Magabala Books, 2013. ISBN 1 92114241 5
(Age: 4+) Picture book. Aboriginal themes. Survival. Family. In
searching for his destiny, Alfie wanders away from home, looking
under rocks, and into the sky, looking behind trees. He runs from
the croc rearing up beneath the river, and escapes from the snake
hanging down from the tree, until he finds a group of animals. He
asks them what his destiny is, but they are unable to answer.
Eventually the boy returns home and hearing the voices of his mum
and dad, realises that his life is with them, his destiny is at
home.
In rhyming text, the tale of Alfie searching all the while for his
destiny, and finally realising his place is at home, represents us
all in our search for the question about the meaning of life and why
we are here. The story reflects the need of all children to be given
space but within the context of a warm loving, family.
The background illustrations show the range of territory that Alfie
wanders over, exposing the Northern Australian environment to
another audience, and Hardy's time spent in the studios of Walt
Disney clearly has influenced his work. A touch of Manga will also
appeal to the younger readers, eager to pick up a book which
exemplifies the stability and base that a loving family offers all
children.
Fran Knight
Star cursed by Jessica Spotswood
Penguin, 2013. ISBN 9780141342139. 367p. Star Cursed is the sequel to Born Wicked, making it
the second volume of the Cahill Witch Chronicles. Jessica
Spotswood's alternate history of New England, USA, chronicles the
secret society of witches. We follow Cate's recruitment to the big
city convent school, but the religious order is a front for the
'Sisterhood' of witches in the same manner that 'Hogwarts' is really
a school for English witches and wizards.
Cate could be the witch prophesied to lead the Sisterhood next when
Sister Cora passes away. Or is it one of her sisters - Maura or
Tess? When all sisters are forced to join the Sisterhood, Maura
plots to overthrow Cate as the favourite candidate.
The puritan society of New England is a dangerous place for these
witches who are capable of illusions, erasing minds and healing.
These skills cannot be used haphazardly without arousing suspicion
because the brotherhood is arresting and torturing any innocent
woman suspected of witchcraft or visions.
Finn is still Cate's romantic interest and he has joined the
Brotherhood. Will he understand why she ran away to the convent
instead of accepting his marriage proposal?
Maura's alliances and attacks threaten to incite the Brotherhood to
persecute witches like never before, whereas Cate and Tess prefer
less risky resistance and rescue operations. The next instalment
should see the conflict resolved and a true leader emerge.
Deb Robins
Spy for the Queen of Scots by Theresa Breslin
Corgi, 2013. ISBN: 9780552560757.
Highly recommended. Award winning author Theresa Breslin provides
insight into the tragic life of history's obscure Scottish regent Mary Stuart who faced sexism and religious discrimination from all
those of her age whilst she struggled to unite a warring nation.
Born into royalty and crowned as a baby, Mary Stuart Queen of Scots
is surrounded by agents of deceit throughout her life, never knowing
quite who to trust, however there is one person who has always
remained loyal, Jenny. Childhood friends who were nursed together in
France away from their Scottish homeland, Jenny is the confidant and
friend that Mary needs throughout the persecution she faces on her
return to her Scottish homeland after the murder of her first
husband, King Francis. While Mary relies upon her friend the Lady
Ginette, Jenny in turn relies upon her protector Sir Duncan
Alexander, a man who she has always loved, although surrounded by
the deceit and ill-intent towards her queen Jenny distrusts the man
who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. In her
role as spy for the Queen of Scots, her suspicions drive a wedge
between the two.
I would highly recommend this novel to all lovers of historic
fiction, the simple presentation of the complex dramas of 1500's
monarch life is easy to understand and provides for a very exciting
read. Sophisticated and engaging, this novel is a sure representation
of great historic fiction. It brings the drama of court life, the
stress of political problems and the treachery of nobles and lords
of old. This novel has everything any good novel should, a dramatic
plot filled with subterfuge, believable characters and of course a
brilliant writer.
Kayla Gaskell (Student)
Archie's holiday by Domenica Gordon
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 978 1 4088 2932 5.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Picture book. Dogs. Holidays. When Archie
decides to go on a holiday, he begins to pack his suitcase. He packs
his sunglasses and Panama hat, but on sleeping that night, dreams of
thunderstorms and heavy rain. The next day he adds his raincoat,
umbrella and hot water bottle to the suitcase. That night he dreams
of all the food that he might have on his holiday, and so the next
day packs all the things he might need for indigestion and tummy
troubles, packing pills and lotions and creams along with his first
aid box. The suitcase is getting bigger!
The very next night he dreams of swimming at the beach, and so packs
swimmers, rubber tubes, bucket and spade and all the things he might
need at the beach. All the while the wonderful script is full of
single words telling what he is packing, as the suitcase gets bigger
and bigger. Both Archie and his dog keep adding things to the case,
until the middle opening pages show what happens to the poor case.
After this disaster, Archie comes up with a neat solution of what to
take on his holiday.
Lively illustrations accompany the charming story, inviting readers
to seek and find the array of things shown on each page. They will
laugh with glee at the increasing size of the suitcase, predicting
what may happen, and laugh again at Archie's solution.
What a wonderful story, beautifully illustrated. This could be part
of any discussions at home or in the classroom about holidays, what
to pack, what is appropriate at different destinations, and how to
choose what to take.
Fran Knight
Julius and the Watchmaker by Tim Hehir
Text, 2013. ISBN: 9781922079732.
Recommended for readers from 12-14 years of age. Subjects: Time
travel, Clocks and watches, Fantasy, Steampunk, Victorian England,
Science Fiction, Adventure. Tim Hehir's first novel set in 1837
London is complex and intriguing, taking young Julius Higgins on
unbelievable escapades, fighting villains, making new friends,
time-travelling into alternate worlds and meeting literary and
historical figures.
Julius works in his grandfather's bookshop in Ironmonger Lane, until
Jack Springheel a mysterious clock collector comes looking for John
Harrison the famous watchmaker's diary. Quickly Julius is drawn into
the adventure becoming a runaway and a thief stealing the diary,
making a regretful deal with Springheel. Fortunately he also
meets the professor and Mr Flynn who come to his assistance with
another time piece that allows time travel.
The cast of characters add richness to the plot's complexity, Emily
and her band of street urchins, the fierce Grackacks who inhabit an
alternate London, to Christian Machine and the clockmen, the rich
and poor of Victorian England. Hehir's attention to detail is
evident, from the housing, architecture, historic events even using
the vernacular of the day all adds depth and interest to the novel.
Julius is thrown into alternative worlds that are frightening,
confronting and strange. London controlled by the power hungry
Grackacks is preparing for a war with amazing flying machines
zettmalins in the sky and huge wheeled steel ships docked at the
river. Each chapter is titled with a date and time to allow the
reader to follow Julius forwards and backwards in Victorian England.
Tim Hehir's captivating time travel novel is the first in the Watchmaker
series.
Rhyllis Bignell
Colour for curlews by Renee Treml
Random House, 2013. ISBN 9781 74275 921 0.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Picture book. Australian birds. Colour. Two
curlews take paint and an artist's paint brush and proceed to use
the colours in unexpected ways. With tubes of paint tucked under
their wings, they paint each other's eyes with yellow. The bowerbird
spies the tube of blue and paints himself with the colour he so
admires. The brolga grabs the red, the quails the red and yellow and
make orange the lorikeet the yellow and blue to make green, while
the doves mash many colours together to make purple. Each set of
birds grabs a different colour to adorn themselves with and some use
two colours to make another. In the end the wombat rolls around in a
maze of colours making brown, his favourite colour and he goes to
sleep.
Told in verse form, the rhymes and rhythms of the words will keep
children and parents reading, as the story of the birds and the
colours mixes to a absorbing story of colour. Readers will love to
read of the variety of Australian birds and one animal, and the
colours they already are, comparing them with the colour they attach
to themselves after taking the paintbox. Various bird prints splash
across the pages as they tramp in the different colours. For a book
extolling the variety of colours and their names, along with
information at the end of the book about the birds presented, this
will be a well used addition to the class or home library.
Fran Knight
All our yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 978 14088 35197.
(Age: 15+) Em and Finn suffer terribly from their decision to travel
back in time to ensure the destruction of Cassandra, a device
originally designed to avert disaster and tragedy. Altering
the sequence of time and the resultant paradoxes which are produced
are thought provoking and compelling concepts to construct a story
around and this novel had great potential.
Described in split character narratives from the heroine's future
and past, the complex alternate realities are difficult to
comprehend at times, however this is a feature of the subject and
the challenge to the reader is reasonable. An interesting device is
used to distinguish the older Em from her younger self which enables
the reader to appreciate which aspect is speaking as the
complexities and sinister outcomes from Cassandra are revealed.
Clever character and plot developments are features of this story
which in its latter stages draws events and relationships together
in mind bending parallel histories. Explaining further runs the risk
of spoiling the story which hinges on a significant twist which,
whilst evident very early, maintains the framework until conclusion.
My criticism of this novel is that whilst the concept is
intelligent, the opening chapters are written as if the novel
was a later book in a series, relying on a reader's prior knowledge
of characters and events. This may be a device to prompt readers to
persist, in order to discover what the start was about. It is boldly
different to traditional chronological narratives and makes sense
when sequences are explained later, however some readers might
understandably abandon the novel in frustrated bewilderment.
Strong characters eventually bind this story which sadly loses
momentum with the excessive portrayal of teenage social
posturing. The characters are not always pleasant as they display
flaws and attitudes appropriate to the alternate realities of the
time shift. The precocious younger version of Em, a spoiled
brat with witless attitudes and juvenile romantic obsessions, later
shines as a brave young woman enduring cruelty and torment.
Torture scenes are skilfully implied, effectively conveying fear and
prompting revulsion without overt description. Violence is not
described excessively but swearing in keeping with the context
occurs on a couple of occasions and I would suggest this novel suits
15+.
Rob Welsh
Killer Ute by Rosanne Hawke
UQP, 2013. ISBN 9780702249600.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Thriller. Adventure. Family. Stereotypes.
While in court giving evidence against Scott, his bikie father, Joel
is warned by him to watch out. Fearing what could happen, his
grandmother sends him off with Dev his foster father to hide out on
a remote farm. At first Joel thinks it is just a holiday but when a
ute with enormous bullbars runs them off the road, he realises that
he is in danger. As the attacks mount the suspense becomes
unbearable and Dev and Joel, with his friend Mia, go deeper into
hiding.
The third book following The keeper and Sailmaker,
this is an ideal adventure story to tempt boys into reading. It has
all the ingredients to get children excited - a chilling adventure,
big cars, scuba diving, fishing and motor bikes, all put together in
a very well written package. The series would also be a good read
aloud, starting with the first book and letting children read the
next two themselves.
What I particularly liked in this series was the breaking down of
stereotypes that Hawke does so subtly and effortlessly. The reader
will discover that not every bikie is bad, indeed the members of the
Longriders are shown to be helpful and honest. Joel has learning and
behavioural difficulties but his efforts at self discipline are
shown in a sympathetic light, as are single parent families. Joel
wishes that Dev could be his real father and has gradually come to
understand why his very young mother left him with his grandmother
to raise.
It is a pleasure to see this excellent series in print.
Pat Pledger
Superkid by Claire Freedman
Ill. by Sarah McIntyre. Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 9781407124063.
Recommended for 4-6 years of age. Themes: Heroes, Stories in rhyme,
Bullying.
'There's a boy quite ordinary, He looks like me or you, but in
secret . . . he is SUPERKID - There's nothing he can't do! '
Superkid's special powers assist him in all sorts of tricky
situations, in the classroom, dealing with bullies in the yard and
helping at home. Claire Freedman's rhyming text provides an exciting
jumping off point for Sarah McIntyre's crazy over the top cartoon
style drawings. Each page is jam-packed with action and there are so
many little surprises to be found before the reader turns the page.
The broccoli tree at dinner-time is an absolute winner, a very
relatable page for kids who have difficulty eating their vegetables.
Superkid fights the school bullies, assists in the dramas of bedroom
cleaning and in the unfortunate capture by a pirate crew. His skills
and powers prove to be a handy tool. The messy bedroom scene is one
of the funnier double page spreads. There is so much to take in
right down to Mum's bunny slippers.
Author Claire Freedman is a well known British picture-book author,
here she shows her understanding of encouraging a young audience to
face up to their challenges. Sarah McIntyre's illustrations are
colourful, fun and full of life, they really add the pizzazz to the
rhyme.
Rhyllis Bignell
Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts
Text, 2013. ISBN 9781922147257.
(Age 14+) Highly recommended. Winner of the Text Prize, 2012. Zac is
in hospital undergoing another round of cancer treatments when he
hears the girl in the next room. She is loud and feisty and plays
her music very loudly. Zac makes contact with Mia by tapping on the
wall and from there a friendship grows that neither expects.
With a family history of cancer, I usually avoid books about the
topic, but decided to read this one as it had won the Text Prize and
I had enjoyed other Text Prize winners. I am pleased that I did as
it was not a tear jerker, but rather a story that showed the
enormous courage and resilience that cancer sufferers must have, not
just when in hospital getting treatment, but also when they go home
and face a future that is different to what they had planned. It was
an uplifting and emotional journey for me, with the compassion and
humour of the writing making it a wonderful reading experience.
Zac is a character who is easy to like. He is funny and straight
forward and manages his fears by quoting all sorts of statistics
about cancer and trying to be positive. (The reader learns a lot
about cancer on the way). He is surrounded by an overprotective but
very loving mother and family. Mia on the other hand is angry, angry
about her cancer, furious with her mother and bitterly disappointed
in her boyfriend. She is careless about her health and her
relationships. Both come to need each other at different times,
relying on each other's strengths. The book clearly showed the
importance of support for cancer sufferers from family and friends,
even if it is shunned at the time.
A.J. Betts has spent years as a hospital teacher, and her research,
knowledge of hospitals, patients and their routines shines through,
giving the story a feeling of depth and authenticity. I can highly
recommend this book as a possible literature circle or class set
book in schools and a must have in libraries.
Pat Pledger
Not for turning: the life of Margaret Thatcher by Robin Harris
Transworld Publishers, 2013. ISBN 9780593072868.
(Age: 17+) Margaret Thatcher overcame many challenges to become not
only the Leader of the Conservative Party but also Britain's first
female Prime Minister, and the longest serving British Prime Minster
in the twentieth century. These challenges included the Falklands
war, a terrorist attack on the British Cabinet and economic woes
within Britain whilst in power. Robin Harris delves into Margaret
Thatcher's personal life as well as her political career in
portraying her as a driven and passionate individual. Her entry into
the male dominated British Parliament is one of the fascinating
aspects of this book, highlighting her intellectual strengths and
courage. Despite being her speechwriter and close advisor Robin
Harris has written a balanced and objective account of Margaret
Thatcher's successes and failures as a politician and person. Her
interactions involving international affairs and with other world
leaders as British Prime Minister were comprehensively highlighted
and in the case of General Pinochet, a united Europe and Bosnia,
demonstrated her commitment to truth and justice and overwhelming
loyalty to those causes she strongly believed in. Margaret Thatcher
remained involved in politics after leaving office in 1990, however
sadly her intellectual drive and passion to bring about change were
severely curtailed not only by opposition from within the party she
once led and personal money worries but also due to her Alzheimer's.
The only downside to Not for turning: the life of Margaret
Thatcher was the demanding vocabulary used which detracted
somewhat from the overall flow of the writing itself. Recommended
for university or senior school students studying politics and
women's studies as a thought-provoking introduction to Margaret
Thatcher; a formidable presence in British and world politics.
Tara Burton
Dangerous girls by Abigail Haas
Simon & Schuster Childrens Books, 2013. ISBN 9781471119149
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best
friend Elise and a group of close friends, are off holidaying in
Aruba to celebrate before they all go to college. But the holiday is
cut short when Elise is found brutally murdered, and no one knows
who killed her.
Anna is swiftly arrested and stands trial for the murder of her best
friend. As the trial continues, everyone starts to question her
innocence, even those closest to her. To the rest of the world, she
isn't just guilty, she's dangerous. But as the truth begins to come
out, it will be even more shocking...
At a first glance this book seems to be a formulaic, young-adult
whodunit murder mystery. First looks have never been so deceptive.
What begins as a simple teenage novel quickly grows into a
fascinating, intricate murder mystery, one that envelops the reader
completely in its complex web of lies, deceit and murder. The book
is fast-paced and exciting, making the reader want to turn the pages
at a feverish pace. The characters, although seeming somewhat
stereotypical at first, end up being developed very well. Subtle
hints are shown throughout the novel as to who the killer is, but
many won't become obvious until the end of novel, when the murderer
is finally revealed. This is one of those books that will keep
readers guessing right until the end. Dangerous girls is a brilliantly
suspenseful, intricate murder mystery that will be remembered long after it's been
finished.
I highly recommend this book.
Rebecca Adams
Just joking - over 300 jokes inside! by Dan McGuiness
Scholastic, 2013. ISBN: 9781742837352
(Age: 7-9) Jokes, Riddles, Puzzles
This joke book is suited to the home reader; each purchase supports
the wonderful programs run by Camp Quality. The prologue honours the
work done by this organisation and encourages us to remember that
laughter is the best medicine.
For interest, the riddles and jokes are written in a multitude of
fonts, styles and sizes placed in many different ways across the
pages. Funny sketches add humour to the punchlines. What did one
laptop say to the other laptop? Sorry you are not my type.
Puzzles, word-searches, cracking the code and mazes add to the fun.
This book would be great for a present for a young reader from
7-9 years of age.
Rhyllis Bignell
The short giraffe by Neil Florey and Mark Clearly
Allen and Unwin, 2013. ISBN 9781743315071.
(Age: 4+) Picture book. Humour. Problem solving. Animals. A photo
shoot at the zoo proves to be a rather involved situation. The six
giraffes are all very keen to be photographed together. But one
giraffe is much smaller than the rest, and each time they set up the
shot, his head does not appear. Many of the other animals make
suggestions about how the problem can be solved. He tries
standing on stilts, but the stilts collapse, he tries strapping on
the backs of a number of turtles, but their backs are so slippery
they all collapse, he tries hanging from a tree, but then he is in
the photograph upside down. Filling him with helium, putting wings
on his back, and springs on his feet, all fail to make him the same
size as the others. The photographer, a baboon, is out of ideas
until a lowly caterpillar makes a suggestion. The result is a
photograph they can all be proud of, and it includes them all.
The sepia coloured paper used as a background to the zoo and the
problem, contrasts well with the bright, animated pictures of the
animals as they try different things to solve their problem. The
page which shows the results of their efforts will double the
readers' laughter at the antics of this group of animals trying to
solve their problem.
Fran Knight
The madness underneath by Maureen Johnson
Shades of London, bk 2. HarperCollins, 2013. ISBN
9780007432271.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Gothic mystery. Thriller. Rory has spent
some time trying to recover from being stabbed by a Jack the Ripper
killer (in The name of the star) but when she is asked if
she wants to go back to her boarding school she jumps at the chance
to see her friends and ghost hunting colleagues. There are strange
and dangerous apparitions around the streets of her school and she
has to put her new-found ghost hunting skills to the test before
ghosts appear from the old grounds of Bedlam.
This is an exciting thriller that I found very difficult to put
down. Rory's ability to act as a terminus when ghost hunting is a
fascinating plot line that threads through the whole story and made
me gasp with fear as ghosts and other evil characters stalk her.
There are many sinister plot twists that keep the action going as
Rory tries out her dangerous powers and also works out who she can
trust and who she wants to be with.
Johnson's characters from her first book are fleshed out. Rory,
although she has dark thoughts and talks too much, is a survivor who
is determined to do something with her powers. Stephen, Boo and
Callum are worthy colleagues and as a reader I was fascinated to
learn more about Stephen's background.
Johnson's atmospheric description of London streets and alleys and
places like Spitalfields Market, will make readers long to go to
London and follow Rory's trail through historic London sites. Her
historic detail is fabulous and readers will shudder to learn of all
the bodies, including those from Bedlam, the infamous home for the
mentally ill, that are a buried under London streets. Rory's
meetings with scary therapists also add to the suspense of the
story.
Johnson has written a witty, dark and compelling mystery with a
unique storyline that will appeal to teens. The cliff-hanger of an
ending is sure to compel readers to grab the next book in the series
when it appears.
Pat Pledger
