Figgy in the World: All you need is a plan and courage by Tamsin Janu
Omnibus Books, 2014. ISBN 9781742990453.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes Ghana - Social life and
customs, Optimism, Family life. Figgy and her per goat Kwame live
with her Granma Ama in a Ghanaian village. She has obstacles to
overcome, abandoned by her mother, blinded in one eye at the age of
two and living with her unusual name Figgy. Her outlook on life is
optimistic as she loves to think about and explore her world. When
her grandma falls ill and the much loathed doctor is called, the
course of Figgy's life changes. She overhears the doctor
discussing the best medicine is available in America and Figgy
determines to travel half way around the world to help her grandma.
Along the way the travellers meet ten year old orphan Nana whose
survival skills help them on their quest to buy medicine in the
United States of America.
Tamsin Janu's debut novel is a rewarding read. To write this
engaging story she has drawn from her experiences working with
children in Ghana. Figgy's optimism carries the story, despite her
difficult circumstances the love for her grandma carries her
through.
Highly recommended for independent readers from 8 years. A fantastic
read aloud for a class novel.
Rhyllis Bignell
Scary night by Lesley Gibbes
Ill. by Stephen Michael King. Working Title Press, 2014. ISBN
9781921504631.
(Age: 4+) Recommended, Picture book, Ghosts, Graveyards, Birthdays.
Hare with a hat, Cat with a cake and Pig with a parcel creep through
the night on their way to who knows where. The unknown destination
will keep puzzling readers as they follow the trio of friends
through the scariest of places in the moonlight.
Through the dark woods, through a cave, over the mountain, past the
grizzly bears, avoiding the crocodiles and on they gp. In rhyming
lines, accented by the refrain of the trio of animals, the verses
lead the reader on, enticing them to read the story out loud, with
emphasis. Through the graveyard, where they scream, but they don't
give up. Then finally up the stairs to their destination.
The pen, ink and brush illustrations show the trio of friends
creeping through the night, each with large scared eyes, bulging at
the possibility of what might be around the next corner. Shadows
cower above them, bats fly through the air, branches seem to grab
for them and all is accented by the large full moon shining
overhead. Each page has yet another layer of scary things to pick
out and excite the younger reader.
The surprise at the end will bring gales of laughter and relief. And
calm reigns.
The illustrations add to the fun of the book, with an array of
things planted in the background to besought out, and marvelled
over. This is a lovely book to share with young and old, to read a
loud, to reproduce King's zany illustrations, and perhaps act out in
the classroom.
Fran Knight
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Scholastic, 2014. ISBN: 9781743626535.
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Themes: Grief; Genius; Family
Relationships; Overcoming difficulty. Life takes an incredibly
tragic turn for the main character, Willow Chance, when her adopted
parents die in a vehicle accident. To lose two sets of parents
within her 12 years of life is exceptionally cruel. She is
quirky, eccentric, odd, unconventional and a genius with a flair for
gardening, medical issues and counting by 7s. (Although not
mentioned, one would assume she fits on the high-functioning end of
the Autism Spectrum.) Her rescue from disintegration comes via
unlikely means when she is brought home by her incompetent school
counsellor and two of his recalcitrant clients, who seem to have
issues that he can neither help nor understand. The Vietnamese
family to whom she connects in the midst of unfathomable grief are
disarmingly well portrayed with their own idiosyncrasies.
Willow herself is an amazing character and she manages to change the
people and the environment around her in subtle but positive ways.
This is both charming and heart-warming and would work well
alongside The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time or The
Year of the Rat as a companion text. Despite addressing deep grief,
it is a remarkably uplifting book and Willow shows amazing
resilience. There is a surprising injection of humour because of the
characters she meets and their own odd ways of dealing with the
world.
Carolyn Hull
Lone Wolf by Robert Muchamore
Cherub Series 2, Hodder Children's Books, 2014. ISBN: 9781444922653.
(Age: 15+) Themes: Drugs; Vengeance. This book is entrenched in the
mire of the drug world and the violence, murder and corruption that
are associated with it. It is not clean, neat or pleasant, and could
justifiably wear an MA-rating for its violence, drug references and
language. The book wears a 'Not Suitable for Younger Readers' tag.
This is part of Muchamore's Cherub Series which incorporates the
young British Secret Service professionals from the Cherub campus in
tension-filled action. These young highly trained 12-18 year olds
infiltrate in areas where no one would suspect that a child was
involved in an undercover mission. The Cherub agency is called in to
infiltrate into the Drug world and its conflicts to uncover the
supply chain and those responsible at the top end of the mess that
is the drug world.
Fay, the central character in this drama, is introduced to the book
as a 13 year old who, in conjunction with her aunt, is wreaking
rough justice on a Drug Lord who was responsible for her mother's
death. Her violent vengeance eventually leads to her
incarceration in a Secure Training Centre, where her tactics for
survival lead her to gross bullying of others, and her release
leaves her with no transformation of her desire for retribution. One
of the Cherub agents connects with Fay who is still determined to
carry out her plan for her own brand of revenge, and another is
enmeshed into the world of drug-running and the associated lies and
violence. Together they uncover the truth of the tortured and
inherently dangerous domain of drug-running, which eventually leads
to legal justice.
Although this is a fast-moving and head-strong rush into action, it
lacks a clear ethical compass. The world of the drug runner is
portrayed with all its violence, and Fay is not an endearing main
character either; her actions are seldom wise. I would hope
that any 15+ reader would be horrified that this world exists and
would be able to discern the horrors of the abuses of power that are
portrayed . No one seems to be transformed positively through
the course of the story, and the Cherub agents get drawn into this
world at the risk of their own lives!
Carolyn Hull
Ancient Australia unearthed by Alethea Kinsela
Plainspeak Publishing, 2014. ISBN 9780980594737.
'One October day in 1984, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in
Canberra was advised by telephone, 'We have a first contact here.'
Located in the Gibson Desert, nine Pintupi people had been picked up
in a four-wheel-drive and taken to Kintore near Alice Springs. They
had never see a non-indigenous person, let alone cars and towns.
Wearing human hair belts and armed with spears and boomerangs the
Pintupi Nine quietly stepped out of the desert and into modern
society. They are believed to be the last people to have lived a
traditional Ancient Australian lifestyle.'
This beautifully illustrated and factually verified book uses
archaeology to track the lives of our indigenous peoples from those
ancient times of 50 000 years ago to modern day society in a
timeline format that makes it a perfect accompaniment to the
Australian Curriculum history strand for Yr 6+. Begun when its
English/History teacher author went to 'spruik the Young
Archaeologists' Program to the Head of Humanities' and continuing to
a blog Ask the
Archaeologist , this book has evolved with the help of
crowd-sourced funding to be a most important resource that fills a
critical gap in both our collections and our knowledge.
Drawing on all the elements of format and layout that attract
today's readers including photographs, maps, information in
manageable chunks, it also actively encourages readers to
investigate, to understand, to inquire and to create with explicit
suggestions. For example, students are asked to consider whether the
early journeys to Australia were accidental or deliberate; to
investigate whether 'firestick farming' is in use today and to
create a description and illustration of a first glimpse of a
kangaroo. There is a broad range of task embracing all levels of
Bloom's taxonomy that can kickstart the teachers' thinking as well
as that of the students. It might even inspire an interest in
archaeology.
Supported by its own website
and a trailer
this book has a place both in the library's general collection and
that of the history faculty.
Barbara Braxton
Gargoyle Hall by Angie Sage
Araminta Spook series, bk 6. Bloomsbury, 2014.
(Age: Junior novel) Themes: Ghost, Haunted houses, Boarding School,
Families
Araminta Spook lives in Spook House with her Aunt Tabby, Uncle Drac,
Wanda Wizzard her best friend and a house of crazy characters. She
is honing her detective skills and is on the hunt for mysteries to
solve at home. When her uncle returns from a holiday in
Transylvania, he brings back an unusual souvenir and barricades his
bats in the bat turret. Minty has fun collecting and building spider
pyramids, however, her mission is to solve all of the mysteries
going on at home. Trouble abounds when Araminta's around!
Unfortunately Araminta's final act of helpfulness results in her
being bundled off to boarding school on the weekend. Gargoyle
Hall lives up to its name, there are strange night noises, chains
that clank and two creepy head girls who are up to no good. Araminta
seems to be the only student, until she discovers a friendly
surprise in her trunk.
Annie Sage's enjoyable quirky characters and spooky settings all add
up to make this another fun junior novel. John Kelly's dark sketches
and spider web embellishments add atmosphere to the story.
Rhyllis Bignell
The last thirteen series by James Phelan
Scholastic, 2014. The last thirteen: 6. ISBN 9781742831916. The last thirteen: 5. ISBN 9781742831923.
(Age: 10+)The countdown is on with these next installments of James
Phelan's The Last Thirteen series. These stories deliver
more fast paced, almost frenetic action at times, with an array of
high-tech tools, devious enemies, evil plots and more globe-crossing
adventures for Sam. His quest for the Dreamers and the Gears
intensifies as reality becomes blurred in the battle for the
Dreamscape.
This adventure, 6 involves the Russian Dreamer Nikah and
includes settings in Moscow and Siberia as they fight with the enemy
who knows their every move. New villains, intense battles and the
loyalty of friends is questioned, as Sam seeks to find the Gears.
In 5 Sam travels to Japan with Tobias to meet the next
Dreamer, a professional gamer who is a tournament player. They
combine their skills to avoid the ever present enemy Solaris.
Unfortunately, Alex and Shiva are captives in New York with wrist
bombs set to detonate. As always, Sam and his friends are required
to use their cunning, ingenuity and scientific knowledge in the
fight.
James Phelan continues to keep the quest alive and the fans happy,
as they wait for the final four novels to be released.
For readers 10+
Rhyllis Bignell
Bully on the bus by Kathryn Apel
University of Queensland Press, 2014. ISBN 9780702253287.
(Age: 6-8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Bullying, Friendships,
School life. Seven year old Leroy is physically and verbally bullied
on the school bus each day. The bully D J's words spew out of her
mouth like volcanic lava, she's a high school student who takes
great pleasure in tormenting Leroy. He loves school, reading,
playing and being part of Mrs. Wilson's Superkids. His weekends are
filled with family activities, but he loathes the trips to and from
school, even his older sister Ruby doesn't help him.
This story is powerfully written in present tense and told from
Leroy's point of view. The author's use of alliteration, shape
poetry, metaphors, figurative language and imagery - my heart is
howling like a hyena, add richness and insight to the themes of
bullying, courage and empowerment.
The verse novel builds to a crescendo, however the resolution needs
more impact. As a class read aloud, students could write alternate
endings to help Leroy. Bully on the Bus is written for the newly
independent reader from six to eight years and can be enjoyed by
older readers. This book is an important new tool for schools to
utilise in their anti-bullying lessons.
Kathryn Apel's blog
and the UQP website provide additional information and teacher's
notes.
Rhyllis Bignell
Crikey and cat by Chris McKimmie
Allen & Unwin, 2014 ISBN 9781760110031.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Friendship, Creativity. McKimmie's abstract
drawings filled with colour, using a multitude of different
techniques and styles, media and fonts drag my eyes across each of
the pages, looking from one unusual image to the next, all the while
pondering the how, why and the what. It took me a few readings to
get into the why of the text, but this interest buoyed me along. It
always intrigues me to think about how kids view his work, but as I am no
longer in a school, this remains a mystery to me.
But I can imagine they will pour over the pages as I do, grabbing at
every clue, every word, every image, thinking about the plot line
and the end point. In this particular book, are two main characters,
Crikey the dog, and Cat. They are concerned that the stars have
disappeared and so their owner, Reg, drives to the hardware shop to
get some equipment. Cat goes home with Eve. Reg builds a ladder and
makes some stars, but a ferocious storm undoes all his work and
Eve's caravan is torn apart. Eve picks up all the fallen stars and
drives to Reg's place to give them back and he refixes them in the
sky.
The family is enlarged when Eve joins them, their friendship melded
through the creative use of the purchases from the all night
hardware shop. The image of the night sky, a brush of dark blue,
dominates many of the pages. Without the stars the night sky feels
cold and unfriendly and the fixing of the stars brings warmth to the
story.
The sparse words will make readers think about what is being said,
and ponder the characters making the stars, and their working
together to make this happen. The image of the storm, throwing
around everything in its path contrasts with the quietness of the
last page with everything in its place. I can imagine lots of stars
being made and placed around the classroom after reading this and
discussing it with a group of children, their imaginations roaring
ahead of the adult presenter.
Fran Knight
Sunny Sweet is so not sorry by Jennifer Ann Mann
Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781619633629.
(Age: 8-10) Themes: Sisters, Families, Neighbours. This
humorous novel introduces the reader to eleven year old Masha and
her wild, precocious super-intelligent sister Sunny. Poor
long-suffering Masha wakes up to find Sunny has used a thermal resin
to glue plastic flowers to the top of her head. Despite Mum's
frantic efforts to remove the floral bouquet including using peanut
butter, nothing works. Masha is forced to remain at home while
Mum leaves for a meeting and Sunny is taken to school. Mrs. Song is
home next door in case of an emergency. Masha's day unfolds with
much drama and a hospital visit. Luckily Sunny decides to leave her
boring Grade 1 classroom, at just the right time and assist the
ambulance officers as they take the girls and an injured Mrs Song to
hospital.
There are some funny moments and some which are difficult to read,
as all the adults are charmed by Sunny and let her get away with
everything. The girls are quarantined for suspected whooping cough,
Masha suffers an exam by the medical barber, has her unbroken arm
plastered while Sunny is taken on doctor's rounds.
Interwoven into the plot are the issues of divorced parents, an
elderly neighbour's illness, a preteen crush and extremely ill
children coping with life in hospital. The sketch style
illustrations and the cover are more suited to a younger audience
whilst the story is more appropriate for readers from 8-10 years.
Rhyllis Bignell
Hey Dad, you're great by Corinne Fenton
Black Dog Books, 2014. ISBN: 9781922244864.
(Age: 1+) Hey Dad, You're Great follows Corinne Fenton's popular
books from the same series including Hey Mum, I Love You and
Hey Baby. Young readers will be able to relate to the text
that describes many ways in which a Dad can be great. The text is
accompanied by cute pictures of animals. Children will especially
like the pictures that show grown and infant animals together. The
cover page is an eye catching example of this as it shows a funny
picture of a young bulldog and his Dad. This is a great book for
parents to read to their child from birth upwards.
Stephanie Bell
The Big Book of Old Tom by Leigh Hobbs
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743318447.
'Angela Throgmorton lived alone and liked it that way. One day,
while doing some light dusting, she heard a knock at the door.
There, on her front step, was a baby monster. Angela was curious so
she carried him in . . . and brought him up'. And so begins one of the
most enduring series that has captivated younger readers since 1992.
In a few lines of pen-and-ink, Leigh Hobbs created a most
captivating cat, Old Tom, and in this bumper book, five of his most
iconic adventures are drawn together. There is the original Old
Tom (whom the author himself describes as 'more like an
Australian cattle dog, or blue heeler, perhaps with a touch of
Tasmanian devil, than he is a cat') as well as Old Tom at the
Beach, Old Tom Goes to Mars, Old Tom's Guide to
Being Good and A Friend for Old Tom.
With a few lines of text on each page and the real story being told
through the dramatic movement and emotion of the pictures, this
series captivated my reluctant readers right from the start and all
these years on, still does. A graphic novel, before the term had
been widely adopted, Leigh Hobbs has captured what it is that
readers of this age like without going down the toilet-humour path.
Here is boldness, determination, courage, resilience and humour all
packaged in a cat who changes Angela Throgmorton's safe, predictable
life for ever. Even though Old Tom drives her crazy at times, she
loves him.
If your younger readers haven't met Old Tom yet, then they must. He
is one of those literary characters that will be remembered most
fondly by parents who will be delighted to see their own children
bringing him home in their library bags.
Barbara Braxton
Teenagers and Reading edited by Jacqueline Manuel and Sue Brindley
AATE Interface Series. Wakefield Press, 2012. ISBN: 9781743050972.
(Teacher reference) Themes: English Teaching (Professional reading);
Reading. This book includes a collection of well-researched papers
about Reading, and particularly Reading by Teenagers within the
context of education. This is an excellent Professional
resource for English Teachers who are trying to promote good Reading
and Teaching strategies to improve reading skills in their students.
There are many practical examples of strategies to employ to improve
success for all in their classes. The strong emphasis in the papers
is on the need to engage students in independent reading for
pleasure or to enable them to rise above the tyranny of the English
set text.
A number of the papers make a strong case for creating time in
the English program for self-selected reading (as distinct from
Teacher-selections linked to writing tasks.) The evidence for
the success of this strategy could be useful for justifying this
programming within the School timetable.
My personal favourite article is: Really teaching reading:
Revisiting a MyRead strategy in a Secondary English classroom, by
Rita van Haren and Janette Vervoorn. This revisiting of a 2002
Professional development resource gives wonderful examples of how
English teachers can both model/teach successful reading strategies
and release their students to display their comprehension in
accessible ways that can be successful for all readers in a class,
regardless of their perceived 'reading skill'. The examples of
student responses to a complex text reveal the success of the
strategies employed.
Librarians could recommend this book for English Teachers
Professional Reading as it is both professionally enriching as well
as containing practical advice for teaching practice.
Carolyn Hull
As stars fall by Christie Nieman
Pan Macmillan Australia, 2014. ISBN 9781743517697.
(Age: 13+) As stars fall is the first book authored by
Australian Christie Nieman. The story is set in modern day Victoria
with the location switching between the city, presumably Melbourne,
and a rural area nearby. A bushfire ravages the countryside and a
woman studying the local fauna is killed. This woman is Delia and
Seth's mother, and consequently the events in the book happen after
the death.
The novel explores how grief is dealt with by those closest to the
tragedy by providing a unique perspective told from Delia and Seth's
point of view. Throughout the book, there are many parallels
relating these events to the ecosystem, with Delia and Seth's
mother's notes providing clear and interesting insight into the
scientific side of nature.
I thought that overall, the novel was a very good stand-alone book.
The setting and premise of the story were very refreshing and at
most times an enjoyable read. The plot surrounding the bush stone
curlew was very well thought out and told convincingly, making you
forget how unlikely it was. On the flip side, there were times that
I felt like it was a chore to read, mainly in the chapters told from
Seth's point of view when he was high from the 'angel joints'. After
I finished the book, I was surprised - it seemed like the story
ended without a full resolution (especially in Seth's case) but this
ending provided a kind of mystery and allows your own take on what
could happen next.
Teaching this book to a high school class would allow students to
expand their knowledge of the Australian environment, while also
exploring characters' relationships and how certain events can alter
someone. I would recommend this book to any who enjoy realistic
Australian fiction, or anyone who has an interest in nature. The
writing and setting reminded me of the Tomorrow series by
John Marsden, so any who enjoyed those books I think would enjoy As
stars fall.
Sara Mitchell (Student)
That car! by Cate Kennedy
Carla Zapel. Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743310953
(Age: Preschool - Year 2) The first day the children move to the
farm, they find an old car in the shed. Mrs Crosbie, the previous
owner of the farm, tells the children that the car has been in her
family for 60 years. But, 'It doesn't go too far, nowadays, though.'
However, she doesn't take into account the imaginations of Joey,
Luke and Ellie and, once more, the car begins to travel again. It
takes them to Buckingham Palace for tea with the Queen, to base camp
on Mt Everest, to the Ruff's International Dog Show, and on safari
to discover a rhinocersaurus and a rare, one-horned buffabulleroo.
Wherever their imaginations can roam, that old car takes them. But
as well as making memories, they also learn that the car has its own
history and memories and the generations are joined.
This beautifully illustrated story is a celebration of the
unstructured, inventive play of children, free to follow their
fancies to wherever their minds may wander. If the children in your
class had an old car, where might it take them? What journeys might
it have already been on? I really liked this story because it exudes
the joy and exuberance and fun of childhood - the right of every
little person in our lives.
Barbara Braxton
