The Guy, the Girl, the Artist and His Ex by Gabrielle Williams
Allen & Unwin. 2015. ISBN 9781743319550
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Adolescent. Mystery. Four young
people's lives collide when Picasso's painting of the Weeping Woman
is stolen from the walls of the National Gallery of Victoria. Guy is
a party animal, who is not succeeding at school, lies to his parents
about his school results but proves himself a hero. Rafi is a young
girl whose mother has not recovered from the death of her little
brother and believes that she is pursued by La Lorona, the weeping
woman of South American origin. The ex is Penny, a single mother who
is still in an unhealthy relationship with Luke, the artist, the
father of her baby Joshie, and who is totally self-centred and
selfish.
Williams has used the real theft of the Weeping Woman as the
background to her story and what a fascinating background it makes.
The thieves, calling themselves the Australian Cultural Terrorists,
are demanding that the Victorian Government increase funding for
struggling artists in Victoria. There are newspaper reports and
letters to the editor, all giving information about what is going on
with the theft. At the same time the four protagonists are telling
their stories in separate chapters, under the heading of each: The
guy (Guy), the girl (Rafi), the artist (Luke) and the ex (Penny).
All four feel the repercussions of the art theft in many different
ways and William's weaves a fascinating story together linking each
and ultimately coming up with a perfectly rational answer to how the
theft could have taken place.
This is a fabulous read for the older teen, exploring many themes.
These include mental illness and the impact that it can have on
family and strangers, as Rafi struggles with living with her mother
who cannot appreciate her living daughter, concentrating only on the
memory of her dead son. Penny, the ex, is struggling with being a
young single parent and knows that Luke is selfish and that she must
break from him, but still loves him. Guy cannot bring himself to let
his parents know that he is failing at school and Dipper, Luke's
friend, finds it difficult to stand up to his stifling ego.
I loved this book, its historical background and information about
Picasso, the setting of Melbourne and above all the superb voices of
the four main characters.
Pat Pledger
The Thickety: A path begins by J.A. White
Ill. by Andrea Offermann. The Thickety bk 1. ISBN
9780062257239 (Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Kara lives in a small
community that believes that magic is evil. When she was five years
old her mother was killed because she was a witch and she and her
father and brother are now shunned and tormented by the people of
the village. Nearby is the Thickety a strange and dark wood believed
to the realm of Sordyr. One day Kara is enticed into it by a bird
and uncovers a magical grimoire that has unspeakable powers.
This is an addictive story that is spell binding right from the very
first chapter when in the prologue the reader finds out the awful
way that Kara learnt her mother was a witch and how she managed not
to be hung as a witch as well. From then on the reader is introduced
to Kara and her little brother who face hardship, bullying and
poverty from the narrow minded villagers and their nasty leader. Her
father has not coped at all with the hanging of his wife and it is
Kara who has been forced to take on an adult's role and hold the
family together. She has only one friend, Lucas, who is a Clearer,
part of an outcast group who keep the magical weeds growing near the
Thickety from overtaking the village.
Kara is a fascinating character and finds it difficult to stop using
the grimoire and to do the right thing. The contrast between Grace
the leader's daughter who is power hungry and nasty and wants the
grimoire for her own ends and Kara who can question what is going on
and wants to remain caring and decent, gives the reader the
opportunity to consider power and how it should be used. All the
characters are multi-dimensional and each has a back story that adds
depth to the tale.
The story is often dark and frightening, with its tales of bigotry,
witches, dark forests and bullying, so may not be suitable for
younger children, but its vivid prose and enthralling story has
meant that it has appeared on many Best Book lists, including
Publishers Weekly Best Book and would appeal to a wide age range.
Two more books in the series are due to appear and while the The
Thickety: A path begins was satisfying in itself, there is a cliff-
hanger at its conclusion that will ensure that readers pick up the
next in the series.
Pat Pledger
Shine: a story about saying goodbye by Trace Bella
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781743316344
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Death, Grieving, Family. The death of
a sibling can be beyond the comprehension of young children, but
here is a book which will help some come to an understanding and
acceptance of the event that has happened in their lives. Others
will read it will interest as a story about death and what happens
without it being cloying of over simplified.
One day on a beautiful planet amongst the stars lived a horse called
Shine. He met another horse called Glitter and together they
produced two small horses. The family was perfect but one day Shine
knew he had to go back to the stars. He did not want to go but knew
that he had to. Glitter and her offspring cried tears of gold, and
the next day followed the golden sea they had made. They climbed a
mountain and saw the brightest star in the sky, Shine. They knew
that he was there looking over them, making sure they were safe, and
with that security they curled up together and slept.
Such a deceptively simple tale creates the most complex of images as
the mother and her children find a way through their grief, knowing
their husband and father is there shining down upon them. Be warned:
the simple words evoke the most basic of responses and I had to hold
back tears each time I read it.
Written by Trace Balla in response to her sister's husband's death,
the work exudes compassion and family. The simplicity of the
watercolour illustrations suits the text admirably, ensuring every
reader will be transfixed.
Fran Knight
The Ogglies go to school by Erhard Dietl
Starfish Bay Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9780994100719
(Age: All) Highly recommended. The Ogglies Go To School is a
gorgeous picture book that tells the story of the Oggly children and
their first day at school. The Ogglies eat rusty cans and love
sticky soup. They have green skin, lumpy noses and tough teeth.
Ogglies love to be muddy and Grandma has an absolutely funny song
she likes to sing.
On the first day of school, the teacher has an emergency and Grandma
Oggly takes charge. She has the children drawing and getting muddy
but having a pet dragon to help the children get clean and dry
helps. The children love having the Ogglies at school and the
Ogglies love school. Children will love the song that includes gross
words that all children will giggle at - oggly poo and fly pee. It
will be a great story for adults to read out loud to their children
due to the nonsense Oggly language and the illustrations will be
cause for great discussion.
The book is highly recommended for all children. The text is aimed
at independent readers aged 9+ but it will be enjoyed by all reading
levels. It has descriptive language and detailed illustrations. The
story is engaging and a great way to engage students as they
investigate narrative structure and would be good for students to
create their own gross stories.
Kylie Kempster
Jurassic farts by P U Ripley
Ill. by Evan Palmer. Scholastic, 2015. Hard cover with audio module.
ISBN 9781760150327
(Age: 4 - 8 years) Jurassic Farts author, P U Ripley has
been named 'Fartsperson of the Year' an impressive five times by the
Royal Fartological Society. He is widely acclaimed and lives
somewhere with his trained turtle Donald. Ripley shares his
extensive knowledge of dinosaurs in this engaging spotter's guide
that has been colourfully and creatively illustrated by Evan Palmer.
While the personal noises and habits of dinosaurs may not always be
dinner conversation, for every genuine, junior Jurassic spotter out
there, this book is a must. It combines fun, facts, and teaching
with creative imaginings, brilliantly - from the how-to's of
pronunciation, to the low-down on when and where dinosaurs roamed
and other exciting statistics, to its built-in audio module. The
gurgling sounds of many a dinosaur's bottom that emanate from the
push-button fart-machine brings these ancient creatures alive, and
while its hard cover pages will suit knock-about little spotters,
serious in-the-field spotters will appreciate having this tough
reference in their backpacks. 'Jurassic Farts' is colourful,
cheekily informative, and quite possibly close to the real deal. It
is indeed a compendium for every budding 'dinosaur fartologist' who
probably comes somewhere within the realms of 4-8 years old.
Colleen Tuovinen
Molly and Pim and the millions of stars by Martine Murray
Text Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781925240085
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Family, Environment, Friendship,
Herbs. Molly rarely talks about her mother at school with her best
friend Ellen, because she is so different from the other mothers.
Their house is like a gypsy caravan, and mama collects wild herbs
from the wood soon after dawn, mixing them for teas and infusions,
even relying on them for making an acorn grow into a tree in double
quick time. But an unexpected and magical outcome has Molly
perplexed about what to do. She feels she cannot tell her best
friend as she will not understand, but relies instead on Pim, the
boy in her class who is different from all the others. He offers
help without hesitation and together they work to get mama back
home. Time is of the essence however as the ugly couple next door
wants to chop the tree down, and when Molly finally goes to see
Ellen finds that she has been ill. Another complication arises.
This is a charming story of difference, couched in a quietly
fantastical story which will readily garner fans. Gentle home spun
philosophy can be found on every page as mama's practical no
nonsense attitude to life revolves around the natural things to be
found not the clutter that Molly initially craves to ensure that she
fits in.
While striving to get mama back she finds a renewed interest in and
respect for the things her mother loves, and learns the value of her
own unusual life. This is a book to be savoured.
At the end of the book is a section called Molly's notes, in which
the plants and animals used as chapter illustrations are outlined.
Information is given about each, for example, the page about
rosemary tells us that put under your pillow at night, it will
prevent nightmares. The sparkly front cover will attract the readers
to the book and the story inside will ensure they stay reading.
It would make a stunning class read a loud, full of digressions to
be discussed and thought over.
Fran Knight
The Keepers: The Box and the Dragonfly by Ted Sanders
Hot Key Books, 2015. ISBN 9781471403590
(Age: 10+) The Keepers: The Box and the Dragonfly is a novel
aimed at readers aged 10+. While it is set in America, it is a
fantasy novel. It is a story of objects with unusual abilities and
The Keepers in charge of protecting them. Horace is a new Keeper and
his mystical object is a box that allows him to see a day into the
future. Chloe has been a Keeper for seven years without even
realising it. Together, they are protecting objects wanted by the
evil Riven, a group who will stop at nothing to get their hands on
these items.
This is a rich and descriptive novel and children will need to be
independent readers to understand and follow the events. They will
be introduced to unusual objects - both evil and good. They will
cheer for Horace in his battle to protect his mystical item and boo
for Dr Jericho as he uses his evil ways to track Horace and Chloe.
At over 400 pages long, it will keep readers engaged and immersed in
a new and unusual world.
Kylie Kempster
The lost daughter by Elena Ferrante
Trans. by Ann Goldstein. Text, 2015, 9781925240139
Recommended for Senior readers. The short novel, almost a novella,
The Lost Daughter is a powerful exploration of some of the themes
Elena Ferrante explores in her Neapolitan Novels series (to
be completed with Volume 4 in October). Set in contemporary Italy it
examines identity, motherhood and the nature of knowledge. When
Leda's adult daughters leave her to live with their father in Canada
she is surprisingly relieved. She pursues the academic career she
has persisted with through the years of child raising, dreads their
phone calls with the demands they always imposed and goes on holiday
alone. While on holiday, relaxing on the beach, she begins to review
her life as a mother, a process in part inspired by her observations
of a beautiful young woman and her demanding child. While lying on
her towel Leda notes the obsessive nature of the relationship, in
its physicality and emotional intensity, which is passed on by the
child to her doll. The doll is of course compliant and pliable and
thus is a more satisfactory child than a real one. Leda begins to
take notice of the pair's family, the mother's gross husband, her
demanding and flagrantly pregnant sister-in-law and a collection of
other relations, all Neapolitan and speaking the Napolese dialect
that still marked her own speech. Her mind turns to her escape from
Naples when she was 18 and her rejection of that part of her life
but which has left its mark on her own accented Italian. A sudden
storm on the beach allows her to steal the child's doll, which she
hides in her apartment, buys clothes for and gruesomely expels a
worm from its body, an act that is comparable to aborting a growth.
The doll is again an ideal child, unlike her own daughters, a child
that accepts attention but doesn't demand or distract, a child whose
sexuality can be controlled. Leda by chance becomes friendly with
the child's mother who expresses her admiration for Leda's learning
and grace, until she reveals the doll. Screaming in vicious dialect
the mother tells Leda that her books and learning mean nothing
before shockingly assaulting her. In the end an act of cheerful
acceptance, a sign of love, from her daughters restores balance to
Leda's life, and the reader is left with the understanding that this
love counts for more than the challenges that the children have
caused. Ferrante is concerned with the complexity of being a woman,
a mother and a daughter, and the power of upbringing, as well as the
limited effect of education. She asks how much can learning, reading
and knowing literature moderate the effects of the dilemmas of
motherhood? This powerful novel is recommended for older readers.
Jenny Hamilton
The Remedy by Suzanne Young
Simon & Schuster, 2015. ISBN 9781481437653
(Age: 16+) The Remedy is a dystopian romance with a dark
twist: it tells the story of Quinlan McKee, a 17-year-old,
relatively normal girl with a very strange job: she's a 'closer'.
She's an actor-of-sorts who takes on the persona of people who have
recently died, and brings comfort and closure to their families, in
an unusual form of grief counselling. But then she takes on the
assignment of Catalina Barnes, who died a mysterious death, and
uncovers secrets beyond what she thought possible. The Remedy is a prequel to Young's other novels The
Program and The Treatment, taking place in the same
universe, and in this way it works perfectly well. The story itself
is highly original and often very engaging - however, the writing
style is quite simplistic and far from literary. For some this may
be annoyingly plain, while for others it makes the story more
enjoyable, but this mostly comes down to personal preference. It's
worth mentioning that love triangles are often a point of contention
when it comes to teenage novels, and The Remedy is no
different. The love triangle here is quite well done - the only
problem being that it feels underdeveloped, and this remains one of
the major flaws in the novel. Because of this, and since the love
triangle is such a key part of the storyline, the novel would have
definitely benefited from being a bit longer.
Even though The Remedy is a prequel, it works quite well as
a standalone book - nonetheless, it is of course aimed at fans of
Young's other books, particularly The Program and The
Treatment, and it is they who will most enjoy it, along with
fans of teenage dystopian romance.
Rebecca Adams
Saving Quinton by Jessica Sorensen
Breaking Nova series, bk2.
Sphere, 2015. ISBN 9780751555356.
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Drug abuse.
Nova can't forget Quinton, the
one who made her realise that an empty life is not what she
deserved. Nova has come to terms with her past and has started to
heal, while Quinton is out there getting worse and sinking deeper.
She is determined to find him and help him, even if he doesn't want
the help. Quinton believes that this is what he deserves, life
without Nova and a life of hopelessness and despair. He tries to
keep Nova away from his life to keep her safe, but Nova isn't going
anywhere.
Nova having been a drug addict herself and wanting to help Quinton
through his struggles while fighting her past, was astonishing; I
needed to keep reading to see if Nova would succeed in saving
Quinton.
Jessica Sorensen has done a marvellous job in portraying a
life in an addiction and how it affects others. The story pulled at
so many emotions and addresses personal issues that will have the
reader hooked.
Cecilia Richards
The Grimstones collection by Asphyxia
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
