Hot Key Books, 2014. ISBN 9781471400698.
In this sequel to The Savages the family has moved to the US
to avoid discovery of their cannibalism. Mother, Angelica has become
a fitness fanatic while father Titus is putting on weight - 'it is
inevitable that meat sourced from these parts would carry a little
extra fat' p11. Son Ivan tries to fit in by joining the football
team at school but he is not good at it and is being bullied while
the vegan lodger Amanda is having trouble finding work. The other
members of this tight knit family are the kindy aged Katya and
grandfather Oleg all of whom have strong family values - 'a family
who ate people together stayed together' p44. The cannibalism is
explained as sustainable, there being too many humans on the planet,
and targeted, only loners who no-one would miss. Slaughtering is
done humanely and the meat respectfully eaten. The vegan character
does not have a problem eating human as it complies with all her
food principles. No horror here but somehow more disturbing. Ivan
looked at his bullies 'not as empty jocks but as tender cuts' p87
Angelica's decision when her personal trainer becomes enamoured is
to direct Titus to make him the next victim as he would be leaner
than their usual meat.
I found the characters' ordinariness and the cannibalism
over-explained and the plot hampered by this. There is some
compromise found in the end but the story struggled to engage.
Middle school students might like the idea of such a family and
extreme problem solving. I doubt they would find the moral aspect an
issue.
Sue Speck
Juicy juicy green grass, and other fun songs by Peter Combe
Ill. Danielle McDonald. Scholastic, 2014. ISBN 9781743620648.
(Age: 3-6) Picture book, Songs, Humour. Four songs, Juicy juicy
green grass, The silly postman, Tadpole blues
and Red says stop are included in this brightly illustrated
and attractive book for pre- school children. Accompanied by a CD
with Peter Coombe singing these songs, they will be able to be
preformed easily by a group of younger children or used as a sing a
long.
The first song, Juicy juicy green grass bemoans the fact
that the grass has now died, and the sheep singing the song is
waiting for its source of nourishment to return. The sheep eats
green grass for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is very hungry. The
silly postman brings along an increasing number of things when
he deposits a letter in the letterbox until her got the sack. Tadpole
blues has a tadpole going through the changes it needs to
become a frog, and being very worried about what is happening to its
body. Red says stop is about the traffic lights and what
each colour means.
Each song is amusing and will have children easily singing along,
while taking in an important message. Each is a learning tool for
younger learners.
Fran Knight
Friday Barnes 1: Girl Detective by R. A. Spratt
Random House Australia Children's, 2014. ISBN: 9781742759623.
(Age: 10+) No doubt you would all be familiar with the wonderful
world of Nanny Piggins. Now R. A. Spratt introduces us to a new
character, Friday Barnes, who I am certain will prove every bit as
popular as the porcine prima donna.
Friday Barnes is a Matilda-esque child, thoroughly neglected by her
remote scientific parents - the surprise and unplanned child after a
neatly organised delivery of four older siblings. Left basically to
her own devices for eleven years, Friday is an exceptionally
intelligent girl who has read everything she can lay her hands on
(starting with all the scientific texts which are the only reading
matter in her house). Her only respite from the remoteness of her
parents and her carefully camouflaged presence at school is the
weekly contact with her Uncle Bernie, an insurance investigator.
When Uncle Bernie is faced with a terrible investigation (the theft
of a diamond necklace worth squillions) that seems unsolvable,
Friday decides he needs her help and with the resourcefulness of her
own clever brain plus the help of her fictional hero, the great
Poirot, Friday reveals the culprit and earns herself a huge reward.
Friday is not a mercenary child but the reward money solves her own
problem - where to go to high school (since the university turned
her down though she blitzed the entrance exam - apparently they
weren't prepared to take on a 11 year old student!). She promptly
pays her fees for the most exclusive school in the country,
Highcrest Academy, figuring that attending a school which operates
on a profit margin, it will at least be easier to bribe her way out
of sporting events.
What Friday does not count on is that far from being anonymous at
Highcrest, she suddenly finds herself investigating problems from
missing homework to wildlife smuggling as well as dealing with some
of the nastier pupils.
While Friday still hasn't figured out the point of high school, she
has gained her first friends ever and solved some very tricky
mysteries - just by being herself.
Readers, particularly girls, of about 10 plus will greatly enjoy
this fun read.
Sue Warren
Rory and the Monstersitter by Rosie Reeve
Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 978140884551.
Highly recommended for readers aged 5+, young children with an
adult, and independent readers aged 7+. Rory and the Monster Sitter
had me smiling and if Rory's mum and dad ask you to babysit then say
no! Rory and the Monstersitter is a lovely picture book about a
young monster, Rory, who loves to cook. When his parents go out,
Rory has the chance to cook something (or someone) new for dinner.
The babysitter?
The pictures are detailed, the characters funny and the story short.
It would be a great story to read to children in the classroom and
use to deconstruct a narrative. It is also good for looking at
alternative ending to stories.
Kylie Kempster
Magic Animal Friends: Lucy Longwhiskers gets lost by Daisy Meadows
Orchard Books, 2014. ISBN 9781408326251.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Magic Animal Friends: Lucy
Longwhiskers gets lost is a short novel aimed at girls aged
8+. Lily and Jess are best friends and it is holidays. They both
love animals and enjoyed helping around Lily's family animal
hospital. Imagine their surprise when they discover Friendship
Forest, a magical place with talking animals. They are brought to
Friendship Forest by Goldie the cat who the girls had looked after
in the human world. Goldie believes the Forest is in danger and
needs the girls to help with a witch. Magic Animal Friends: Lucy Longwhiskers gets lost is a quick
moving adventure for girls and is highly recommended for independent
readers just moving into novels. The text is easy to read and will
appeal to any girl who loves animals and magic.
Kylie Kempster
Happy Pants by Heather Gallagher
Ill. by Liz McGrath. Wombat Books, 2014. ISBN 9781921632938.
(Age: Pre-school - 2) 'When mummy wears her happy pants we build
sandcastles, go out for babycinos and have lots and lots of
cuddles.' But things change dramatically when she comes home with
Baby Darcy - her happy pants stay in the wardrobe. No matter what,
there is no more happy mummy. Even though Daddy steps up, there's
nothing quite like a happy mum. Feeling betrayed and confused when
nothing he does works, things come to a head for the family when the
happy pants are accidentally ripped and the little boy asks, 'How
can you put a band-aid on your heart?' Even though the focus is on
sad feelings, Liz McGrath's bright illustrations keep it from being
a sombre story and there is such a feeling of hope towards the end
that you just know mummy will have her happy pants on again one day.
With perinatal depression affecting one in seven women, this is an
important book to have in the library's collection so that young
children who are in such a situation can learn that they're not the
only child with a sad mummy, it is not their fault and that things
can get better. Primarily written for a preschool audience,
nevertheless there are many in the F-2 cohort who are welcoming new
siblings and who must be at risk of being in a family where PND
happens.
At the same time, it has a place in your parents' collection so
sufferers and their partners can understand that help is available.
It includes a range of organisations that can offer support for
those who suffer, and their families, but it's most important
purpose, in my opinion, is to bring this condition into the open
where it can be talked about as a common occurrence, not something
that is to be ashamed of or to feel guilty about. It is more than
just 'baby blues'. Normalising it through a children's picture book
is a powerful way to do this, particularly if it is promoted through
your links with the new parents in your community.
There's an interview
with the author that is worth reading.
Barbara Braxton
Dancing on knives by Kate Forsyth
Vintage Books Australia, 2014. ISBN 9780857983466.
(Age: Senior secondary) Recommended. Dancing on knives is an
original story of a dysfunctional family living in a coastal town in
New South Wales. The story is largely told through the eyes of
Sarah, the eldest girl, who has made herself a prisoner in her own
home for five years. She suffers from acute anxiety which Forsyth
describes with both vivid clarity and sensitivity. The view of Sarah
'(creeping) inside like an injured animal seeking sanctuary' and
'failure tasting like vomit in her throat' (p146) evoke compassion
rather than frustration. Sarah is reminiscent of Laura in The glass
menagerie but for Sarah the addiction is romance novels which she
consumes voraciously as her choice of mind-opiate, but does
little to satisfy her until she discovers Women in love which
strikes a resounding chord.
In her 'prison' Sarah is surrounded by her three brothers, of whom
Tom is the most understanding, and a stepsister, the brat, Kate.
But with the use of flashbacks we are also introduced to her now
deceased mother and her more influential grandmother Consuela who
has left her the silk wrapped Tarot cards 'to help her see more
clearly'. But what pervades this particular menagerie is the
tempestuous Augustus, the father, who has a wild passion born out of
his Spanish ancestry and his artistic disposition. Gus's moods set
the tone for the house so when he disappears only to be found later
hanging from a cliff the household is sent into further disarray,
particularly as questions concerning the cause of his accident
arise. This is the suspense which holds the plot together, but this
novel is far from just a mystery. Its strength lies in Forsyth's
ability to develop her characters deeply so that, as far as this
world may be from our own, we can at some level relate to and
empathise with them.
Like the Little mermaid in the brutal story of her childhood, Sarah
is dancing on knives and we only hope that one day she may escape
such torture.
Barb Rye
Kelsey and the quest of the porcelain doll by Rosanne Hawke
University of Queensland Press, 2014. ISBN 9780702253317.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Pakistan. Floods. Family. Dolls. When
Kelsey goes to Pakistan where her parents will assist with the
aftermath of devastating floods, the girl is unsympathetic. She
would prefer to stay at home with her friends, her bedroom with its
collection of Barbie dolls, her friend's swimming pool and her
beloved Nanna Rose. But little by little she becomes involved in the
lives of the family of her father's co-worker, and begins to open
her eyes to the chaos that has destroyed their lives. While she
watches her father help build new houses for those who have lost
everything they had, and her mother attend to those who come into
her clinic, Kelsey befriends Shakila, and offers her the doll she
brought with her from Australia.
Communicating via Skype, Nanna Rose sees just how ill-at-ease Kelsey
is at the start and begins to tell her a story which continues every
time they speak. The story of Amy Jo, a porcelain doll which is
posted to a little girl, gets lost in the process then has a quest
to find her owner and the person who will love her. The two stories
are told in alternate chapters, and eventually intersect but not
before the reader has been given an insight into another country
which will stay with them long after the book is finished. Rosanne's
stories always have an underlying affinity for those with lives far
less comfortable than our own, opening the readers' hearts and minds
to people living in quite different worlds, showing us that our
thoughts are not so different, as we all value family, friendship
and love.
With this wonderful story, Kelsey's eyes reflect the devastation of
the floods, the tireless efforts by many to rebuild Pakistan, and so
makes the background of the people's lives an important part of the
story.
For classes, this would be an essential part of any unit concerned
with multiculturalism, looking at other countries, taking a world
view of society and specifically teaching about Pakistan.
Fran Knight
Ten Christmas crackers by Karen Erasmus
Hachette, 2014. ISBN 9780734415622.
(Age: 4-6) Picture book. Christmas. Sung to the tune of 'Ten green
bottles', this countdown to Christmas Day via the many things we
associate with Christmas, is the first Christmas book I have seen
this year, and there are still six months to go!
The bright breezy illustrations are sure to appeal to a younger
audience, obsessed with the trappings of Christmas, the tree,
crackers, Santa Claus, Christmas pudding and presents for example.
Each double page counts the number down from ten to one, ten being
the crackers, and one being the present. Other pages include 8
flying reindeer, 3 Christmas stockings, which roll easily off the
tongue, while a few like North Pole elves, and handmade presents,
are a little clumsy to say. Children will enjoy rehearsing and
getting their tongues around some of the lines, and practice will
always make it sound better.
The whole spirit of the book revolves around family and doing things
together, pages show children with their pet dog, parents and
grandparents. It has a warm feel to it, which overrides the image
now usually associated with Christmas, that of giving more and more
presents. The image is of the children doing something: busking,
helping with making the pudding, making their parents' presents,
while a nice touch is the single Christmas stocking on each bed.
This would be a fun addition to the Christmas story books in the
classroom or library, ready for the last month of the year.
Fran Knight
Let her go by Dawn Barker
Hachette Australia, 2014. ISBN 9780733632228.
The blurb of this book suggests it is 'part thriller, part mystery'.
It is neither of these. It is instead a family saga based around the
complications of surrogacy.
As a result of suffering from lupus, Zoe McAllister discovers she is
unable to have children and her sister Nadia agrees to be the
surrogate. What follows is the long and drawn out account of what
happens after the child, Louise, is born. This family, it seems, is
never happy. Zoe lives in fear that she will lose her daughter and
Nadia suffers from guilt and longing for the child she agreed to
'relinquish'. Lachlan, Zoe's husband quits his job in the Kalgoorlie
mines but comes home a changed man, the reasons for which are not
revealed until the end of the story. Throughout the narrative Baker
makes the reader privy to the innermost thoughts of both Nadia and
Zoe in an attempt to show both sides of the dilemma. This however
does not always generate the reader's sympathy for either character.
The male characters, husbands of the stepsisters, are only shallowly
drawn, which may be the way of things in this situation but the love
that is supposed to exist between Lachlan and Zoe is only stated and
rarely shown.
One character who is clearly portrayed is the teenage Louise. With
her, Baker reveals the angst of being a teenager, who simultaneously
wants the love and affection of her parents but also fights against
them.
In Let her go Barker wanted to 'make people think and talk
about the ethical issues of surrogacy and the psychological effect
on everyone one involved' (p332) and, in this, she succeeds but the
road to eliciting that discussion is not always gripping or
entertaining.
Barb Rye
My grumpy day by Felicity Gardner
Hachette Australia, 2014. ISBN 9780734415448.
Picture book. My grumpy day is the second book by Felicity
Gardner to feature Max, the very cute gorilla. Written to be shared
by preschoolers and their carers, it invites a discussion of the
emotions we all experience, especially dealing with 'the grumps'.
Max lives in the jungle with his family and a wide circle of animal
friends and is usually quite cheerful, however this day he wakes up
grumpy. Everything it seems is wrong. His cereal, which looks
remarkably like Froot Loops, is 'yucky', he doesn't want to share,
play games with his tutu wearing friends or play in the pool. He
just wants to be left alone, much to the surprise of a pack of
curious meerkats. Max finds that's no fun either especially when he
sees his friends sharing a picnic lunch.
Mum of course has the solution when he apologises for his behaviour
and confesses to having 'the grumps'. There is no cure better than a
kiss, a cuddle and a good laugh.
The colourful full page illustrations enable the reader to see Max's
range of facial expressions as he grumps through the day, including
a tearful Max watching the picnic, contrasting with the other
animals enjoying themselves as they share and interact with each
other.
The simple language of the story is easy to read with his complaints
highlighted in eye-catching colours and textures, as is the
solution. Finally we see Max rolling around laughing and bringing
balloons to share at the picnic in an ending banishing 'the grumps'
at least for now.
Sue Keane
The protected by Claire Zorn
University of Queensland Press, 2014. ISBN 9780702250194
(Age: 14+) Recommended. On the front cover A. J. Betts describes The
protected as 'a tender story of grief, trust and healing -
Hannah broke my heart'. Nothing could be more accurate.
The story is told in Hannah's voice as she reveals both her life
after her sister's death in a road accident and, with flashbacks,
to the time before. It is through these flashbacks that the reader
is given an insight into the horrible life that was Hannah's first
years of high school, where she was the victim of vicious physical
and cyber bullying. In her own words she describes herself as 'a
floater' who is subjected to the 'dead animal stares' of Tara
and her 'clones'. But the most poignant and heart wrenching aspect
of Hannah's ostracism is the loss of her best friend, Charlotte, who
gradually shifts her allegiance to the clones. In one short
sentence, 'Eventually the 'merger' happens.' Zorn powerfully
evokes the shifting relationship of these two once close friends
until eventually Hannah realises that despite Charlotte's attempts
'(Hannah) was only a piece of sentimental childhood memorabilia she
couldn't bring herself to throw away'
Hannah's clear unselfpitying reflection on what is happening only
adds to the sympathy we feel for her.
Then Hannah's sister Kate is killed in a car accident in which her
father was the driver and she, another passenger. The family is
almost completely destroyed: her mother is incapable of doing
anything and her father struggles on after sustaining considerable
injuries. Ironically, for Hannah, it is this event which changes her
school life. Although she is still a 'floater' she is no longer
bullied and even strikes up a friendship with Josh Chamberlain, who
being new to the school, is oblivious to the school social
structure.
The climax of the story should be her father's court case where
Hannah is required to give evidence, but cleverly Zorn downplays
this event creating a more realistic move towards healing than a
sudden revelation that may have been used by other more
sensationalist writers.
While there is much to feel sympathy with in this novel, there is
another side as well. Hannah's sister Kate is not the loving and
caring sister: she disowns Hannah at school and fails to protect her
from the bullies, fearing instead for her own social status. Also
with the pathos there is humour, albeit sometimes black, that adds
another dimension. Zorn's description of Mrs Rorke the maths teacher
'continuing the noble tradition of torturing students with
trigonometry' being just one example.
In The protected Zorn vividly and entertainingly portrays
the time and place in which this novel is set by her creation of
realistic characters and authentic use of language.
Barb Rye
Our island by the children of Gununa and Alison Lester and Elizabeth Honey
Penguin, 2014. ISBN 9780670077687.
'Our island lies beneath a big blue sky,
surrounded by the turquoise sea.
Turtles glide through the clear salt water.
And dugongs graze on the banks of seagrass...'
And so begins the text of a most stunning pictorial book about
Mornington Island, the largest of the Wellesley group in the Gulf of
Carpentaria, the result of a collaboration by the children of Gununa -
the main township - and Alison Lester and Elizabeth Honey. Focusing
on the stunning wildlife that inhabits both land and sea, the
illustrations have been done by the children of Mornington Island
State School using wax crayons and food dye wash. This makes the
focal point of the pictures stand out against the background which
blurs and blends as dyes do and the landscape does. Beginning with
the sunrise and following through the day until the ghost crabs make
patterns on the sand, the local dogs sing to the moon and the island
finally sleeps, this is a celebration of life in a unique
environment where the connection between the land and life is almost
indivisible. Even though the text is kept to a minimum, the choice
of words has been carefully selected to match the pictures giving
the whole thing a poetic quality that echoes the rhythm of the day,
emphasising the gentle passage of time. Overall, a sense of peace
and pride just exudes from this book.
The stories of both the island and how this book came about are
fascinating in themselves - all royalties and a dollar from each sale
are going back to the school to fund community art projects - and
provide another layer to what is already an amazing book.
Each of us lives in a unique community, whatever its geographical
setting, that has its own special undercurrent of life that goes on
and on, providing a continuity that might be interrupted by humans
but not destroyed. How fascinating it would be to have students look
beneath the surface of their everyday lives to discover what is
there, how it is sustained, how it is impacted by us and then use
Our island as a model to share the findings. Students would have to
draw on all their senses and cross all curriculum boundaries to
discover and portray the daily, unchanging routines of nature that
cycle on through their lives.
A wonderful work that will probably make the reader want to book a
trip to an island paradise immediately!
Barbara Braxton
Magic animal friends: Molly Twinkletail runs away by Daisy Meadows
Orchard Books, 2014. ISBN 9781408326268. Rainbow magic books have been a popular choice for six to eight year
old girls transitioning to chapter books. Magic animal friends
is a new series from the same group and aimed at a similar audience.
Molly Twinkletail runs away is the second book of this series
featuring friends Jes Forester and Lily Hart and a magical forest
populated by cute talking animals.
As Jes and Lily set off to help in the Wildlife Hospital run by
Lily's parents they encounter Ginger the cat which had guided the
girls to Friendship Forest on their first adventure. Once again they
enter the magical forest and meet their talking animal friends who
are preparing for a fair. Here they encounter Molly Twinkletail who
loves helping, but being so small, is not allowed to help on the
family stall and so is offering her help to all and sundry.
Just as Molly scampers off, Grizelda the evil witch appears. She is
determined to take over the forest, making it a dark and gloomy
place. This time she has sent her servants, the dirty, ugly Boggits,
to destroy the Treasure Tree from which all the animals gather their
food. It is up to the girls and their animal friends to save the
tree, rescue Molly who has tried to help the Boggits by getting them
a drink and send the Boggits back to Grizelda's Tower.
With the sparkly cover, map of Friendship Forest, easy to read text
interspersed with line drawings of cute animals and the ugly
Boggits, this series follows the formula which has been so
successful in the past for the Rainbow magic group, this time drawing
on a love of small creatures rather than fairies.
Sue Keane
The destiny of Violet and Luke by Jessica Sorensen
Sphere, 2014. ISBN 9780751552621
(Age: 18+) Be warned, the language in this story of star-crossed
lovers is 'strong', there is a very explicit description of sexual
intercourse, the story includes drug taking and ends in a very dark
way. If this is still for you and your school fiction collection,
read on. Violet, a beautiful and contemptuous young woman, has been
traumatised by witnessing the killers of her parents leaving their
bodies, and by the years of unfeeling foster-parenting that follow.
Luke, an attractive but sexually ruthless freshman, has been
traumatised by his mother's neglect and insistence that he inject
her with heroin. Violet eventually becomes a drug dealer, though not
user, and meets Luke at university. Both are keen to succeed and
work to support themselves. Both are unpredictable and unstable, but
are attracted to each other and gradually form a loving
relationship, the first in their lives. They share a small apartment
with several others and seem to be building trust. However, this
fragile connection is destroyed when the investigation into Violet's
parents' murders is reopened. Together they realize that Luke's
mother is implicated. Violet abandons hope of happiness and in
despair returns to an abusive drug-dealing foster parent. The novel
has the ring of a soap opera, as the characters are unbelievably
attractive and their smouldering passion continues to grow despite
attempts at rejection and outbursts of rage. Young readers may find
interest in the off-on relationship and in the drama of the murder,
but the story ends in a very dark way, and there is not a lot of
literary merit in it.
Jenny Hamilton
