Allen and Unwin, 2013. ISBN 978 1 74331 305 3
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Historical fiction. Fantasy.
Adventure. The sights, sounds and smells of nineteenth century
London rise up to meet the reader in this exceptional tale of Jem
and Bridie, assistants to Alfred Bunce, a bogler, in his attempts to
rid the area around Holborn Viaduct from a plague of wraths which
rise up from the sewers beneath the streets and eat children. Amidst
the noise of the building of this famous bridge, and the demolition
of older buildings in the area, the building of the underground
railway and the story of the sewers, Jinks cast her spell, drawing
in all of her readers to revel in the squalor of the meat markets,
the proximity of Newgate Prison, the link to the church where
condemned criminals hear their last sounds from a priest, to the
Viaduct Tavern where Bunce and his entourage wind down after killing
a bogle.
Reading the first in this fine series,A very unusual pursuit,
the opening of the City of Orphans series, I had no
hesitation in believing the existence of bogles beneath London's
streets. Now with a plague of bogles plying their grisly trade, Mr
Bunce, who retired at the end of book one, must gather his
apprentices to save the lives of children in the east end.
The description of the bogles emanating from the sewers is
wonderful, and will readily entice readers to see what happens to
the main characters as the detailed and lively story unfolds. This
is fantasy at its best, a wonderfully engrossing story, sparkling
characters, set against an identifiable and incredibly well
described setting, with a wisp of fantastical creatures that erupt
in the background. What a read.
Fran Knight
Winter damage by Natasha Carthew
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408835838.
(Age: 12+) 'The moor in winter is no place for a girl travelling
alone. It's cold out there. There's snow, but it's the wind that
grabs hold of your heart and freezes it. Ennor is fifteen. She
thinks she knows where she's going and what she's looking for. She
doesn't know anything.' Blurb Winter Damage is a very interesting book. Set in Cornwall, it
uses the icy, freezing moors to evoke a sense of hopelessness
throughout the novel. The story is quite original, with Ennor as a
young, strong girl going off to look for her mother in the moors
during winter. One of the best things about this book would have to
be the setting of the Cornish moors - they are so wonderfully,
vividly described they seem to become as important a character in
the book as Ennor is. Actually, the entire setting of Winter
Damage is enthralling - the county of Cornwall is described in
vibrant, meticulous detail that draws the reader in page by page.
But above all, the most important thing about Winter Damage
is the main themes - self-discovery and the importance of family and
friends. One complaint about the novel would be the pacing, as in
some parts (the beginning, significantly), it drags quite a bit. Winter Damage is a very promising book. It is an enjoyable and
enveloping read, with the freezing moors of Cornwall beautifully
described throughout. For a debut novel, this is a great first
effort.
Rebecca Adams (Student)
When Tom met Tallulah by Rosie Reeve
Bloomsbury Children's, 2013. ISBN: 9781408836996.
Highly recommended picture book for 3-6 years of age. Themes: Pets,
Problem-solving. Tom is an extremely shy tabby kitten given as a
present to young Tallulah. This little girl is a problem solver. She
understands the needs of the small kitten and is patient with him.
From the cat-nap map to creating a special toy for the kitten
Tallulah shows just how well she understands the kitten's wants,
from a simple purr or a miaow. Unfortunately Tom decides he's not
content with the cosiness of their relationship. He wants to
understand what being a human is like! The fun begins when he
brushes his teeth and whiskers, dresses up just like Tallulah and
makes her a special toy. The role reversal adds to the humour of
this picture book, Tallulah's life as a cat encounters some
problems, including being stuck in the cat flap and catnapping in
the wrong places. Tom develops patience as he waits for the little
girl to develop the traits of a cat. As a read-aloud story the
ending is a wonderful surprise, great for predictive discussions. Rosie Reeve is a
well-known English picture book illustrator. This new book
successfully combines her skills as an author and illustrator. From
soft pastel double page spreads to small character sketches, the
reader develops an understanding of the kitten and the girl's
emotions. The cosy relationship between the two characters is
developed both by the short descriptive sentences and the
illustrations.
Rhyllis Bignell
The dying beach Angela Savage
Text, 2013. ISBN 9781921922497.
Recommended for older teen readers. The main character, Jayne Keeney, is
a private investigator living with her partner Rajiv in Bangkok. In
the tradition of P.I.s she is tough, attractive but not getting any
younger and has a strong sense of social justice. She drinks and
smokes, a lot, yet speaks Thai and so can hold her own in a culture
where gender stereotyping is expected. When a tour guide at the
beautiful resort of Princess Beach is found dead, believed drowned,
Jayne becomes involved when she learns that the guide, named Pla
(meaning fish in Thai) was a strong swimmer and diver. Investigation
into her life shows that she had been involved with an environmental
protest group. The consequences of tourism are shown when Jayne and
Rajiv visit developments in the area that are changing the lives of
the villagers. Golf courses, power stations, and shrimp farms all
mean changed water usage and the destruction of both forests and
mangroves, which in turn leads to the end of traditional ways of
living. Pla has helped the villagers in their meetings with
developers, but who would want her dead? Then there are the
murders that follow and muddy the waters even more. Jayne, of
course, works her way through to a conclusion, but not before she
has several violent confrontations with suspects and faces a cobra
in her shower alcove. A sense of place and culture is clearly
established; Jayne's meetings with the villagers and visits to
temples feel authentic without the Thai villagers and their way of
life being romanticised. There are tense scenes, in particular a
confrontation at a bull fight with a suspect, and temptations, when
Rajiv returns to Bagkok and Jayne is left to work with the
attractive Australian Paul. The plot is skillfully handled with
several red herrings and blind leads needing to be followed. The
novel does have an explicit sex scene so despite not being very
demanding it is better for older readers.
Jenny Hamilton
The Missing Mongoose by Ursula Dubosarsky
Ill. by Terry Denton. The Cryptic Casebook of Coco Carlomagno (and
Alberta), Book 3, Allen & Unwin, 2013. ISBN: 9781743312605.
Highly recommended read for confident readers from 6-8 years.
Themes: Guinea Pigs, Adventure and Adventurers, Zoos, Puzzles,
Police, Mongooses, Zoos, Lost and Found, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Que raro! How strange, a rare and valuable mongoose has been stolen
from the Buenos Aires Zoo and the zoo keepers are panicking! There
are camels conversing with the giraffe in Kangaroo Korner, rabbits
residing in the Tiger Taj Mahal and the hippos are sunning
themselves in the Panda Place Pool. The lion is on the loose and the
new leopard kittens have disappeared. Coco Carlomagno Chief of
Police in Buenos Aires, Argentina needs the help of his brainy
cousin Alberta to solve the puzzling problems at the zoo. Working
together these crime-solving guinea pigs use their deductive powers
to solve the animals' disappearances. Coco's flamboyant character
often adds an exclamation in Spanish to emphasise his feelings.
There's a helpful glossary at the end of the book.
This is the third amusing junior novel in The Cryptic Casebook of
Coco Carlomagno (and Alberta) series by Ursula Dubosarsky. Her
characters are colourful and her descriptions of the animals' homes
alliterative fun. She draws young reader in to the story with the
addition of anagrams, puzzles and a maze. Terry Denton's quirky
sketches add to the enjoyment, Coco Carlomagno comes to life, with
his dashing police uniform and waxed moustache.
Rhyllis Bignell
Lulu Bell and the Fairy Penguin by Belinda Murrell
Ill. by Serena Geddes. Random House Australia. ISBN 9781742758787.
In this adventure, the Bell family are at the beach when a runaway
dog chases a fairy penguin. Luckily, Lulu can call on the
expert help of her father who is a vet, and the encounter inspires a
community project designed to help people look out for and look
after the penguins. And penguins aren't her only problem - where is
Pickles the cat, due to give birth at any time?
This is a refreshing series of stories about characters the readers
can relate to, particularly Lulu as the strong, sensible
level-headed lead. Each story is well-written, based on everyday
events that only the most accomplished can turn into an engaging
story and accompanied by charming illustrations by Serena Geddes who
had six years experience with Walt Disney Studios in Sydney before
turning to book illustrating. Miss 7 and I read it and Lulu Bell
and the birthday unicorn over the holidays and she is eagerly
looking forward to the next instalments - Lulu Bell and the
Cubby Fort and Lulu Bell and the Moon Dragon..
Barbara Braxton
Meet the Werewolfsons by Knife and Packer (Duncan McCoshan and Jem Pack)
Scholastic Australia, 2013. ISBN 9781742836713.
Reading Age: 7-9. Themes: Werewolves, Family Life, Pets. Meet the
Werewolfsons introduces an ordinary, everyday werewolf family to the
residents of Freak Street. Mum and Dad and their three children,
Wilf, Winny and Wally have thick shaggy hair, sharp teeth and are a
little bit frightening. They live in a log cabin next to the
Aliensons and run a pet pampering business. Mr. Werewolfson loves to
disco dance, embarrassing his children and demonstrates his moves at
their full moon party. Unfortunately Deathfang the largest werewolf
in town arrives and causes chaos sharing a bad case of fleas with
the guests. These fleas play a crucial role throughout the story and
the conclusion. The family is preparing for the annual City Pet Show and
unfortunately Mr. Werewolfson's lucky gold pampering comb has been
stolen. The twists and turns of the plot involve the dramas of the
pet show and the mysterious disappearance of Professor Twinkle at
the Observatory.
The solid background colours of each page are bold and bright. Knife
and Packer's familiar cartoon style bring humour to the
Werewolfson family and their frantic antics. Winny's pet lamb
Lambada, disco-dancing dad, the flea invasion and the grooming of
the pampered pets are just some of the quirky fun illustrations. The Freak Street series are popular with readers from seven to nine
years of age. These stories are great as a class read-aloud and
students can use the characters to create new stories in creative
writing and cartooning activities.
Rhyllis Bignell
Yoko's diary: the life of a young girl in Hiroshima during WWll
Edited by Paul Ham. HarperCollins, 2013. ISBN 9780733331176.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. 1945 was a hard time to be a child in Japan,
with most children as young as twelve required to work as child
labourers. Most of the big Japanese cities had been heavily bombed,
but little did the people of Hiroshima know that their city had been
set aside as a target for the first atomic bomb ever dropped on
human life. Thirteen-year-old Yoko lived in Japan, not far from the
city of Hiroshima and Yoko's diary is a moving account of
her life in a war zone.
Yoko records the war happening around her, the planes overhead, her
daily errands and the poor conditions. Yoko's diary shows us
the hopes, beliefs and daily life of a young girl in wartime Japan.
Yoko's half-brother, Kohji gathered contributions from old school
friends and relatives and included these in Yoko's diary to provide
some background to Yoko's life and to document the wider effect the
bomb had on surviving families. Kohji inserted pages throughout the
book with personal information, facts and history which helped to
provide information on Japanese life, customs and traditions. Yoko's
diary reveals a girl who is always eager to please and do her
duty. Yoko was a conscientious, caring and kind-hearted little girl,
a model of obedience and selfless duty who was always trying to do
the right thing. 'I must do my best in everything until we win the
war' she writes. I would recommend Yoko's diary for 10+ and
it would be an excellent resource for a 'Children in war' focus.
Michelle Thomson
My dinosaur dad by Ruth Paul
Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 9781775431749.
(Age: Preschool-5) Recommended. Just in time for Father's Day,
comes a humorous book that celebrates all types of Dads, even if
they are dinosaurs! The book goes through a series of pictures of
dinosaurs, with funny text to go with them. The text with words like
'This Dad is spiky. This Dad is prickly' could lead to the young
readers and listeners having a lot of fun coming up with times when
their dads are prickly, or snore or roar or go swimming or go
sliding. The text ends with a lovely note: 'This dad is gentle, this
dad is kind. This dad's the best.'
The pictures are delightful. Each page has a dinosaur dad shown in a
very loving light with its offspring nearby. The dinosaurs all look
rather like soft toys, coloured in vibrant colours and all have very
cute faces.
It is a companion book to Stomp, which was a finalist in the
New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards, 2012.
Pat Pledger
Hug a bull by Aaron Znez
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9780802728241
(Age: 3+) Picture book. Fathers. Words. Animals. Subtitled An
ode to animal dads, this book devotes a page to each animal
dad, ensuring with the picture and the rhyme that young children
will learn the names of the male of the species. This is a fun way
to learn these names, as well as encouraging children to predict the
word which rhymes in each four line stanza, and looking at the
picture to see just why it is different from the female of the
species. A page at the end of this informative book, gives nearly 30
pictures of the male of the species for readers to learn more than
is presented in the book.
With the interplay of the male animal and his offspring the book
also underlines the value of a father in the relationship within the
family, and showcases the fathers and their sons together. In the
middle of the book, a human father and son appear, so young readers
can be in no doubt about our place in the animal world.
The rhymes are fun, often using the name of the male animal as part
of a play on words as in, Brace yourself - my Dad might ram you; and
towards the end of the book, children will be delighted with how
many male animals have the word bull as their distinctive name.
All in all, a simple tale, well told and illustrated, will make
learning these names a treat in both classroom and home.
Fran Knight
Silver the silly sorcerer by Candice Lemon Scott
Ill. by Janet Wolf. Little Rockets series. New Frontier
Publishing, 2013. ISBN 9781921928499.
(Age: 6-8) Wizards, Magic, Individuality, Fantasy. Silver comes from
a family who are skilled magicians; even his younger sister is ahead
of him at Spell School. Unfortunately the young magician does not
live up to the family reputation and he is sent off to be a circus
magician after failing his Eggs exam - the basic spells test. He
desperately wants to be as successful as the famous magician Merlin
however his magic tricks always seem to go wrong. His family
tearfully leave him at the circus accompanied by his pet snake
Slither.
The circus is rather run down and luckily Silver's magic tricks save
the day. They bring surprising unplanned results that make the young
magician famous. The chase through the circus, Silver's stumbles
with spells, and his problems with changing creatures into other
animals all add fun to the story. Luckily Star had given him a
special help card to use in times of danger.
Candice Lemon-Scott uses humour to bring the message of
self-acceptance. We need to follow our own life journey and it may
not be that of the rest of your family. Janet Wolf's colourful
illustrations add interest to the story, showing some of the
situations Silver experiences. Silver the silly sorcerer is part of the Little Rockets
chapter book series written for emergent readers from six to eight
years of age.
Rhyllis Bignell
Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson
Pan Macmillan, 2013. ISBN 9781447229933.
(Age: 15+) Almost English is told from two viewpoints, with
one chapter from Marina followed by a chapter from her mother Laura.
Abandoned by her father, sixteen-year-old Marina lives with her
mother and her father's three elderly Hungarian relatives in a tiny
flat in West London. Feeling caged by her families crushing
expectations and strange traditions, Marina longs to escape.
However, she is now regretting her escape to a traditional English
boarding school which leaves her feeling like an outcast. At this
school, Marina feels like the awkward half-foreign girl who doesn't
know how to fit in. Marina is shy, doesn't know how to flirt and is
clueless when it comes to clothes.
Her emotionally delicate mother has her own painful secrets and thus
fails to notice how desperately homesick her daughter is and also
continually fails to tell her daughter something she would love to
hear - how much she misses her and wants her home. Laura believes
because her only daughter wanted to attend a boarding school that
she does not want to be with her.
Meanwhile, Marina is pining so badly for home but doesn't want to
worry her relatives. Her family, especially her grandmother has
sacrificed everything to send her to this exclusive school, so how
does Marina tell them she wants out?
I found this book bizarre and I was continually frustrated by the
inability of mother and daughter to communicate their true feelings
to each other.
Michelle Thomson
The topaz quest by Gill Vickery
DragonChild Book 3, Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408188255
(Ages: 7-9) Highly recommended. Fantasy, Quest Adventure, Witches,
Magic. The topaz quest is the third DragonChild fantasy
adventure. Tia's quest continues with her search for the third Jewel
of Power, a topaz stolen from the DragonQueen's necklace. This
jewel has been stolen by the High Witch Luona who controls the
townspeople of Stoplar with its weather-altering magic. Tia has
bravely gathered the emerald that lets her speak to animals and the
opal that lets her change shape. Once again she is accompanied by
the jackdaw Loki and her DragonBrother Finn.
This junior novel begins with a recap of her previous quests, this
helps the new reader understand Tia's motivation. When they finally
reach the cliffs above Stoplar, the trio are stopped by the fierce
ice storm. Finn and Loki help with the entry into the town and her
quick thinking helps her to find shelter. Her protectors help her
gain a work badge and she finds work collecting saffron threads. Of
course the news of Tia's search for the jewels has reached the High
Witch Luona and she will not let the topaz go without a struggle.
Gil Vickery's novel is imaginatively written and shows her
understanding of the young reader's need for magical fantasy and
adventure. Mike Love's dark moody black and white sketches create
atmosphere and add to the understanding of Tia's journey.
This novel is highly recommended for children from 7-9 years of age.
Suitable for a class read.
Rhyllis Bignel
The apprentices by Maile Meloy
The apprentices by Maile Meloy
Text, 2013. ISBN 9781922147141.
Recommended. The apprentices like all good sequels begins
virtually where The Apothecary left off.
Janie Scott is back at school in America regaining her memories of
Benjamin Burrows and experimenting on a way to convert salt sea
water into water. Her roommate's father, an evil industrialist tries
to get Janie to work for him and when that fails; he plots to
disgrace and kidnap her.
Benjamin meanwhile is in French Indochina trying to assist the
poor, the sick and the injured. He becomes aware that Janie is in
danger and contrives to get to America. Janie is captured by the
megalomaniac tycoon Magnusson and taken to an Island of Malaya,
while Benjamin is captured by cargo cultist on a Pacific Island.
All the action contrives to keep the two young friends apart, and
they rely on the Apothecary, Pip and Jin Lo using all their
resources to rescue Janie and prevent nuclear disaster.
The path of true love is never smooth and on his journey Benjamin is
aware that he has a rival in America who cares for Janie as much as
he does. Janie too, is considering her feelings and wondering if she
and Benjamin have a future.
Maile Meloy has created a cast of wonderful characters and matinee
villains, and a story with a twist of magic and an interesting Cold
War setting. It is easy to see her continue to write them within a
variety of exotic settings with a Cold War background. As her
characters and readership grow older we can move from the Eisenhower
period to the glamorous Kennedy Presidency.
There is a lot to like about this book and it works on many levels.
Plot and character drive this novel and it should have wide and
cross genre appeal.
Michael Jongen
Spy Society by Robin Benway
Simon and Schuster, London, 2013. ISBN 9781471116742.
(Age: 13+) Recommended. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read largely
because neither the author nor the narrator take themselves too
seriously.
The premise behind the story is that Maggie Silver is the daughter
of two international spies and, since the age of 4, has been a
safe-cracking genius. The family has just been sent to NYC on
assignment, but this time Maggie is the key. Yes, she has her first
real job as a spy: attend high school and befriend Jesse Oliver so
she can break into his dad's safe! Sounds easy?? Well, for a girl
who has spent her life travelling the world accompanying her parents
on their spy cases, attending high school is not as easy as you
might expect. Maggie soon discovers that she is more adept at
cracking safes than she is at cracking the teenage high school code
of behaviour, let alone cracking the code of teenage boys.
Fortunately for the reader, Maggie also has a sharp eye and a witty
tongue and is not afraid to mock herself, so her endeavours to make
friends and settle into high school are filled with humour and just
the requisite amount of teenage angst. With such an engaging
narrator, we are willing to go along for the ride when the plot
begins to stretch the bounds of credibility as Maggie and her
new-found friends attempt to turn the tables on the bad guys.
Part mystery story (with just enough hints thrown in to keep the
reader guessing), part teen romance story (as both Jesse and Maggie
try to make sense of their equally unusual upbringings) and part
high-school drama this novel is a thoroughly engaging romp from
beginning to end. Robin Benway balances the demands of each element
of her story cleverly and the teenage narrative voice is pitch
perfect. With plenty of action, romance and just the right amount of
teenage angst to keep young readers entertained, it looks like a
delightful series is about to begin.
Deborah Marshall
