Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760113919
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Humour. Gothic stories. Ghouls. Beautifully
presented, this compendium of the four Grimstones stories will be a
welcome addition to any library, with its shiny paper, delicious,
inventive illustrations and easy to read chapters. Hatched, Mortimer
revealed, Whirlwind and Music school are collected in this one
volume for readers of this eerie set of Gothic tales. The first two
books in the series are reviewed in Readplus.
The diaries of the youngest member of the Grimstone family, Martha
will encourage all sorts of readers to peer into this book, as she
introduces her very strange family and investigates the death of her
beloved father, Mortimer.
With enticing pictures of Martha with her wan thin expression bathed
in black clothing, leading the reader to postulate how the
illustrator achieved the images, the pages turn to reveal diagrams,
notes, tips on how to do things, bold headings of frustration,
recipes, drawings, pages from other books, double page illustrations
and loads of little drawings that fill many nooks and crannies, all
designed to intrigue. At the end of the book Asphyxia gives a brief
summary of how she and her partner achieved the illustrative work
and she refers the readers to her website for further
information. I can imagine many readers poring over the pages to see
how the images are put together and try it out for themselves, and
as a result have many libraries and classrooms set up with Grimstone
puppets with ghoulish settings as a display.
The Gothic humour pervades the whole book and will capture a wide
audience.
Fran Knight
Two fearsome fairy tales from France retold by Adele Geras
Christmas Press, 2015. ISBN 9780992283841
(Age: 9+) Two fearsome fairy tales from France retell the
stories of Beauty and the Beast and Bluebeard. The stories are
similar to what the children already know and would be great for
comparing with other versions as part of an English unit on
narratives. Children could also create their own versions of these
stories.
The text is accompanied by simple illustrations with an element of
another world, hundreds of years ago. The text is aimed at
independent readers aged 9+ but would be appropriate for adults to
read to less able readers as well. This is a great book to add to
any home or school library and a great way to investigate stories of
the past and other countries.
Kylie Kempster
Eve and the runaway unicorn by Jess Black
Keeper of the crystals bk 1. New Frontier Publishing, 2015. ISBN
9780957988415
(Age: 7+) Fantasy. Adventure. Environmental damage. Eve and
her friend Oscar discover a magical trunk in Eve's Grandma's attic.
The fantasy adventure follows as they enter a magical world
where animals are guardians of people that live in a desert created
as the result of the environmental plundering by a cruel ruler. Eve
becomes the answer to a prophecy that enables her to restore this
damaged world with the support of the magical unicorn who is her
guardian. This book is reminiscent of C. S. Lewis' The lion, the
witch and the wardrobe, with the transition from the present time
through an unexpected portal, however this is much more simply
written and the solution is far less complex (although perhaps a
little too easily contrived). The pink cover and female central
character perhaps cater for a young female audience, but the
conflict in the fantasy world could appeal to boys also.
The book will be enjoyed by readers aged 7+, and the fantasy world
is relatively simple to understand for the younger audience.
Carolyn Hull
The cat who came in off the roof by Annie M. G. Schmidt
Allen & Unwin. Imprint: Pushkin Children's Books, 2015. ISBN
9781782690368
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Have you heard of this author? No,
neither had I but the title intrigued me - I do like an interesting
title. Plus I'm a cat person. This charming novel held my interest
fully for the return trip to the city today.
Tibbles is a journalist - but not your average one. He is painfully
shy, he is an excellent writer but seems to find only stories that
are not 'newsworthy' and he is a cat lover. When his editor
threatens him with dismissal if there is 'just one more cat story',
Tibbles is at a loss. Then Minou appears - literally, 'treed' by a
ferocious dog in his local park and then later in the evening by
crawling through his attic window. A strangely attractive young
woman, Minou exhibits cattish behaviours - well, after all, she's
been 'treed' by a dog and now she is in Tibbles' kitchen gnawing on
a fish skeleton from his rubbish bin!
So begins one of the most delightful and original novels I have read
in a long while. Minou is in fact a cat, who has somehow become a
human, though not without her erstwhile tendencies as a feline.
Tibbles begins his ascendancy and redemption as a journalist when
Minou starts to bring him tidbits from the 'Cat Press Agency'.
Obviously the many cats of a small town would have insight into much
of the town's real news.
This is such a happy read - easy, light, almost - dare I say it? -
fluffy! I loved it! I urge you to read the love story of Tibbles and
Minou - with its unfolding drama due to the obligatory villain.
Having just recently revisited the 101 dalmations with the
wonderful 'twilight barking' sending of information, this truly
resonated.
From the publisher: 'Annie M. G. Schmidt was regard as the Queen of
Dutch Children's Literature and her books have been an essential
part of of every Dutch childhood for the last fifty years. (She
trained as a librarian!).'
I thank her for bringing some real reading joy to my life at the
moment.
Highly recommended for readers of around 12 and up!!
Sue Warren
Just the way we are by Jessica Shirvington
Ill. by Claire Robertson. ABC Books, 2015. ISBN 9780733331626
(Age: 4+) Families. Difference. Shirvington presents the young
reader with an array of different families. Each is introduced on
one double page spread, those who make up the family described and
shown in the illustrations, then the family is presented doing
something together on the next double page. The second double page
always ends with the refrain of the title 'Just the way we are',
underlining the similarities and differences between each family,
but also showing that each is just a family like any other.
The first family has a mum and dad with one child, and they all live
together with the girl's grandfather, so the girl is able to do some
amazing things with her grandfather while her parents are at work.
The next shows a family with one child and two dads, followed by a
family which lives in two houses, then a foster family where the
child no longer calls the guardians by their names, but Mum and Dad,
while the last family is a single parent family. Each shows the
family doing things a family does together no matter how it is made
up, and the illustrations underscore the basic needs of the child
being met within the family: love, care and belonging.
Early readers will enjoy reading of all the different sorts of
families and recognise that each is different but also the same.
Fran Knight
Summer spell by Karen Wood
Trickstars series. Allen & Unwin, 2015
ISBN 9781743319062
(Age: 8+) Family. Magic. Overcoming difficulties. The
trick-riding triplets are back! This is book 2 in the Trickstars
series, and in this book we view the action from the perspective of
the slightly anxious triplet, Lexie. The girls need to compete in a
trick horse-riding competition against old family rivals (also with
gypsy heritage) who are challenging them for the right to a valued
gold belt (with possible magical influence). The competing family
manage to use their own magical skills to give Lexie a rather
unusual olfactory experience which upsets her normal balance and her
ability to cope with pressure. The final competition requires all of
their horse-riding and performance skills to be put on show, in
order to overcome the spell-binding (pun intended!) skills of the
other team. The girls' grumpy Grandpa even has an unexpected role.
The magic in the book is really just mild fantasy, and mostly the
characters need to learn to hone their own strengths, rather than
rely on any external powers. This makes this a charming book for
young readers aged 8+.
Carolyn Hull
I heart pets by Meredith Costain
Ella diaries. Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781760153038
(Age: 6-10) While reading the first few pages of Ella diaries: I
heart pets, I was quickly reminded of two of my current year 4
students. Ella, our main character, records her thoughts and
feelings in diary entries and these entries tell the story. She is
just like my two students - chatty, creative and dramatic - and so I
highly recommend this for girls aged 8+.
Ella and her friend Zoe love pets. Unfortunately, Ella's school
enemy sounds a lot more dedicated to animals and Ella is determined
to show she is more dedicated. Ella's first plan is to persuade her
parents that they need more pets so she has more animals to study.
Ella's parents don't agree. Her next plan is to become a pet minder.
Ella's parents don't agree of course. Ella's final plans are to
become a pet walker. As luck would have it, Ella's first job is to
mind a lizard and, after much persuasion, her mum allows it. Of
course, it can't be easy and the lizard escapes. Will Ella find
Lizzie the lizard? Why is her school enemy looking so suspicious?
Will Ella and Zoe figure it out?
This is a very cute and easy-to-read story. The text moves quickly
and it is descriptive. The small illustrations are engaging and add
to the detail of the story. It reminds me of other series that have
been set out in the diary format. Ella diaries: I heart pets
would be a great book to read to the class, especially during
an animal unit as it talks about creating animal fact files.
Children could create their own animal fact files based on a country
they are studying in Geography or when studying animal adaptations in
Science.
Kylie Kempster
Which way, Dude? : BMO's day out by Max Brallier
Ill. by Stephen Reed. Adventure Time series. Hardie Grant
Egmont, 2015. ISBN 9781760123208
(Age: 8-10) Adventure, Fantasy, Science fiction. This Choose your
own adventure repackaged to include the reader in all sorts of
activities apart from making life changing decisions about the main
characters, will draw readers in to the zany world as presented in
the series on the Cartoon network (TimeWarner).
Finn and Jake are plying their favourite game, Portender Defender
with their tiny robot friend, BMO, when a knock at the door rouses
them. It is Peppermint Butler and he has dreadful news. The princess
Bubblegum is in deep trouble and they must help him rescue her. So
follows a fast paced adventure story which has the reader electing
to go on different paths to find the princess. Along the way the
reader must pass through mazes, answer questions, finish puzzles, do
a word find and work out a code to find answers to the question of
just where is the princess.
With puzzles at the end of almost every chapter, and each short
chapter offering lots of little cartoon illustrations, younger
readers will find this an easy read, propelled along by the funny
story. Instructions are clearly offered in boxes on the pages, so
the readers will know exactly what they have to do to continue.
Boys in middle years at primary school will find this a funny book
to get their teeth into.
Fran Knight
Every move by Ellie Marney
The Every series, Bk 3. Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN
9781743318539
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Mystery. Crime. Sherlock Holmes. The
third in The Every trilogy brings this nail biting series to
a very dramatic conclusion. Rachel is still very uptight about the
events in London (Every
word) and Mycroft is not communicating with her. She
grabs the chance to take a road trip back to her old home in the
country with her brother, but is not so happy to see his friend
Harris, who always seems to make inappropriate comments to her. Back
in Melbourne with Harris in tow, things begin to become dangerous
with a series of murders that appear to have been instigated by Mr
Wild, Mycroft's personal Moriarty, and it becomes evident that
Rachel and Mycroft will have to do something to stop the carnage.
With the help of Harris they set things in place for a final
denouncement.
The addition of Harris as a major player in the third book added a
great deal of interest to the story. His background story of a
difficult family life which he hides by ill-placed humour give him
depth and the skills that he has learnt in the country are crucial
to the trap that the three make to capture Mr Wild. He also teaches
Rachel some basic self-defence moves and boosts her self-confidence.
There is action galore as the trio take on the very scary Wild and
his associates and the relationship between Mycroft and Rachel also
develops in a very satisfying way.
I loved this series, its fast paced action and its fascinating
characters and can't wait to see what Ellie Marney writes next.
Pat Pledger
Silver Shoes series by Samantha-Ellen Bound
Random House, 2015. Dance Till you Drop. ISBN 9780857983725 Breaking Pointe. ISBN 9780857983749
Silver Shoes Dance Studio is a dance academy where 10 year-old
Eleanor Irvin and her friends go three or four times a week to learn
to dance. Jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop, ballroom, lyrical - whatever
the style it's on offer and each girl has her favourite genre. In
the first two titles in this series - And All that Jazz and
Hit the Streets - the focus was Eleanor and her love for jazz
ballet and then Ashley and her desire to excel at hip-hop. The
latest two additions to this popular series focus on ballroom
dancing and ballet.
In Dance Till You Drop Paige struggles with trying to meet
her mother's expectations that she will be the best dancer ever and
pushing her into extra classes and her body and head telling her she
needs to take a break. It's not till she doesn't turn up at class
and her friends find her hiding that things come to a head,
particularly when Ellie asks her 'What's more important? Your mum
being a bit upset when you tell her or you being like a zombie all
the time and running away from class?' It takes a while but her love
to dance is questioned and answered in a story many will see
themselves in, in one way or another.
Ballet is the focus of Breaking Pointe and Riley has to make
choices between her love of it as well as her love of all sports,
including athletics and basketball, especially when she finds she
has a clash of commitments. This is another situation familiar to
many young people as they try new things to find their passion and
begin to understand they can't do everything. This series has proven
very popular among the girls at my school who are fascinated with
all things dance and it is perfect for moving them on beyond the
heavily illustrated early chapter books as they continue their
reading journeys towards independence. They are going to be
delighted to see these new additions to the series and know that
there are two more coming in October!
Barbara Braxton
Uncle Gobb and the Dread Shed by Michael Rosen
Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408851302
Suited to 8+ readers. Themes: School; Thinking. I think you have to
be young to find this book enjoyable. It is 10+ on the Quirky Scale
(which normally is 0-5 in its range). The main characters have
incredibly bizarre nick-names, and views on the world. Uncle Gobb
seems to be a cross between a dictator within the education system
and the world's most unpleasant uncle. The plot is unusual, and
chapter headings and non-fiction inserts are also weirdly irregular
and sometimes quite far - fetched. The redeeming features are that
the book has moments of humour, strange illustrations and unusually
it makes a reasonable, although amusing, critique of 'fill in the
gaps' worksheets and discipline strategies. This is not as endearing
as the Tom Gates or Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, but
it may appeal to the eccentric child.
Carolyn Hull
Super Fly by Todd H Doodler
Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN: 9781619633780
Themes: Bullying; Comedy; Super - heroes; Insects. Eugene Flystein is
the central character in this amusing book written by Doodler (not
his real name!). Eugene is starting at the new school in
Stinkopolous (on the edge of the city dump). He is not a big, bold
fly and immediately meets the bully in the school - Cornelius
Cockroach. The rest of the story explains how Eugene transforms into
Super Fly - The World's Smallest Superhero (with the support of his
only friend Fred Flea) in a classic super-hero fight against evil.
Not surprisingly, part of the appeal of this book is the
'disgusting' world that flies and insects inhabit.
Young readers will find this enjoyable, with the references to gross
food, environments and overcoming the mean cockroach. Doodler
illustrates the story with cartoon-like quirky drawings. This is a
simple tale designed to entertain, and it hints at a sequel.
Carolyn Hull
The girl is murder by Kathryn Miller Haines
The Girl is Murder bk 1. Roaring Brook Press, 2011. ISBN
9781596436091
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Mystery. Historical. World War 2 US. Iris
Anderson's world has fallen apart. Her father has lost his leg in
the attack on Pearl Harbour and has returned home, determined to
make a go of his private detective agency. Iris is dying to help him
out, especially when his is engaged to find a boy from her school
who has gone missing, but he is not interested so she sets out on
her own to investigate. She finds herself sneaking out, going to
dances in Harlem and getting mixed up with a cool gang at school.
This is a very solid and interesting mystery set in World War 2 in
New York. I loved the historical aspect, the feelings about the war,
the youth of the soldiers who were having a last fling and
descriptions of the clothes, dancing and attitudes. The dialogue
abounds with slang from the period and references to dances and
music make it a fascinating study of the time. All this provides a
great backdrop to the mystery of the young boy who has gone missing.
The author provides lots of red herrings to bamboozle the reader and
there are plenty of clues that I recognised in hindsight after the
thrilling ending.
The characterisation is quite complex as well. Iris is grieving for
her mother who has committed suicide, and neither she nor her father
know why. She doesn't have much of a relationship with her father,
who has been away for most of the previous five years and is unhappy
that she has had to leave her private school and go to a public
school where she has no friends. Teen readers will identify with her
belief that she is capable of investigating on her own and will be
able to see the danger that she puts herself in by sneaking out and
going to forbidden places. The contrast between the rich and poor,
the attitudes to Germans and Italians, the effect that the war has
had on her father and her friend Pearl is all richly described.
Readers who enjoy mysteries will love the sassy heroine, the great
supporting characters and the fascinating plot in The girl is
murder. It is followed by The girl is trouble.
Pat Pledger
How to be bad by E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski
Hot Key Books, 2015. ISBN 9781471404849
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Friendship. Road trip. Jesse and Vicks are
good friends but things seem to be going a little awry as Jesse
keeps a big secret from her friend and Vicks can't stop worrying
about her boyfriend who has moved to college and hasn't contacted
her for a fortnight. Mel is the new girl in town. She is rich and
but is in the shadow of her pretty sister and is desperate to make
friends. They decide to escape Niceville and go on a road trip to
visit Vicks' boyfriend in Miami, having some hilarious escapades on
the way.
The characters are so very different. Jesse lives in a trailer park,
is poor but religious and uptight. Vicks is more of a wild child,
and is determined not to be the girl who becomes clingy because her
boyfriend doesn't call. Mel is a middle child and is often called
upon to be the casting vote when her two siblings can't agree, and
feels unwanted. Their trip includes looking at Old Joe, a stuffed
alligator, going to Disney land and staying in a hotel set up as a
pirates' haunt, as well as wrestling a wild alligator, and these
adventures lead to a growth in their friendship and understanding of
each other and themselves. On the way they meet Marco, an
attractive, caring boy who invites them to a party and their actions
there are a real catalyst for each to take stock of themselves.
In an interesting note at the back, the three authors describe how
they came together and wrote the book. Each took the voice of one of
the characters, and the story is related from that person's point of
view in alternating chapters. It is fun for the reader who has
previously read books by the authors to guess which character has
been written by that author.
This is a fun read with amusing moments and insights into friendship
and class which is sure to be enjoyed by readers who like road trips
and sassy girls.
Pat Pledger
To hold the bridge by Garth Nix
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781743316559
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Fantasy, Short stories, Survival.
When Garth Nix writes another episode of the Old Kingdom series,
every reader will take notice, and this novella which is the first
story presented in this large collection of his stories will please
them all. I read again of the world he imagined and presented so
clearly in those books rekindled as Morghan attempts to join the
Greenwash Bridge Company. The company has been charged to build a
bridge north of the Old Kingdom across islets and rivers separating
them form the north. The company takes on a few cadets and Morghan
tries out despite his misgivings and disability. But the
Bridgemistress senses his ability with the Charter marks and he is
welcomed to be trained, finding that one night his abilities must be
used for his own survival.
So begins this fine edition, and the next stories are just as
engrossing as Nix takes us again into his worlds. Clearly devised
settings against which well defined characters strive for survival
will thrill all readers.
A story set in today's world of gaming held my attention as The
quiet knight defends the new girl and her brother at school. The
quiet knight holds that name in his gaming on the weekend at a local
woolshed where the owner has built tunnels and mazes along with
lowered ceilings and other obstacles for the gamers to enter in
costume. Tony lost his voice in an accident years ago, but here he
can be what he wants to be, and the reader is gratified when the
young woman recognises him outside the game.
Others stand out as well. His take on the Rapunzel story is given in
the funny, Unwelcome guest, and another reflecting themes
from his inestimable Shade's children is presented in You
won't feel a thing. Which ever one is read will engage the
reader's brains as things must be worked out, clues gathered and
imaginations unleashed as he takes us to all sorts of new and
fantastic places.
Fran Knight
