' and environmentalists are agitating for the forest
to be protected as areas the size of 70 football pitches are being
destroyed every minute. Faraway in England, Jack is untouched by the
town's dependence on the trees and he investigates the importance of
the forest to the environment rather than the people, telling Nicole
of the enduring damage that destruction will cause. He really opens
Nicole's eyes. She wishes she could find a way that the rainforest,
the animals and the people could live happily together.
This is a wonderful way to introduce young students to the concept
of conservation and how there have to be and can be solutions that
are win/win for all the stakeholders, not just humans. In this case
the rainforest was added to UNESCO's World Natural Heritage list so
the story can also be a springboard to examining the work and value
of this organisation. It could also be the start of a compare and
contrast investigation as students study the forest in Nicole's time
and the impact of the UNESCO intervention.
While there is a plethora of books focusing on the characteristics
and value of rainforests (and this one has pages of facts at the
back), personalising the issues in a series of letters is a way that
will immediately engage students in the issue and encourage them to
think, discuss and debate. A useful addition to the collection and a
great support to the sustainability cross-curriculum priority.
Barbara Braxton
Summertime, all the cats are bored by Philippe Georget
Translated by Steven Rendall. Gilles Sebag bk 1. Europa,
2013. ISBN 9781609451219
(Age: Senior secondary-Adult) Recommended. Mystery. Detectives.
France. SNCF Crime Fiction Prize, City of Lens First Crime Novel
Prize. Translated from the French language. When a young Dutch woman
is found murdered near a campground, and another is kidnapped,
Inspector Gilles Sebag is set the task of finding the perpetrators.
He finds himself in the middle of a deadly game, where the kidnapper
sends the police clues and asks for him by name.
This is an intriguing crime story made particularly interesting as
it has quite a few mysteries for Sebag and an enterprising reader to
solve. First of all who murdered the young Dutch woman and what is
her relationship to the old widow, Robert, who found her body? Then
who is the clever person who has kidnapped the unfortunate young
woman and keeps her imprisoned? And then too, is Sebag's wife having
an affair or not? Sebag appears to be disillusioned with his job,
often arriving late to work and content to have had his career put
on hold because of something he had done in his early years in the
police force. However, he is clever and once he decides to really
investigate, is a determined yet flawed detective.
Set on the French Mediterranean, the author vividly describes the
French countryside and the lifestyle that Sebag and his family have
in a way that makes the reader feel as if the place is familiar.
Family relationships also play an important part in the story. Sebag
feels he is losing grip of his children as they go their separate
ways for the summer holidays, and his wife has chosen to take a
Mediterranean cruise without him.
Well-paced, exciting and often frightening, this is well worth the
read for mystery lovers and I will be sure to hunt up the second in
the series, Autumn, all the cats return.
Pat Pledger
Ducks to water by Brett Avison
Ill. by Janine Dawson. Five Mile Press, 2015. ISBN 9781760066062
(Ages: 2-7) The product of a New Zealand author and Sydney-based
illustrator, Ducks to water is the fourth book in the Bigger
Digger series (others are Stuck in the muck, Pigs
might fly and A bigger digger). The verse is engaging
and fun to read aloud. The illustrations are bright and colourful
and the rural setting has an Australian farm feel. There was just
one thing that bothered me and it is the use of the word 'dumb' to
describe the ducklings who think Oscar the dog is their mum. It
seems an inappropriate word to use in a picture book for young
children, who are usually discouraged from its use. It is a shame as
the rest of the rhyming verse is incredibly enjoyable. The narrative
itself is fun and fast-paced. Young Bryn and his dog follow the
quacks, to find the ducks have no water in their pond. They enlist
Ted and Ken to help fix the problem and afterwards they are all,
human and ducks, able to enjoy the water. There is also the
humourous side story of the ducklings hatching and thinking the dog
is their mum, which will amuse young readers to no end! There is a
nice pop-up on one of the last pages of the ducklings jumping into
the pond. Overall, a rollicking fun story, good for encouraging
children to read along with the story, great for exploring rhyme and
narrative, and wonderful, comical-style illustrations.
Nicole Nelson
A trifle dead by Livia Day
Cafe La Femme Bk 1. Deadlines, 2013. ISBN 9780987216298
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Crime. Food. Tabitha Darling runs a trendy
cafe and is always searching for the perfect dessert. She is sick of
all the policemen who frequent her cafe and when a musician is found
dead in the flat upstairs she tries to keep out of the
investigation. But as a series of strange crimes by the Trapper
occurs across Hobart, she begins to think that perhaps they are
aimed at her. With Stewart, a cute Scottish blogger along for the
news, she starts to investigate, much to the annoyance of Bishop the
policeman she has known for ages.
This is a laugh out loud mystery in the vein of the Stephanie
Plum stories by Janet Evanovich. The dialogue is snappy, the
characters are well developed and the backdrop of Hobart is
fabulous. There is plenty of suspense, with a few very scary moments
and lots of yummy food including recipes for trifle, all of which
will keep any mystery lover reading to finish the book quickly.
I will certainly snap up the next book in the series.
Pat Pledger
Samurai vs Ninja series by Nick Falk and Tony Flowers
Random House Australia, 2015. The battle for the golden egg. ISBN 9780857986054 The race for the shogun's treasure. ISBN 9780857986368
(Age: Yr 2+) The publisher's blurb for this series says, 'In the Edo
Period of Japan, two teams fight for supremacy - the serious samurai
and the scheming ninjas. To determine who is the best, a deadly
contest is held. The prize is the Golden Egg, the most magnificent
treasure in all of Japan. But when the ninjas cheat, the samurai
will stop at nothing to get revenge. Tighten your topknot and
sharpen your sword - the Samurai vs Ninja battle is about to begin!'
And so begins another action-packed series from this talented
pairing of Nick Falk and Tony Flowers who brought us both Saurus
Street and Billy is a dragon.
This series is set 300 years ago when the serious Samurai with their
smooth, straight kamishimo and tight topknots lived in a castle on
the tip of the Mountain of the Tiger's Claw and the silly Ninja with
their ripped and wrinkled shinobi shozoku and looped and loose obi
lived in a castle at the tip of the neighbouring Mountain of the
Dragon's Claw. Because the Samurai practise the ancient art of Nodo
no Kingyo (the Way of the Thirsty Goldfish) and the Ninja, the
ancient art of Mink-u-i-Buta (the Way of the Ugly Pig) the scene is
set for conflict - and it is not long before it begins. The Samurai
challenge the Ninja to a contest - and through crazy characters with
even crazier ideas the reader is taken on an hilarious but
suspenseful adventure. Despite the traditional honour and fairness
normally associated with these protagonists, the reader sees a
totally different side of them that provide many LOL moments!
Capitalising on the craze for things Japanese as manga-type stories
permeate through to our youngest readers, this is an energetic,
fast-moving series that will capture the imaginations of younger
readers who are ready for independent reading but still need the
support of short text and illustrations which are integral to that
text. Falk and Flowers seem to feed off each other in a symbiotic
relationship that knows exactly what their audience wants and how to
give it to them and offer stories that are going to maintain that
zest for reading as the transition from instructional reader to free
choice is made. With chapters finishing at just the right time and
the book finishing on a cliff-hanger that sets up the next episode,
the books make perfect read-alouds which will have their listeners
demanding more and scurrying to the library looking for the next in
the series. And they won't have long to wait because Day of the
dreadful undead and Curse of the Oni will be released on 1 July. In
my school where we have many Japanese students and Japanese is
taught across the school, I can see this series being the hit it
deserves to be!
Barbara Braxton
If you find this by Matthew Baker
Hot Key Books, 2015. ISBN 9781471404528
(Age: 9-11) Grief and loss. Treasure hunts. Bullying.
School life. Family life. Grandparents. Prodigies. Nicholas is an
eleven year old maths and music prodigy, his inner dialogue is
written with musical notations to describe the sounds around him and
he's obsessed with prime numbers. He is socially isolated and takes
solace in talking to the tree where his parents buried his brother
who died prematurely. He believes the tree is his brother embodied
in a new form and he treasures the pine needles and cones.
Nicholas's life is a difficult one, school is problematic, social
situations awkward and he is being bullied. When his grandfather
appears after 30 years in prison, full of tales about buried treasure
hidden in an old derelict house, Nicholas is soon caught up in an
adventure. Unfortunately, Grandpa Rose is beginning to suffer from
dementia and it is difficult for him to remember just where he hid
the heirlooms in the ghost house.
This is a uniquely written story, every time anyone
talks a musical notation is added as a subscript. The narrative is
told using different perspectives, Grandpa Rose's journal entries
and Nicholas' inner dialogue and observations. The level of bullying
is quite intense and the inclusion of a seance, bartering with the
local witch and helping with a breakout from the nursing home makes
this a novel for older readers.
Rhyllis Bignell
Finding Monkey Moon by Elizabeth Pulford
Finding Monkey Moon by Elizabeth Pulford
Ill. by Kate Wilkinson. Walker Books, 2015. ISBN 9781921720734
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Toys, Loss, Determination, Hope.
Michael's favourite toy, Monkey Moon, is missing. He never goes to
bed without his toy, and determines to look until he finds it. A
search of the house proves fruitless, so Michael sets off to the
park. He and Dad don their jackets and hats and go off into the
crisp cold night with a torch. The illustrations depict a wintry
night, complete with frost covered trees, a hooting owl, sleeping
ducks and cold clear darkness. The light of the torch illuminates
their way and makes the reader look more closely at the things the
torch shows. As they walk to the park, each page finishes with
Michael's voice assuring Monkey Moon that they will find him. Once
in the park they search the playground, the Wendy house, the trees
and finally find the toy in the undergrowth. Michael hugs his toy to
himself and the three walk back home contentedly.
This is a charming story of one boy's determination to find his toy,
and the support given by Dad as they go off into the cold night.
Michael reassures his toy that they are on their way, and hugs him
to himself when he is found. The scenes replicate what might happen
if a child is lost and could be a good starting point for discussion
about staying close to Mum or Dad.
The beautiful illustrations reflect the coldness of the night, with
the beam of the torch shining through the trees and around the park,
the soft acrylic paintings drawing in the readers' eyes to look more
closely at what is represented on each page. The shadows draw more
closely over the boy in the park, but the next page where he finds
Monkey Moon, a little colour appears in the frosty cold night.
Determination and hope has won out.
Fran Knight
Since you've been gone by Morgan Matson
Since you've been gone by Morgan Matson
Simon and Schuster, 2015. ISBN 9781471122668
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Adolescent. Coming of age. Friendship. Emily
is looking forward to a summer hanging out with her friend Sloane
but Sloane just disappears, leaving no trace of where she has gone
or what has happened to her. A to-do list for Emily is all that is
left behind; a list with 13 things for Emily to do, including
kissing a stranger and going skinny dipping. Emily is left with no
one to hang out with - all her social activities had been with
Sloane, who was outgoing and fun. She decides to take her courage in
her hands and starts doing some of the things on the list, like pick
an apple at the Orchard, the local party spot, and it is here that
Frank, the school leader, makes her acquaintance. From then on
things look up for Emily.
This narrative flows along beautifully, the writing making it very
easy to become involved with Emily, who gradually sees how much she
has relied on Sloane and how she has to make an effort to do things
by herself and to make new friends. By asking for Mona (on her to-do
list) she gets a summer job and meets Dawn, a girl who works at a
nearby pizza place and they become friendly. Frank asks her to help
him with his running and together they begin to become friends,
becoming easy with each other, talking about music, and comparing
playlists. With his mate Collins' help, he starts to help Emily
check things off her list. As Emily checks off more from her list,
she realises that Sloane was helping her to overcome some of her
deepest fears and helping her to be a braver person.
Much of the appeal of the book is the exploration of friendship
between the outgoing Sloane and the quieter Emily. Sloane drags
Emily along with her shopping and even arranges for her to go out
with Gideon and the two do everything together. It is such a shock
for Emily to find that Sloane has left without a word and Emily is
the one who ultimately has to teach Sloane about the nature of
friendship. Emily gradually changes without the influence of Sloane;
she makes new friends and is able to stand on her own two feet.
This doesn't contain any topics that couldn't be given to younger
teens - even the skinny dipping is covered with towels - but it does
explore the nature of friendship very well, the effect that one 's
best friend having a boyfriend or girlfriend can have on a
relationship and also the confining nature of totally relying on
just one best friend. The blossoming friendship between Emily and
Frank will satisfy those who enjoy a romance as well.
This has been nominated for YALSA
Teens Top picks 2015 and that it should prove popular in a
library.
Pat Pledger
Hard Nuts of History: Wars and Battles by Tracey Turner
A & C Black, 2015. ISBN 9781472910943
(Age: Middle -Upper primary) Recommended. What did Mary Seacole and
Florence Nightingale have in common?
The Boston Tea Party! What was it and what could a tea party
possibly have to do with a war?
Which French military commander was banished to an island . . .
twice, and why?
Pompey, Xerxes the Great, Trotsky and Siegfried Sassoon? Interesting
names, but were they rampaging generals, the enemy or risk-taking
spies? One was a poet as well! Hard nuts, all of them! And what
about American Indians?
History! One imagines cumbersome, dusty volumes, smelling musty and
old, with thick yellowed pages, but Tracy Turner has written a
glossy, almost pocket-sized, fascinating little book that explains
history in a light, breezy and highly engaging style, with witty
images. Many of the momentous moments in history that defined
nations and shaped populaces are condensed into this book. Courage,
cunning, survival skills and the ruthlessness of these indisputably
brave individuals (whose sensibility is at times questionable), is
measured on 'HARDOMETERS', and each is given a Hard Nut rating, out
of 10!
Fifty-three pages of pithy but absorbing descriptions of both men
and women who led their armies into battle, fighting for what they
believed in, surviving . . . or not, makes for a thoroughly
compelling read for even the most reluctant student of history.
So you already KNOW all about wars and battles?
If you read this book and take the quiz at the back, you'll find out
how much you REALLY know, and learn a lot of fascinating stuff on
the journey. It has a Timeline, and a Glossary to explain what all
those complex words mean.
I recommend Wars and Battles to children in the middle and upper
primary school years, whose interest in history and the world around
them is still developing.
J. Kerr-Smith
Watch This Space: Out to Launch by Colin Thompson
Random House Australia, 2015. ISBN 9781742756202
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Out To Launch is the first in
a new series which will foreseeably be every bit as popular as
Colin's previous bestsellers. With his very recognisable acerbic wit
and uncanny ability to pinpoint the most laughable and ridiculous
aspects of popular culture, Colin's newest comic offering puts the
spotlight on reality TV shows with superb results.
Billionaire entrepreneur Radius Limpfast is the most successful
creator of reality tv shows in history but is never content to rest,
always seeking more spectacular attention on his programs. Then one
night, after a particularly creative bacon curry, Radius dreams up
the ultimate reality show.
He intends to send an ordinary family to the moon to live in a huge
glass dome where they will be watched by the entire world. Sounds
incredible doesn't it? Amazing even!! What a concept it is for the
ultimate in reality television and all planned to the last detail.
Nothing could possibly go wrong.
Except for choosing a family that is not really the 'ideal' for the
project (The Contrasts: Stark, Laura, Primrose, Jack and Crumley the
dog) with the throw in of a 'fake' granny, Apricot. And except for
cutting corners on costs for essentials like a reliable rocket
transport and a suitably protective glass dome dwelling. And except
for underestimating the skills of 14 year old girls and elderly
ladies. And more! Boys and girls from around 10 up, plus those of us
who relish Colin's very particular sense of humour will be very
excited about this new series. The second instalment In the Pink
is already in the works and who knows how many more to come?
Highly recommended for readers from Middle Primary to Lower
Secondary.
Sue Warren
The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill by Megan Frazer Blakemore
Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781619633506
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Themes: Friendship; Mystery; Adventure;
Communism - fiction. Hazel Kaplansky lives during the period
post-WWII in the United States when the fear of communism could
divide communities, with lies, rumour and innuendo used as weapons
that could harm relationships and reputations. Hazel is a
self-proclaimed, relentlessly focused spy-catcher who uses small
hints, clues and fabrication to create a portfolio of evidence
against potential spies. She is influenced by the Trixie Belden
model of solving mysteries. She is also on the idiosyncratic end of
the personality scale - her initial poor self-awareness and her
attempts to impress with her higher order thinking create a humorous
and peculiar view of life. Her parents run a Cemetery, with
particular emphasis on the horticultural enhancements to the
grounds. The combination of her natural curiosity and her lack of
friends creates an environment where things get out of hand. She is
the target of the mean girls at school and finds the new boy, Samuel
(who joins her in their sights), as a worthy companion in her
attempts to find hidden secrets that extend into the past. Samuel's
own story is full of them! Hazel's misadventures eventually lead her
to greater awareness of the complexities of life. There are many
wonderfully humourous scenes in this book - her relegation to the
triangle in school music lessons, and her relationships with her
parents and other adults are often quite quirky.
I can recommend this book for readers aged 8+, but I suspect the
references to Communism as a threat will go over the heads of
younger readers in Australia. They should still enjoy Hazel's
misguided view of her circumstances, and her attempts at solving
problems.
Carolyn Hull
Mr Huff by Anna Walker
Penguin Viking, 2015. ISBN 9780670078042
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Depression, Mental illness, Childhood
fears, Bad hair days. Poor old Bill just can't seem to get rid of
the cloud that hangs over his day. Right from the start things go
wrong. He loses a sock, his cereal is soggy, he spills the milk as
he trips over his bag. The day just gets worse. He is late for
school and someone seems to be sitting in his place. The cloud which
follows him seems to get bigger and he tries to talk to someone
about it but the words simply cannot come out. He tries to ignore it
but that does not work. He tries to be brave to get rid of it but
that doesn't work. But when he takes Mr Huff by the hand and they go
home, walking through puddles, smiling at the other children,
watching the friendly dog in the street Bill accepts Mr Huff and the
next day he wakes to a cloudy day but with the promise of sunshine.
This is a wonderful story, seemingly a simple tale of Bill accepting
the cloud which sometimes hangs over him, the tale expands to a
story about the highs and lows of life, the depression we sometimes
feel when things do not go our way, the clouds and sunshine which
make up all of our days. What a treat for young children to read,
seeing themselves in each of the pages, sometimes happy, sometimes
sad, learning that this is a condition of life. The glowering
menacing Mr Huff looms larger as the story progresses, but changes
once tears fall from his face. He is no longer the thing to be
voided, rejected or hidden, but an integral part of the boy and his
day.
The watercolour and pen illustrations suit the story, with their
emphasis on home and the everyday things around the child. The
street scenes are full of the ordinary things of life, things we
take for granted but are there to support us when blue. A delightful
story full of moments which are easily recognised by a reader of any
age, and may initiate much discussion in the classroom and at home.
Fran Knight
Bomber by Paul Dowswell
Bloomsbury, 2015 ISBN 978 1 4088 5849 3
(Age: Upper Primary and Lower Secondary) Well recommended. A
realistic and grim account of a US crew flying a B-17 bomber to
England to support the RAF and then the perilous flights to bomb
strategic places in Germany in 1943. Told from Harry Friedman's
perspective, the reader is enveloped in the everyday detail, from
the devestating explosion of a retuning bomber when all the aviators
died on landing, to the intricate detail the mechanics went to keep
the bombers flying. The unseen horrors of night flying over Germany
for the crew of the Macey May, the bail out over occupied Holland on
a training run, the first successful sortie followed by a heart
stopping final flight gives the reader a taste of the real horror of
war and of being brought back to England by the French Resistance.
The descriptions of the crew and their reactions bring a touch of
normality to this gripping and believable story, loosely based on
places the author knows.
The pace moves swiftly along with story line and has clear, well
spaced text.
There is a clear double page explaining the positions, names and
aeroplane details of the crew of the Boeing Flying Fortress B-17 G.
There are 3 pages called 'Fact Behind the Fiction' where the author
is interviewed.
Sue Nosworthy
