Doubleday, 2013. ISBN 9780857532022.
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Supernatural, Humour, Adventure. The
first in a new series, Lockwood and Co., this is a world in the here
and now where things have got out of hand and ghosts have appeared.
Their arrival has meant wholesale changes to society; curfews, fear
of the dark, and the rise of ghost hunters with their guidelines and
marketing strategies. Into this mix comes a new firm of rather
disorganised ghost hunters, Lockwood and Co., young and eager but
spied on with suspicion by the older more well known firms, lest
they fail and so undermine the other companies, or succeed and take
their customers.
The company's newest member, Lucy, recently dismissed from her post
as psychic investigator at another firm is keen to do well, partly
so she can live but also to dispel the stories about her that
threaten her livelihood. She joins Anthony Lockwood and his
employee, George, who takes an instant dislike to Lucy, trying
everything he can to undermine and humiliate her. So the stage is
set for tension to rub between the three as they endeavour to solve
people's ghostly problems. Their first big case however, results in
the burning down of a house, and the subsequent suing for
compensation sees them take on an investigation which could result
in their deaths. With the creepiest house to stay in for the night,
a ghastly employer and a plethora of horrors awaiting them, the trio
sets in for the night which could see their fortunes made or their
lives cut short.
An auspicious start to a hair-raising adventure into the
supernatural world, this series will have a legion of avid
followers. There are plenty of strings to follow: just who is
Anthony and why does he have this enormous house to himself? where
has George come from? and just what is behind Lucy's abilities?
Fran Knight
East of the sun, west of the moon by Jackie Morris
Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2013. ISBN 9781847802941.
(Age: 11+) Warmly recommended. Fairy tale retelling, Fantasy,
Princes, Freedom. With the fairy tale of Beauty and the beast
hovering in the background, this beautifully told story is more than
a retelling, as the author adds layers of setting and
characterisation, plot and motive to the original tale.
A large white bear asks the girl to go with him. There is no
question that she will go, she has always known it, but her mother
is distraught. She loves being with the bear, is amazed at the
palace where he lives, and what he does for her, to the point of
giving her a treasured photo of her family, lost when they fled
their country.
But each night she is aware that someone creeps into her bed, lying
beside her leaving in the morning. She longs to see who it is but
the matches will not strike. When she misses her family, the bear
takes her home for a month and a day, but warns her not to be alone
with her mother.
On returning, mother has given her new matches and so one night she
strikes one, enabling her to see the person who lies in her bed. His
shocking story is revealed, and by striking the match she has
destined him to marry the ogre's daughter, never to return.
She then sets out to search for him, to right the wrong she has made
and in her search finds true love.
The retelling of the story is languid and poetic, descriptions are matched
by the mythical water colour illustrations as they drape across the
pages, adding to the pleasure girls will have on reading this tale.
The small size is appealing and handy to hold, adding to the
pleasure of the read.
Fran Knight
The shiny guys by Doug Macleod
Penguin, 2012. ISBN 9780143565307. The shiny guys is a bold, abrasive and surprisingly funny
novel, akin to Ken Kesey's One flew over the cuckoo's nest
in terms of subject matter, and worthy of similar praise.
The story concerns a 15-year old boy who has been admitted to an
asylum during the 1980s, a time when the treatment of mental health
patients was still radical but beginning to be questioned.
From the first page, each word seems hand picked, like a
meticulously compiled string of sentences. Despite the strength of
the writing, each word has an irresistible urgency and secrecy, as
though betraying too much of it to another would be breaking some
intimate vow.
Doug Macleod presents teenagers with a genuinely smart, genuinely
funny and genuinely hard-hitting piece of collage writing. He
combines normal contemporary prose with letters, transcribed
conversations and other styles. This format is wildly eclectic and
effective, allowing for the disjointed characters and dialogue to be
presented in a way that serves rather than stifles their quirks.
The mixed-up writing almost recalls Beat Generation poetry,
whimsical and dark, equally edgy and translucent. The shiny guys is a strong, nostalgic and never accusatory
literary nod towards the treacherous mental health system of times
gone by, but more importantly the fragile health in question of
young people. It poignantly recollects and highlights the
institutional damage inflicted on those who are already damaged.
An intelligent read recommended for teenagers looking for something
with bite, but enough heart to balance the dark.
Henry Vaughan (Student)
Scarlet in the snow by Sophie Masson
Random House, 2013. ISBN 9781742758152.
(Age 12+) Highly recommended. There seems to be a real fashion for
updating fairy tales in recent times. Of course, over the years
there have been many retellings of traditional tales, but this
latest foray seems to be concentrated in presenting new versions in
more adult formats vis-a-vis cinematic offerings such as Snow
White and the huntsman or Mirror mirror or books such
as Moonlight and ashes (also by Sophie Masson).
Sophie Masson presents a new styling of the old 'beauty and the
beast' traditional tale (La belle et la bete), first
published in 1740, and gives it a new and engaging twist that will
be sure to captivate the girls looking for something with rather
more substance than the general pulp fiction in the romance genre.
Carefully employing many of the original elements of the story - a
once rich family reduced to poverty, the enchanted forest, a
mysterious mansion occupied by an apparently invisible owner, tables
laden with magical food, and most importantly a beautiful rose
plucked innocently without any malice - Masson weaves a complex but
beautiful rendering of the story breathing real life into the
characters and their circumstances.
Tragedy, revenge, intrigue and love triumphant are crafted into an
unravelling of the story in which Masson has combined selected
motifs of the many hundreds of versions of the original tale. Taking
her setting from Russia and drawing most heavily on the version
retold in that country, the author has created highly believable and
very human characters in Natasha, Ivan and even Old Bony. There is a
definite tone of steampunk in the later settings/incidents in the
book which this reader found highly engaging.
With
teaching notes available from the publisher this would make a
terrific book for lower secondary students engaged in shared reading
or a book group. Highly recommended for able readers 12 and up -
especially girls.
Sue Warren
The river charm by Belinda Murrell
Random House 2013. ISBN 9781742757124. pbk., 320pp., RRP $A15.95
(Age: 10-14) Historical fiction, written well, can provide a greater
insight into the life and times of a particular period better than
any website, textbook or other non-fiction resource. Historical
fiction, written well and woven around actual people, places and
events can bring the past to life and enable students to really
appreciate the contrasts between life in a particular timespan and
their own enabling them to reflect on not only the changes that have
occurred, but, often, why they have. Such is The river charm
by Belinda Murrell.
Based on the author's own family tree which includes Charlotte
Barton (Atkinson) the author of the first children's book to be
published in Australia A mother's offering to her children, by a
lady, long resident in New South Wales, this story tells of
the challenges facing Charlotte's family in the 1840s. Set initially
in the NSW Southern Highlands where many of the landmarks mentioned
still exist (the Hume Highway crosses the Medway Rivulet at the
Three Legs O'Man Bridge) Charlotte and her children live in a
glorious mansion wanting for nothing, presumably well-catered for by
the legacy of her first husband and the children's father. However,
being a single female, even a widowed one, was not acceptable in
those times and so Charlotte's destiny is in the hands of the
executors of James Atkinson's will. A series of events, disclosed
later in the story, leads her to marry local George Barton, a
mistake she lives to regret for the rest of her life.
Barton is a violent drunk determined to spend and drink his way
through his new-found riches, and so Charlotte gathers the children
and they flee in fear for their lives to a remote outstation (near
the Cambewarra Mountain). Life here allows the reader to appreciate
the courage and resilience of those who settled such remote areas,
particularly women, such as being two days ride from a doctor who
decides the cure for Louisa's croup is to bleed her using leeches,
giving her a potion which makes her vomit and then rubbing caustic
soda on her neck so that it burns and blisters the skin!
Circumstances take them to Sydney to live, but too poor to live in
town, they rent a cottage in a nearby fishing village called Double
Bay. However, worse than being a single female, is being a married
one who chooses to leave her husband despite his being known as an
angry drunkard, and so their situation worsens and Charlotte
continues to be involved in a battle with the executors, the lawyers
and courts. It is an intriguing tale that will enable the reader to
appreciate the journey that women have travelled and endured.
Told to Charlotte's modern-day descendants by Aunt Jessamine with
whom they are holidaying, and seamlessly slipping between the
generation gap drawn together by a pebble from a river on a charm
bracelet, this is a title that should be on the library's shelves.
Even though the key character is Charlotte's eldest daughter, also
Charlotte, we are introduced to Louisa,
the youngest, who went on to become a leading naturalist of her
time, evidence of her mother's belief that education was as critical
for girls as boys and her total commitment to this.
This book would make a valuable resource to support the History
strand of the Australian National Curriculum (there are teachers'
notes ) but above all, it is just a strong, engaging read
written with the sensitivity and respect that characterise the
author's works.
Barbara Braxton
The watcher in the shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Text, 2013. ISBN 9781921922527
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Thriller. Automaton. Widow Simone takes work
at a rambling mansion at Blue Bay near Mont-St-Michel in northern
France. She has recently lost her husband so work as a housekeeper
to Lazarus Jann, a retired and reclusive toymaker, is fortuitous.
Her children, however, in walking to the mansion on their first
visit find some of the automatons, in the garden and the house,
unsettling. A letter from an unknown person opens the book,
and this we find is one of many such letters, written but never
sent. So begins a tightly plotted, complex and highly unsettling
thriller.
We hear more about Lazarus as Simone's children, Irene and Dorian,
become part of his small community, and about his seriously ill wife.
While his servant Hannah befriends Irene, she soon finds
that Hannah's cousin, the unusual Ismael, more interesting, even
though his thoughts are only of the sea.
When Ismael and Irene go to the sea cave, Ismael tells her the tale
of the frowned woman, and finding her diary, Irene is enthralled,
reading of the shadow which emerged years ago, the spectre forming a
backdrop to what then happens. With Hannah found dead, the two have
a mystery to solve, but find it is very close to home. Lazarus Jann
takes Simone from her bed to his factory where a doppelganger, a
replica of Simone is being made.
This is a breathtaking read, full of shadows, with the characters'
names adding deeper levels of meaning to an already rich and
enthralling tale. The built angel is one of the scariest inventions
I have read of, and will amaze the readers just as it did me.
Fran Knight
To get to me by Eleanor Kerr and Judith Rossell
Random House, July 2013. ISBN 9781742758831. RRP $19.95.
(Age: 5+) Recommended for younger readers. This delightful new picture book
combines very popular themes which teachers of young children will
no doubt find very appealing and useful. Peter invites his
friend Ahmed to join him on a trip to the zoo. Judith Rossell's
colourful illustrations reveal to the reader that Ahmed quite
clearly does not live in Australia. Peter's explanation to his
friend of how 'to get to me' is accompanied by a very attractive
world map, complete with iconic landmarks and fauna.
Using a variety of modes of transport Ahmed travels right around the
world to Sydney to meet Peter at Taronga Zoo. On his way Ahmed
passes scenery which cleverly incorporates small sections of
newspaper text in the illustrations - changing from Arabic script to
English. The text is simple and includes onomatopoeic
'transport' words which young children will delight in as it winds
up and down hills, through tunnels, and across the sky and the sea.
As a springboard to discussing intercultural relationships or
accompanying a unit focussed on methods of transport, this will be a
valuable addition to any school library.
Sue Warren
The fearsome, frightening, ferocious box by Frances Watts and David Legge
ABC Books, 2013. ISBN 9780733328916.
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Humour. Poetry. A box
falls from a truck and is left on the roadside, where a variety of
animals comes and inspects the box, saying that they would look
inside. But as each animal comes by, bragging that they will not be
frightened, they are. First a monkey looks inside and hears the
thing inside moan and tell a little tale of its life. The following
double page shows the area in which it lives, and the reader is
invited to search for the six things hidden on the two pages. Then a
crocodile happens along and he hears the thing inside groan with a
similar poem over the page inviting the reader to find the six
things hidden this time in an arctic landscape. And on it goes, each
animal being scared off by the thing inside and the reader invited
to find six things in a different environment, until finally the lid
of the box is lifted.
A fun involving story with things for the reader to do on each page
will entertain those who pick up the book. Legge has successfully
shown each animal in distress as it peers inside and the
environments shown with their hidden animals will entice younger
readers to be involved.
Fran Knight
All the Green Year by Don Charlwood
Text Classics, 2012. ISBN 9781922079428.
(Age: Junior - mid secondary) All the Green Year by Don
Charlwood, along with Sydney Bridge Upside Down by David
Ballantyne are two of the titles from the Text Classics series for
adults which will find a YA readership, particularly in English
classrooms. All the Green Year was studied by 13 to 15 year
olds for two decades. It may not generate quite as much interest in
the twenty-first century but its episodic structure makes it ideal
for close study of one or more of the events in protagonist,
Charlie's adolescence.
The book is set in 1929 in a fictionalised small town on Port
Phillip Bay on Melbourne's fringe. The waterside setting and early
Depression era atmosphere and tone resemble The December Boys
by Michael Noonan. The boys in All the Green Year are not
visiting orphans, however. Seemingly reared as much by place as
their parents, their relationships with fathers and men are fraught;
beatings are commonplace and sternness easily escalates into
violence. Charlie and, particularly, Johnno are the targets of
teacher, Mr Moloney's have to flee in Charlie's boat from the
repercussions. The gripping last quarter of the novel (beginning on
page 203) could even be read as a novella.
As the Introduction states, this story is an evocation of Australian
childhood and an exploration of boyhood, especially of male
friendship. It is also important because of its insight into a slice
of Australia that should not be forgotten. Teacher
Notes are available.
Joy Lawn
Ten tiny things by Meg McKinlay
Ill. by Kyle Highes-Odgers. Fremantle Press, 2013. ISBN 9781921888946.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Picture book. Walking. Environment. When the
machine breaks down the children must walk to school. Grumbling,
they miss their machine which is warm when they want warmth, cool
when they want it to be cooler, and gives them a smooth, swift ride
there and back again. But on walking to school, they notice things:
they see a bright shiny object which Zachary admits he has seen from
the machine, but only as a blur. Further on they see shells and
birds and trees, and when at school, they realise that they have
seen ten tiny things which they would not have seen when in the
machine and they have had the sun on their backs to keep warm. When
mum comes to school at the end of the day with the newly fixed
machine, the two prefer to walk home to see the secret things, the
hidden things, which they cannot see in the faster machine.
The illustrations with their few colours and abstract forms draw the
eyes to look more closely, seeing what the illustrator includes in
his sparse pictures. The spindly legs and arms of the children
contrast with their body shapes, and their clothing with its rich
array of patterns contrasts again with the triangular representation
of trees and buildings. Using wood panels on which to paint with
acrylic and wood stain, the impression is given of American
indigenous art, while the overall theme of walking not driving is
given a broad push in the whole book. It is not surprising to read
on the end paper, that both the author and illustrator are
proponents of walking, and disdain the use of machinery where
possible, although I'm sure a coffee machine is well used while
pondering a new book.
This book is intriguing and will beguile young eyes to look more
closely at its ideas are presented. This book will serve the teacher
well in introducing environmental issues such as the use of
machinery and its impact upon the environment in which we live.
Fran Knight
Otis Dooda by Ellen Potter
Omnibus Books, 2013. ISBN 9781742990200.
(Age: 10+) Otis Dooda is a fun filled story, describing the
adventures of Otis during his first week in New York City. I
thoroughly enjoyed reading about his 'true' adventure and most
children will be hooked from the first page.
Imagine being cursed by a plant, putting up with a smelly horse
(disguised as a dog) and attacked by pooping, mechanical birds. All
that in one week!
Otis Dooda is a quick moving story, guaranteed to get independent
readers aged 10+ reading - especially boys. Readers will meet Otis's
rat loving brother, his energetic mother and his chip eating dad.
They will be entertained by the crazy antics of Otis's new friends
and they will giggle at the funny illustrations.
Kylie Kempster
The playground problem by Sally Rippin
Hey Jack series. Hardie Grant Egmont, 2013. ISBN
9781742975436.
The Hey Jack series is a collection of short novels aimed at
boys aged 7+. The text is large and easy to read with quick moving
stories incorporating a different moral or problem faced by school
aged children. They are also good for older boys with a low reading
level as they look like a novel rather than a picture book. The main
character is Jack and he is faced with a problem. Jack's best
friend, Billie, is away and he has no one to play with. Who knew he
could have a fun day by taking a chance and talking to Alex, another
boy in his class. The Playground Problem is a short story
about mixed feelings over who Jack should play with. If he plays
with Alex, Billie will be upset and if he plays with Billie then
Alex is upset! If he works out what they all have in common then the
problem is solved. This is a common problem faced by many children
and would be a great discussion topic in Child Protection as it is a
short and quick read.
Kylie Kempster
My superhero by Chris Owen
Ill. by Moira Court. Fremantle Press, 2013. ISBN 9781921888977.
(Age: 3+) Picture book. Parents. Families. Animals. With rhyming
stanzas on most pages, interspersed with the superhero cries of
kaboom and kapow, the storyline of just what makes a superhero is
easy to follow, wonderful to read aloud and comes to a finish with
an 'aw shucks' moment melting the hearts of all kids and readers.
The reader is introduced to a range of animals which exemplify the
attributes of a superhero. They are usually tall and very muscly,
blessed with wonderful good looks and catch crooks, as shown by the
picture of a large bear with a mask. Over the page the rhyme tells
us how they don some armour, the better to enable them to repel
missiles, and the picture is of an armadillo with a mosquito
attempting to break into its outer shell. Further on we are shown a
fallow deer with a rabbit on its back, fleeing a wolf, and the
refrain tells us that some superheroes have the skills to save
maidens in distress and smash rocks to smithereens. And on and on,
the refrain giving a neat concoction of what a superhero does with
the illustrations visually reflecting the refrain.
The bright in your face illustrations rendered in charcoal, acrylic
paint and pencil, have a collage effect as the animals seem to leap
out from the page. A glossary at the end gives more detail about the
animals represented, making this a highly visual tale of some of the
world's animals to present to young children.
Fran Knight
Time to shine by Susannah McFarlane
E.J 12 Girl Hero, Scholastic, 2013. ISBN: 9781921931383.
EJ12 remains a popular series with the 7 - 9 year old girls looking
for more in the adventure genre, so this, the 16th in the series,
will be a welcome addition to bookshelves in libraries and homes.
Emma Jacks alias EJ12 and her friends are all looking forward to
working together as agents of SHINE, the secret organisation that
has recruited them all, and even Nema suspected as being an agent of
the evil SHADOW agency is being nice. But when Elle announces that
she and her family are moving to London Emma is devastated.
With encouragement from her mother Emma reflects on the change a
maths test brought to her life. As we discover it was success in a
maths test she was dreading that resulted in her joining SHINE and
the training drills and tests that gave her a chance to shine.
As there is always some form of animal involvement in EJ12 books, it
is interesting to note that rescuing seals and other sea creatures
from an oil spill is part of this adventure, and of course the
amazing charm bracelet has just the right gismo to help.
The message is unmistakeable throughout that change can lead to
positive outcomes. By facing her fears and remaining calm and
thoughtful there is a chance to shine. Sounds a bit like a song
title to me, but I'm sure fans of the series will continue to follow
the ongoing adventures of agent EJ12 and her friends.
Sue Keane
Word hunters, the curious dictionary by Nick Earls and Terry Whidborne
Word hunters series. UQP, 2012. ISBN 978 0 7022 4945 7.
(Age: 11+)Recommended. Fantasy. Words. Dictionaries. Books.
Historical novel. Finding a dictionary tucked into the shelves of
their library, twins Lexi and Al tumble down history to locate
words that are losing their place in the language. The first word
hello, proves elusive as they wander from Eddison's laboratory in
1877, where the first word heard on the first telephone is hello,
then to a whaling ship in the Atlantic Ocean in 1835 where they hear
halloo, then to the New Forest in 1100 where they witness the murder
of King William, and hear the word harrow. All is intriguing and
mysterious and when the children suddenly return to the present day,
Al borrows the book from the library to find out what is going on.
The pair sketch what they remember of the places they have been, and
their father is shocked at the drawings, reminding him of those his
father did. But he disappeared thirty years before, so the twins,
seeing a connection between them and their unknown grandfather,
resolve to find what happened to him. They ready themselves to
travel once again, this time with better preparation.
Each place they find themselves in gives them a change of clothes
and the keys Al carries tells them the date and place they have
landed, as well as providing a key to the portal which they need to
search for. Their quick survey of the setting gives an amount of
historical detail to the reader which will involve them in what is
about to happen. I found myself reaching for history books to
corroborate the situations given, just as Al does when he gets home.
This is an engrossing time travel tale, taking modern readers to
places outside what they have learnt, but nevertheless giving a
substance to the story that will readily hold their interest. This
is the first of a series.
Fran Knight
