University of Queensland Press, 2014. ISBN 9780702250156.
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Mystery and suspense. Ghosts. Growing up.
Moving house. Loneliness. The last thing Lily Frost wants to do is
move to the tiny country town of Gideon. She is happy where she is
and she has her best friend Ruby to smooth the way with friendships
and life at school. But her parents are determined on a new
beginning and have found a large, strangely inexpensive house to
live in as their finances have become very difficult. On arrival at
the house, Lily is drawn to the attic room, but when she enters it
she is overcome by someone's secrets. It is haunted and Lily is
determined to find out what happened to the girl who lived there.
She is thrown in the path of gorgeous local boy Danny who was the
ghost's boyfriend and she gradually builds up a picture of what has
happened.
Weetman has written a totally engrossing story that has some very
scary moments. Readers will be holding their breath in fear as the
intrepid Lily continually goes back to the attic where messages and
puddles appear on the floor. Water is a continuing theme in the
book: Lily almost drowned in a neighbour's pool when she was five
and the teens meet near a river.
Suspense is built up as Lily finds out why the house was so cheap,
weaves her way through the politics of a new school, where she
doesn't know who she can trust and learns the hard way about
friendship without the crutch of her friend Ruby. There is a budding
romance with Danny, but she is unsure about his motives. Lily is a
complex character, on one hand unsure of herself but she has the
ability to stand back and work out why she acts like she does. She
gradually gains confidence in a new situation without the help of
the charismatic Ruby to make life easy for her. Her snappy dialogue
adds to the interest of the story.
A gripping ghost story set against a background of adolescent
anxiety, this book is sure to appeal to its teenage audience.
Pat Pledger
What will hatch? by Jennifer Ward
Ill. by Susie Gharemani. Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9780802723116.
(Age: Preschool) Warmly recommended. Animals. Offspring. Eggs are
shown in their variety, small and large, round and pointy, hard and
soft, in the ground, in a nest or on a leaf; each is shown in detail
about its position in the environment and what it will hatch to
become. One each double page spread is a picture of an egg, shown in
its position on the earth's surface, cold or wet, hot or steamy,
high or low, and the egg as the page is turned, becomes a cut out
which reveals its parents. So the egg of an animal in a cold,
mountainous place becomes the egg of a penguin the baby of which
fits snugly on dad's feet.
In a lily pond small eggs float near the reeds,and over the page
they become tadpoles with a frog nearby to show what they will
eventually become. On a bright green leaf, small yellow eggs are
hidden underneath and over the page the caterpillar emerges. Eight
different sorts of eggs and their results are presented in this way,
encouraging young readers to predict, to look through the holes in
the pages before turning the page, to be excited and involved.
The illustrations are lively and bold with the little holes just
begging the reader to peep through, and the page at the end showing
the development of a chick in the egg most useful, while two pages
are devoted to an extended explanation of the creatures depicted in
the book.
Lovely to hold, fascinating to read, this will prove to be a
favourite amongst small children eager to explore the world around
them. The range of animals will invite curious minds to further
explore where these creatures can be found.
Fran Knight
What's your favourite animal? by Eric Carle and friends
Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9781406356519
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Animals. Asking his friends to illustrate
their favourite animal has resulted in this lovely book of the
illustrations of fourteen people, whose animals each cover a double
page. Each artist uses their own style to create their animal,
starting with Carle, using his well known block ink, cut out and
crayon technique to create a cat. He goes on to say why he chose a
cat as his animal.
The royalties from the sales of this book will be used to help
support The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts.
Photos of Carle working with children at the centre are on the last
double page along with a photo of the centre itself and the double
page before has biographies of each of the contributors. The
biographical notes along with each illustration will recall for the
readers the pictures and books they have seen by these illustrators,
bringing a new recognition of the different styles and techniques
used by these people. In a classroom where technique is discussed
and noted along with the story this volume will be a boon,
underscoring the relationship between the words and the pictures.
In a book crammed with a feast of talent it is difficult to pick out
a few of note, but some that stand out for me include Lucy Cousins'
leopard, Steven Kellogg's cows, Jon Klassen's duck and Lane Smith's
elephant. Each is distinctive and recognisable, full of wry humour
and the impulse is to then search out other books by these people. But
that goes for the whole book. And an extra treat was taking off the
sleeve to find the illustrations reprised on the hard cover beneath.
Fran Knight
Crooked Leg Road by Jennifer Walsh
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN: 9781743316931
(Age: 10-12) Highly recommended. Both boys and girls who enjoy
mystery/adventure stories will love this new book from Jennifer
Walsh. Somewhat like a contemporary, fast-paced Famous Five but much
edgier - a group of friends from Balmain become embroiled in a
dangerous game of political intrigue and financial
misappropriations. David, Martin, Kitty and Andrea are both friends
and schoolmates, each with their own interests and strengths, who
combine well as a group hanging together in the regular sense. When
David mysteriously disappears, feared kidnapped, his friends pool
their combined observations and knowledge with some startling
results.
Parallel to this plot are timely ideas such as multiculturalism,
ethics in positions of power, judgemental behaviour, tolerance and
acceptance and friendships. New girl, Samantha, who is despised in
general, because of her 'posh' background and ineffectual attempts
to impress, and mysterious new boy, Skender, technically a 'boat
person' and whose family comes under suspicion by the sleuthing
teens, add a depth to the plot that leads the reader to examine
initial perceptions of 'outsiders'.
Thoroughly engaging and completely compulsive reading (I read it in
one sitting) - this is a real page turner with very plausible plot,
characterisations and complications/resolutions.
Highly recommended for readers 10 and up, put this one on the
shopping list for any of those readers who are looking for an
exciting read.
Watch the trailer.
Visit the author's website.
Jennifer Walsh writes children's books under this name and adult
books under Jennifer Spence (she is married to Bruce Spence, the
actor) and lives in Balmain, Sydney. Her previous book The
tunnels of Tarcoola featured the abandoned coal mines under
that suburb and her new book Crooked Leg Road is also set in
this lively and historic area. Stay tuned for a Q&A coming up
soon on this blog!
Sue Warren
The year of the rat by Claire Furniss
Simon & Schuster, 2014. ISBN 9781471121715.
(Age: 14+) Grief. Death and Loss. Parent-Child
relationships. It was not the death of Pearl's mother in childbirth
that is revealed in the opening chapter that brought me to tears, it
was the pain of Pearl's grieving that led me to finish this book
with tears running down my cheeks. Pearl has regular encounters with
her dead mother in the year following the tragic death, and Pearl's
fiercely independent and feisty nature, and the horror of the
'tipped' world that she needs to balance on, prevents her from
moving forward. Her downward spiral is both understandable and yet
heart-stirring. Everyone close to her is aching to help her, but her
grief has created a solid barrier around her, a grief that is
consuming and self-destructive. Her distant relationship with the
baby sister that she can't connect to is a symptom of her withdrawal
from the world of love and care that is calling, if only she was
able to listen. This is definitely a book needing the company of a
box of tissues. (Although I did read this when away from work with a
terrible cold, so perhaps my reactions were somewhat illness
impacted!) The female relationships in this story are interesting,
and particularly those across the generations; the responses of a
grieving teen are neither polite nor trite (although bad language is
rare); and the role of 'loving father/step-father' is also explored
in an interesting way. A little tincture of romance is also added
for the benefit of the teenage market. This will appeal to teenagers
who enjoyed The fault in our stars. This is probably not a
good book for someone battling with their own grief journey,
although they would understand the emotions.
Target audience: 14+ (predominantly female). Some maturity required
because of the theme.
Carolyn Hull
Two Selkie stories from Scotland retold by Kate Forsyth
Ill. by Fiona McDonald. Christmas Press, 2014. ISBN 9780992283827.
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Fairy tales. Folk tales. Selkies. Scotland.
After the success of Two trickster tales, it is not
surprising that more folk stories are being produced by this
relatively new publishing house. Two tales of Selkies, one, The
Selkie bride is not unknown, while the other, The kingdom
of the seals is new to me. Both are contained within one
volume, a slim, attractive book, easy to hold and with a soft
rendering of the two tales on the front cover.
The naive illustrations are often framed by borders in which are
intertwined all sorts of objects, reminiscent of Celtic forms. Some
of the borders require closer inspection to see things talked of in
the text, while other pages have scatterings of objects alluded to.
The Selkie bride is an old story of love and freedom, where a
laird, on seeing a beautiful Selkie, stops her from returning to the
water with her folk, trapping her in his castle. But one day walking
near the ocean with her daughter, she dives into the sea and does
not return, preferring her freedom to the imprisoned love shown by
the laird.
The second story,The kingdom of the seals, similarly shows a
laird going against the customs of the area, killing seals, with
dire results.
It is good to see folk tales once again being published and offered
to young children. This was my favourite part of the library in the
middle years at school, when very little Australian fiction was
published for that age group.
Fran Knight
Rivertime by Trace Balla
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743316337.
(Age: 6+) Clancy is 10.5 years old or 3832.5 days or 91,980 hours
old, and is obsessed with numbers. He lives with his mum who is an
artist and his Uncle Egg, a very keen bird-watcher. Egg has been
waiting for Clancy to grow as high as his chest so they can go on a
paddling trip up the river together. Clancy isn't so sure that it
will be much fun, especially when he discovers that it is an
extended camping trip - ten days, 240 hours, 14,400 minutes - and in
a canoe, not a hovercraft, and only essentials are allowed. He
writes, "Day 1: After a lumpy, bumpy night, I'm grumpy." and watches
Egg load the canoe grumbling and mumbling and knowing he is not
going to like this adventure and an encounter with a brown snake in
the water just as they're contemplating a swim doesn't change his
view. But as the journey goes on, Clancy sees and experiences new
things - things that are more interesting than his television and
other toys left behind - and learns much about life in all its
colours, shades and hues, including rivertime, the tidal gap between
breathing in and breathing out and which offers such peace and
tranquility and reflection.
Set on the Glenelg (Bochara) River which flows out of Gariwerd (aka
The Grampians), parts of which are the traditional home of the
Gundjitmara and Boandik peoples, and told in a graphic novel format,
this is a story of Clancy's journey - not just along the river but
also the physical, mental and emotional journey of the transition
from child to young man. His final triumph of conquering the jetty
exit is perfect! And his victory dance shows just how far he has
travelled. Its gentle colours add to the atmosphere and each page is
peppered with little bush creatures and their names, the things that
the Clancy of the beginning wouldn't see and couldn't appreciate,
but which the Clancy of the end values, even abandoning his
obsession with numbers. Now, when a speedboat cuts through the
water, Clancy feels sorry for the river's creatures. As David Suzuki
says, "All children need an Uncle Egg to open up the magical world
of nature."
This is an extraordinary book - one to be read alone and savoured
because there are so many layers and levels to it. It's not just the
story of Clancy and Egg and their journey, but a calming, almost
meditative, read for the reader. Often when we pick up a picture
book we just skim read it just as we can "skim read" our daily lives
because we don't think we have time to delve deeper and really
appreciate and value what we have, but as you get into this story it
drags you in, just as it did Clancy, until you become absorbed and
oblivious to the distractions around you. Just as the wallaby
swimming across the river and the koala changing trees, it beckons
you to try a new place just because you can. The handwritten font
enhances the concept of it being a personal journey for both writer
and reader. So while the younger student may read it as Clancy
having an adventure with his Uncle Egg, there is much more that the
older reader will gain from it too. In the penultimate frame, Egg
says, "You've come a long way, kid", to which Clancy replies, "Yeah,
and I could keep going." Sums it all up perfectly, in my opinion.
Barbara Braxton
Dead and Buried by Anne Cassidy
The Murder Notebooks Series (Book 4), Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN:
9781408815533.
Recommended for 14+. Themes: Justice; Murder Mystery; Crime and
punishment. This is the concluding episode in The Murder
Notebooks series and could easily be the source for an English
television drama. In this book, a body of a teenager is discovered
in the garden of the former home of the two young protagonists. The
connections to their missing parents, (who were former police
officers and who are missing - but have been revealed as rogue
undercover agents, meting out their own justice against criminals
who escape the justice system) causes the young people to
investigate in order to clear their parents' name and to prevent
them being unearthed by a contemporary police investigation. As a
consequence, the young couple themselves become embroiled in the
investigation. [Note: although they are not related, they grew up as
if they were brother and sister, but now a blossoming romance is
developing.]
Some suspension of disbelief is necessary at various points in order
to overcome uncertainty about some plot details, however sometimes
fiction does ask us to travel the roller-coaster without asking too
many questions and just enjoy the ride. This will definitely be
enjoyed by readers who enjoy police drama on Television. Solving the
threads of the crime will keep them reading. I have only read the
last two books of this series, but was given enough background
detail to understand what had gone before. But I would encourage
reading all books in the series in order. Anne Cassidy does create
interesting characters, sometimes the descriptions of their small
idiosyncrasies are a quirky feature; and the idea of administering
justice personally does raise interesting moral questions. Would it
ever be right to kill in order to prevent more killing? Would you
reveal the truth if you knew this was happening? Would avenging the
death of a friend feel just?
Note: there is violence - but in a book where you cannot see it, it
does feel less confronting.
Carolyn Hull
The Sequin Star by Belinda Murrell
Random House, 2014. ISBN 9780857982056.
As with her other time-slip novels, Belinda Murrell has used a piece
of jewellery as a portal for a visit to history. This time it is a
brooch which modern-day Claire finds amongst her grandmother's
possessions and which, because of an accident, propels her backwards
to the Sydney of 1932. Rescued and cared for by two of the
performers of Sterling Brothers Circus, Claire is bewildered by life
in those times particularly as she sees both sides of it - the
poverty and despair of the Depression as families are evicted and
forced to live in the 'susso' camps existing on a government handout
that covers some food but not rent as well as the riches and
extravagances of those who are more fortunate. She is exposed to the
polarity caused by Premier Jack Lang whose mission is to help the
unemployed and their families and those of the New Guard who view
him as a communist and want New South Wales to return to the days of
the haves and the have-nots where they can maintain their
self-perceived superiority.
Through a wonderful tale of intrigue and mystery, once again Ms
Murrell has managed to captivate and educate at the same time for
there are many avenues of life in those times ready for exploration
from the role of animals in the circus to the causes of the
Depression and life at the time through to Australia's emergence as
very much an egalitarian society and whether this still exists.
There might even be an investigation into parallels between the
politics of then and now and whether we are moving back to a more
divisive and divided nation. Teachers'
notes and activities to support the story and its themes are
available and include suggestions for other reading as well as
websites that might be of use. The Sequin Star is another jewel in Ms Murrell's box that not
only tantalises the imagination but also offers insight into a way
of life that our students' great-grandparents would have known well.
Barbara Braxton
The Weaver Fish by Robert Edeson
Fremantle Press, 2014. ISBN 9781922 089526.
(Age: Adult and mature secondary readers). Norwegian-British
logician, linguist and dream theorist, Edvard Tossentern disappears
when a research balloon is lost over the South China Sea. He was
investigating the weaver fish, named for their method of killing.
When he reappears, he has changed. This section of The Weaver
Fish is written as an academic mystery, with occasional
footnotes, and will also draw in readers of non-fiction.
The book becomes a thriller almost halfway through when it changes
its focus to the character of Richard Worse. Like many of the other
characters, he is quite stylised. He seems to be a spy with
exceptional technical and mathematical ability. He joins forces with
Millie Misgivingston to find her brother. The storylines merge.
Names intrigue in this novel: one character is called Spoiler,
another Walter Reckless. There are also a range of text types,
including reports and letters. The fabricated Foreword and
Acknowledgement pages set the tone for an extraordinary and
exhilarating reading experience by debut novelist Robert Edeson,
whose background in mathematics and science create a novel of
cutting-edge conception, style and structure.
Joy Lawn
Little Lou and the woolly mammoth by Paula Bowles
Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781408839669.
(Age: 4+) Picture book, Humour, Friendship. Even when surrounded by
a gaggle of toys, Little Lou is lonely and wanting a friend to play
with. Following a long piece of wool through her bundle of one time
friends, she tosses aside her toys, Olly Owl, Sock Monster and
Stripey Whale, only to find that the wool will not come to an end.
She tugs and tugs but all to no avail. She then follows it high and
low, around and around till she finds that it comes to a tangled,
messy end.
She finds a huge woolly mammoth and then must run as it follows her
around and around, zig-zagging around the room, until it starts to
unravel. Little Lou is thrilled with the small mammoth and runs to
pick it up, but this time it is the mammoth who runs from Little
Lou.
But all ends happily as the two become new best friends.
A lovely text with words in bold, begging the reader to put a stress
on these, while following the long thread of wool as it winds around
the pages in blues and mauves.
The soft watercolour and pencil illustrations suit the story well,
underlining the range of toys in Lou's bedroom, creating a huge
mammoth on the early pages and paring it down to a manageable size
as the story proceeds. I particularly liked the afternoon tea set
out on the endpapers, and the expressions on the faces of the
rejected toys.
This is a charming tale of friends and friendship, suitable for
pre-school readers in groups or alone.
Fran Knight
Aussie Kid Heroes by Dianne Bates
Ill. by Marjory Gardner. IP
Kidz , 2009. ISBN 9781921479144. ebk ISBN 9781921479779.
Do your students know the story of Alice Betteridge who became the
first Australian child with both hearing and sight disabilities to
learn to communicate? Or that of Jessica Hahn who won a special
achievement award in the open employee section of the Business
Enterprise Centre Business of the Year Award at the age of eight?
Perhaps the name of Jenny Turrel is more familiar - she was the
youngest Australian to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games,
winning gold for swimming at just 13 years and eight months.
Australia has a rich heritage of extraordinary children doing
amazing things and many of their stories are captured here in this
intriguing book by Dianne Bates. And each of them is just like any
child anywhere, even those in your school. Arranged under headings
such as Inventors and Designers, Caring Kids, and Enterprising Kids
each entry provides a snapshot of the child's achievement, enticing
the curious reader to find out more, perhaps even inspire them.
So often, by the time they get to middle school our students see
their lives being dominated by school and 'projects' and homework
with no end in sight, so this book is perfect for showing them that
there is a world beyond the classroom walls and it is possible for
them to have an impact on it. As the centre of a display it could be
the impetus to have your students share their lives beyond the 9-3
regimen - perhaps you have someone who cares for a parent, or is a
champion skier, or is a budding speleologist. Whatever their
passion, it is a great opportunity to let them demonstrate their
expertise, maybe become the school's go-to person and lift their
self-esteem to new heights! Combine with a research challenge to
discover more about the stars of this book and you have a very
useful resource for the collection.
Barbara Braxton
Jam for Nana by Deborah Kelly
Ill. by Lisa Stewart. Random House, 2014. ISBN 9780857980014. When Nana makes pancakes, Granddaughter spreads the jam. She smooths
it right out to the edges to make the pancake look like a giant
orange sun. But today's jam is not like the jam that Nana remembers.
That jam tasted like the sun, not just looked like it. She could
count the apricots and feel the warmth of a hundred summers.
Granddaughter really wants to give Nana that sensation again but
when it becomes clear that it's impossible to travel back to Nana's
childhood, she comes up with another idea . . .
The bond between a grandmother and her granddaughter is really
special - I know because I have four of them - and this delightful
story with its gentle pastel-toned illustrations is an example of
it. It shows the love and connection that is so common but doesn't
stereotype the grandmother as an elderly lady with a bun spending
her days knitting. Coupled with other books in the library's
collection, it would add another layer of the diversity of
grandmothers, who they are and what they do, providing a great
foundation for exploring the early childhood Australian Curriculum
history concepts about family members, where they fit in the
structure of the family and their history. Today's grandmothers
might not make their own jam but this story would be a great way to
tap into what their lives were like as granddaughters and what they
recall their grandmothers doing that is not done now, as well as
those family traditions that are continued. Maybe they could
speculate on those things they do now and the memories and moments
they've had with their grandmothers that they might pass on to their
own grandchildren. Jam for Nana is about so much more than having real jam on
pancakes - it is the key to a door that will open a myriad of
memories and strengthen the bonds between the generations for those
lucky enough to have a family history that can still be told.
Barbara Braxton
Admission by Barry Jonsberg
Pandora Jones, Bk 1. Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN
9781743318119.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Thriller. Dystopian fiction.
Pandemic. Survival. Pandora Jones wakes up in The School, weak and
disorientated. She remembers horrifying scenes of death, people
bleeding to death and Melbourne dying from a pandemic. The School is
a heavily guarded place where talented survivors have been placed
and where they are expected to hone their skills, both mental and
physical, and prepare for what will come next. Pan's special skill
is intuition, but her intuition begins to lead her to questioning
what is happening around her.
Working with a talented group of eight young people, including
Nathan a talented runner and leader, Wei-Lin, who uses her archery
skills and Cara, an introspective young woman, Pan begins to adjust
to life in The School. Haunted by terrifying nightmares of a
policeman putting a gun in his mouth, her mother and brother
coughing up blood and dying, and a chase through the streets, she is
hard pressed to work out what is a memory and what is a nightmare.
Jonsberg brings his great writing talent to good use with his vivid
descriptions of The School and the way it operates and the people
who live there. Survival is the key and the group have to work very
hard to learn how to fight and to become very fit under the
direction of seemingly uncaring instructors. After the death of one
of their team in mysterious circumstances, the group is taken to an
island where they face men with guns and have to struggle to stay
alive.
The story is action packed and very easy to visualise as a movie or
TV series. With its engaging characters, involving plot and a cliff
hanger of an ending, it is sure to appeal to its teen readers who
will be gasping for the next instalment in the trilogy. Definitely a
book for those who enjoyed The hunger games series by
Suzanne Collins or The maze runner series by James Dashner.
Pat Pledger
Tom and Tilly fly away by Jedda Robaard
Black Dog Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922179906.
(Age: Pre school) Warmly recommended. Friends. Adventures. Tom and
his friend Tilly have the most amazing adventure. Tom makes a paper
plane and together they fly over the roof (the sea of lost things),
the garden bed of dandelion (the roaring lions), then the hen house
(the fortified fort) as well as the haunted house and the deafening
thunderstorm, just missing the rain to be home in time for tea. Each
of the things they are involved with will be readily recognised by
the audience, and so evoke lots of fun and laughter as they see the
joke of the two on their adventure.
Young readers will love seeing the use made of the map, the familiar
things in their house and backyard as the pair flies over them all,
and be as happy as they to be home for tea.
The instructions for making a paper plane are a fitting end to the
story and will make an extended activity once the book is finished.
For classrooms or home activities this will be a boon for reading
out loud, for making the plane, and for discussions about maps and
travel. Tom and Tilly fly away is the second in the series
of books about the pair.
Fran Knight
