Text Publishing, 2013. ISBN 9781922182234.
(Adult - Selected senior students) Reading Eimear McBride's debut
novel requires energy and emotional strength but far from being
difficult it seems to bypass intellect and speak directly to the
reader's emotions like good poetry. Central to the story is
the girl's relationship with her brother, the 'you' throughout the
novel. Affected by a brain tumour, she wishes he could be normal and
is protective and emotionally tied to him. At the same time she is
deeply affected by her mother's lack of affection, her father's
absence, poverty and the whole Irish catholic notion of guilt, sin
and the need to be cleansed. An uncle seems to offer her the love
she craves but guilt combined with her lack of self esteem leads to
confronting sexual abuse, self-debasing behaviours and self harm.
Not an easy book and there are strong sexual references, but for
adults and maybe selected senior students, worth the effort.
Sue Speck
Man made boy by Jon Skovron
Allen and Unwin, 2013. ISBN 9781743315132.
It is almost inevitable that as our world becomes increasingly
dependent on technology, face-to-face communication will become less
favourable. This prophecy is more relevant now than ever, as we
constantly toil to advance ourselves in that field.
It is also inevitable that in some way teenagers will always feel
the social pinch and emotional punch of adolescence - this inherent
angst has been exhibited in all settings where associated hormones
are present.
Both our increased reliance on plug-in tools and our collective
experience of youthful trial-and-error, are themes prevalent in Jon
Skovron's Man made boy, although in story and style they are
much simpler.
From the circuit-board font on the cover and the very first
paragraph, this work exudes a tech-savvy and highly contemporary
style, obviously as a means of updating the literary source it
references so heavily: Frankenstein.
In its time, Mary Shelley's seminal novel was tech-heavy - nuts and
bolts, elaborate scientific structure and a re-animation technique
powered by good old fashioned lightning.
Now, we have a cyberpunk influence, with computer-age language
littering the text. Somewhat surprisingly, this does not overshadow
a very traditional writing style, but instead complements it.
In terms of story, Man made boy concerns an aptly titled
teenaged hermit named Boy, and chronicles his experiences forming
his own personality and coming to terms with other relevant
emotional hurdles. In addition, Frankenstein-esque deformities have
created a low self-esteem situation for Boy, preventing him from
real interaction and exiling him to behind a computer screen.
Skovron has intentionally stripped our endearing protagonist of a
proper name to comment on the teenager's inherent need to categorize
themself and construct their personal traits. He makes clever,
humorous and insightful commentary on the epidemic of
technologically adept and addicted youth, and the potential social
problems which arise.
Aside from the thought-provoking content, the narrative is thrilling
and charming (and of course, full of knowing nods in jest to classic
horror literature.)
This is Frankenstein updated for a new audience - its themes
of creation, identity, isolation and misunderstanding still intact.
Man made boy is full of heart - re-assembled, stitched together and
calibrated with a micro-chip - but heart no less.
Henry Vaughan (Student)
My island homicide by Catherine Titasey
University of Queensland Press, 2013. ISBN 9780702249716
(Age: 16-adult) Recommended.
With a play on the title of the Christine Anu song 'My island home',
Titasey conjures up the image of an island paradise in the Torres
Straits. And this is exactly what Senior-Sergeant Ebithea Dari-Jones
hopes it to be - a break from the stresses of her mainland job in
the Queensland Police Service and a broken relationship, and also a
return to her roots - rediscovering her mother's origins on Thursday
Island. She expects her new role as Officer-In-Charge on the island
to be a relaxed and uncomplicated life in the tropics. But on her
first day on the job, she finds more than she bargained for:
tensions and superstitions, a missing person - suspected homicide...
and an undercurrent of 'maydh', black magic.
There is lots to enjoy in this book. The character of Ebithea
herself is a break from the traditional heroine mould - she is 6
feet tall with a few too many curves, and a liking for fast food. We
can smile in recognition of the situation where she goes online to
purchase sexy new underwear after meeting with attractive Islander
fisherman Jonah, and the warm humour of the relationships with her
mother and her work colleagues. The writing style is easy to read,
the location and storyline are original and the mystery keeps you
guessing until the end, - as Ebithea discovers that perhaps the
lives of these island people are not as simple as first appears and
there is much more to the missing person case than even she, with
her astute detective skills, suspects. Readers will enjoy the
unusual characters, the gradual realisation of the threat of
'maydh', and the twist of the plot that still makes sense and has a
satisfying ending. This is a fresh new novel that leaves us hoping
for another in this style from Titasey, winner of the 2012
Queensland Literary Awards - Best Emerging Author.
Helen Eddy
Stories for boys
Random House Australia Children's, 2013. ISBN 9780857980885. Ebook
9780857980861.
Stories for girls
Random House Australia Children's, 2013. ISBN 9780857980861. Ebook
9780857980878.
(Age: 6-8) Highly recommended. Two delightful collections of short
stories aimed squarely at the 6-8 year olds. With many of
Australia's leading authors on board including Tristan Bancks,
Sophie Masson, Bill Condon, George Ivanoff, Janeen Brian, Martin
Chatterton, Claire Saxby and Jacqueline Harvey, little people who
are either newly independent readers or enjoy read-alouds will love
these engaging stories. Some silly, some serious, some adventurous,
some clever means something for everyone! Stories for boys is illustrated by Tony Flowers, whose work
will be known already by followers of the popular Saurus Street
series while Stories for girls is illustrated by J. Yi who is
particularly known for the Alice-Miranda series.
Over the weekend Miss Small (8) and I shared two of the stories from
the Girls book and her facial expressions, comments and laughter
affirmed that these will be a sure-fire hit with the smaller folk in
your reading circles. Arabella Button, by Grace Atwood was
particularly well received. After all, just the very image of a
giraffe doing ballet was enough to set us both in the right frame of
mind for a cosy happy snuggle before bedtime. We are both looking
forward to the next weekend sleepover to continue working our way
through the contents page.
For those familiar with the Stories for five, six, seven and eight
year olds series, the style of these two collections will be very
recognisable. Perfect for teachers wanting a quick story for a spare
five minutes or parents needing that brief before bed just-one-more
tale, both of these will appeal to the imaginations and humour of
the age group.
Highly recommended, both for the readings levels and interests, of
boys and girls from 6-8 years old
Sue Warren
Yoo hoo, ladybird! by Mem Fox
Ill. by Laura Ljungkvist. Penguin Australia, 2013. ISBN 9780670077304.
(Age: 2-6) Highly recommended. This little ladybird loves to hide
and finding just where she is hiding will delight young readers
immensely. And older readers who adore great end papers will also
love it!
Whether she is 'stuck on the stairs with a couple of bears' or
'outside the house with Chicken and Mouse' little people will have
great fun searching for this happy little bug amid some gorgeously
vibrant illustrations.
'I spy' for toddlers - with rhythmic rhyming text that is perfect as
a read-aloud - highly recommended for small ones 2 years and up.
Sue Warren
Hard luck: Diary of a wimpy kid by Jeff Kinney
Penguin Australia, 2013. ISBN 9780143308089.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. I have no doubt that there were some
furtive sidelong glances from my fellow commuters on the train as I
chuckled my way through the latest of the Diary of a wimpy kid
books - Hard luck.
There is something about the hapless Greg Heffley that strikes a
chord with thousands of fans, including me (perhaps because he
sometimes puts me in mind of Frank Spencer, Some mothers do 'ave
'em).
In this latest episode from the continuing comedy that is Greg's
life, our poor anti-hero finds himself without his lifelong friend
Rowley because - shock! Rowley has a girlfriend with whom he is
totally besotted. No one to carry his heavy bag of books, no one to
give out dog poo warnings, no one to deflect the feral forest thugs
and certainly no one to hang out with. Greg discovers that making
new friends in middle school is a difficult if not impossible ask.
Fed up with what he sees as wrong decisions being made about his
life and the subsequent disastrous consequences, Greg takes fate in
a firm grip and starts placing all his choices with the answer given
by a 'Magic 8' ball. Naturally, this does not go according to plan!
Amongst many hilarious scenes from the book, my undoubted favourite
is Greg hiding out in his mother's wardrobe and uncovering a 'secret
stash' hidden away - no, not what you might think at all! This
carefully hoarded cache is a collection of parenting books, from
which Greg recognises many techniques used by his mum along with
multiples of his favourite toy - in case of disaster with the
original (or is that no longer the original?).
This book is highly recommended for readers, both boys
and girls, 10 and up - and as with all the Diary of a wimpy kid books,
a great choice for reluctant readers.
Sue Warren
Yikes, stinkysaurus! By Pamela Butchart and Sam Lloyd
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408837078.
(Age: 3-6) Dinosaurs. Humour. Smells. Baths. Stinkysaurus is the
scariest of all the dinosaurs because he doesn't take a bath and he
scares away everyone with his awful smell. The other dinosaurs can
smell him wherever he goes and he has no friends. When the dinosaurs
decide that enough is enough and give him a bath Stinkysaurus finds
that he now has friends to play with.
Young children will love the rhyme and alliteration in this story
which is a good one to read aloud. The repetition of the words,
'Yikes, stinkysaurus!' provide an opportunity for children to leap
in with a refrain and the potty humour is sure to be a big hit with
the young set. Adult readers can make a plug for the joys of having
a bath, but really the story is just a lot of fun.
Children who are obsessed with dinosaurs will be able to pick out
the different types, even though they are coloured in very bright
blues, oranges and pinks. Beginning readers would also be able to
read along to the rhyme after they had heard the story a couple of
times.
Sure to be a bedtime favourite with children who are obsessed with
dinosaurs, this is a hilarious story that is likely to become a
favourite.
Pat Pledger
Secret by Brigid Kemmerer
Elemental, bk 4. Kensington Teen, ISBN 9780758294371.
(Age 14+) Recommended. Paranormal. Gay and lesbian themes. Nick
Merrick's element is air, but it is not the elements that are
worrying him. It is the real issues that he is facing at home.
Should he open the envelopes to see if he has an offer from a
college? How can he think of leaving town when the family business
seems to be going under? Then there is Adam, Quinn's dance partner.
How can he face his family with his secret?
Kemmerer has done it again in this story - an engrossing combination
of real life issues and paranormal weather. Readers will be blown
away by Nick's story. Nick's secret was revealed in a short novella,
Breathless, and Secret expands on the story. Nick has
never had any problems attracting girls, least of all Quinn, but
when he meets Adam he goes through a struggle realising that he is
gay and that he wants a relationship with Adam. However the dilemma
of how to come out to his family, especially his twin Gabriel, is a
fraught one for him. Kemmerer deals with this very sensitively and
takes the reader through the emotions and fears that a gay boy must
deal with. It is not at all an easy ride for Nick, who must decide
that he is the most important person in his own life and that he
can't always put other people first. Excellent writing makes Nick's
fears and his brother's and Hunter's reactions realistic with each
displaying strengths and weaknesses.
At the same time Kemmerer explores what it is like to be homeless
for Quinn, when her mother and her older brother both let her down
terribly. Quinn's problems are quite distressing for the reader and
she too has to decide that she is a person worthy of respect and
love. The introduction of Tyler as a character who may have a good
side to him is thought provoking as Nick has to come to terms with
what forgiveness means.
This book is a winner with its mix of real issues, the paranormal
and Nick's air element showing its strength against danger. A
fabulous conclusion has left me gasping for the next book in the
series.
Pat Pledger
Kissed by the moon by Alison Lester
Penguin, 2013. ISBN 9780670076758.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Picture book. Influences. Growing up.
Opening a book by Alison Lester always thrills me. With her latest,
Kissed by the moon, she is able to capture a parent's wish for their
child to wonder at the world in which they have been born, to
experience the community and the environment, to splash in the
water, to experience the ocean, to hear the birds as they wake, to
walk in the untamed forest. Each page opens the child's mind to the
possibilities of what is around them, encouraging the parent to
ensure that the child is exposed to all the good things of life.
Lester's soft watercolours draw the eye to the detail of the images
she draws, as well as creating soft love filled pages, underscored
by the spare prose.
Each page shows a different environment and season, covering aspects
of the Australian climate, be it snow, spring produce, a sunny beach
or the falling leaves of autumn. Every picture is filled with the
safe secure arms of a parent, guiding the child to experience its
surroundings. The subtle subtext of caring for the environment is
there, in lines which assume the rivers, fish and oceans will still
be there, and the forests as wild.
Lester's talents with many different art forms along with her
ability to encapsulate meaning in a brief smattering of words, is
enough for anyone to gasp at the depth of her work, for parents to
smile with recognition and children to read for themselves the
wonder of childhood.
Fran Knight
Shadows by Robin McKinley
Puffin, 2013. Kindle edition. ISBN 9780141969534
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Magic. Maggie hates Val, her new
stepfather. He seems to be surrounded by strange shadows that no one
else can see. A refugee from Oldworld where magic is still used, he
just doesn't seem to quite fit into Newworld, where magic has been
banned and everything must have a scientific rationale. Maggie's
great grandmother had been a magician, but that was a long time ago
and anything that reeks of magic must now be hidden. Then Maggie
meets a gorgeous boy Casimir who is from Oldworld too, and together
with her friends Jill and Takahiro, and her dog Mongo, they face
shattering events and must rely on Val's help.
McKinley is an award winning author and the quality of her work
demonstrates both her creative writing skills and the wonderful
imagination that she brings to the worlds that she creates. She
doesn't write long series, most of her books are one-offs, and each
is very different, giving her fans, and I am one, something to truly
look forward to. Shadows is similar to her wonderful vampire book, Sunshine,
in that it has a familiar feel to the setting. Although Maggie's
world is quite different to ours, her family, her friends and her
work at the animal shelter make the reader feel comfortable while
taking in the ideas of magic being banned and strange shadows
stalking her stepfather.
McKinley's characters are beautifully rounded. Maggie is a great
character. The story is told in the first person by her and through
her observations the reader gets to know everyone really well.
Although she hates Val, she tries to hide this because her mother
loves him so much and her little brother adores him as well. Jill is
a trusty friend and Takahiro just blew my mind away. The romance is
low key but really satisfying. And of course, Mongo the dog and the
other dogs at the shelter are fully realised characters as well.
There is plenty of action both from the point of view of the
characters getting to know each other, and from facing the magical
elements. To write much more would be to give away the plot, but it
is riveting and I was left wishing that there was more to come. This
is one book that is on my re-read list, as are all the others that
McKinley has written. This will appeal to fans of Diana Wynne Jones
to whom the book is dedicated, and to readers who want a story with
unique world building and memorable characters.
Pat Pledger
City of monsters by D.C. Green
Monster School, bk 1. Ford St, 2013. ISBN 9781925000078.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended for capable readers. Fantasy. From
Ford St Publishing, comes D.C. Green's latest book for children, the
first in a new series. Now let me see... let's take some gnarly
grommets, angst-ridden kids with attitude, misfits of various
descriptions and some seriously divided peer groups and mix them all
together in a monster mash of hilariously epic proportions.
Enter PT aka Swamp Monster who turns up at Monster School and
somehow, almost by default, becomes part of the Dead Gang. Amidst
this incongruous group of oddballs (even by monster terms!) PT aka
the Heir Apparent of Monstro City is both intimidated and accepted
by a vampire, an abnormally huge spider, a zombie, a shape shifter,
a mummy, a troll and forest goblin - none of whom are 'accepted' by
the ruling class of Mafia goblins. After all, PT (Thomas Regus) is a
'hume', that is, a human and so far outside the norm of Monster
School as to be viewed in the normal scheme of things as... well,
basically... dinner!
With Monstro City being ruled by Lord Boron, both Regent and PT's
tutor, PT is stifled and appalled by his confinement to the dark
quarters of the Palace, his father and brother having disappeared
(amidst rumours of vampire intervention) and his mother in a strange
deep coma.
Rebelling against his everyday life - really? A teenager rebelling?
Go figure! - PT connives at an escape to Monster School to undertake
his own education regarding his kingdom with both extremely amusing
but also heroic results.
Readers, young and old, will recognise many students/young people,
with whom they have interacted and relish the humour and innate
sense of justice expressed through the characters and their actions.
Look out for the next instalment - this one will be a real winner
with both boys and girls. The characters are endearing, despite
their monstrous attributes and the reader becomes fully engaged with
the whole adventure - and who can resist a fully grown dragon?
Magnificent, dangerous and wise, Kalthazari completely dominates the
climax of the adventure and provides the segue to the next
instalment.
Highly recommended for capable readers from 10+ (the characters'
'voices' will need some careful reading).
Sue Warren
I love you night and day by Smriti Prasadam-Halls
Ill. by Alison Brown. Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781408839737.
(Age: Preschool-6) Recommended. Love.
A celebration of love, this picture book sends out a loud and heart
warming message about the power of love that a parent has for a
child:
'I love you wild, I love you loud.
I shout it out and I feel proud.
I love you night, I love you day.
In every moment come what may.'
Vivid colours bring the illustrations alive and are a perfect
complement to the story that just begs to be read aloud by a parent
who wants to reassure a child that he or she is well loved. It would
be an ideal present for parents and is sure to be a book that
becomes a favourite with both adult and child and is an ideal way
for both to express love.
I particularly enjoy books that extol the virtues of love and this
one could be paired with Sam McBratney's Guess how much I love
you and Margaret Wild's On the day that you were born.
Pat Pledger
Her Majesty's pleasure: A centenary celebration for Adelaide's theatre of the stars
Wakefield Press, 2013. ISBN 9781743052297.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Theatre. Adelaide History.
Presented in full colour illustrations in a large format book, this
history of Her Majesty's Theatre in Grote Street in the Adelaide CBD is
just a wonderful read. The author, Frank Van Straten has complied
the stories and history of the grand theatre from his amazingly
broad experience and collection, while doing extensive research to
make this a necessary companion to any study of Adelaide's theatre
scene as well as its architectural heritage. And so well written,
the stories of this marvelous theatre feel familiar and shout to be
recounted. From vaudeville days in the aptly named chapter, Act One,
when Stiffy and Mo trod the stage, with the likes of Lilli Gantrey
or Ada Reeve, or held plays such as The Mallee Root and The
Bushwoman, or encouraged patriotism with shows about ANZAC, the
theatre, then called The Tivolli was a proud part of Adelaide's
theatre-going population.
Each of the book's major sections, Act One and Act Two, are offered
in chronological listings of what happened through the years, the
date being the simple heading for each paragraph or two, making it
an easy book to dip into.
A foreword by Barry Humphries reiterates the importance of the
theatre and recalls his often quoted words that this theatre is his
favourite in Australia. These words are followed by an Overture and
Prologue, and the two chapters are rounded off with a section on The
Future written by the CEO of the Adelaide Festival Centre, Douglas
Gautier. The copious illustrations are amazing, not only detailing a
history of the theatre, but showing the changes in Adelaide as the
theatre went through its paces. It is a wonderful book for browsing,
for adding to the history of Adelaide and for making people look
again at this theatre in the heart of the city.
Fran Knight
Never fade by Alexandra Bracken
The darkest minds bk 2. Harper Collins, 2013. ISBN:
9780732294595.
(Age: 13+) The darkest minds never fade is a book formed
from an interesting concept and a very real possibility warped into
fantasy. A killer disease has swept through the children of America,
wiping out all but a small percent. Survivors are sent to camps to
be monitored by doctors and specialists who are working towards
finding a cure, but these children are no longer the kind to sit
quietly and wait and these camps are no longer the patient sort.
Survivors are quickly found to have talents, almost superpowers, and
are classed into categories based on their talents. Being children,
few escape their camps and even fewer live to tell the tale, but a
special few become involved with The Children's League, a society
formed for the purpose of freeing those frightened, abused children
from the camps and the clutches of madness. If nothing else this
book brings to light the very real issues of how a government could
choose to deal with this kind of mass mutation.
The book is based around the story of Ruby, ex-escapee of brutal
concentration camp, Thurmond, and current associate of The
Children's League. Something is wrong with The Children's League;
Alban is having a difficult time keeping his agents in line,
particularly those who despise the idea of being sent on missions
with Psi children such as Ruby and her team. After well orchestrated
'accidents' which resulted in the deaths of several Psi children
Ruby's team is sent on a renegade mission to find the lost research
of 'The Professor' and the key to curing the disease which caused
the mutations. Running into old friends along the way and going
through more than any child should ever have to go through, Ruby
races against the clock to stop the bad agents from corrupting
Alban's vision of freeing all the kids and returning the American
life to a (would be) normal state.
As this is the second book in the series I would recommend it for
teenagers and young adults. If nothing else it provides a range of
interesting concepts and makes you consider your place in the world.
Kayla Gaskell (Student)
Mouse bird snake wolf by David Almond
Ill. by David McKean. Walker, 2013. ISBN 9781406322897.
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Picture book. Allegory. Creation. While the
gods sleep on high, exhausted after creating the world with all of
its variety, three children, Harry, Sue and Little Ben, wander the
earth, in awe of what they see. But there are gaps.
After a while, they experiment to see if they can fill the blank
spaces and so Little Ben imagines a mouse and creates it out of the
resources around him, willing it to life. Each of the children is
excited by this and Sue goes on to create a bird. The gods on high
see the bird and wonder at it, but return to their slumbers.
Then Harry dreams up a snake. He moulds it out of the clay on the
ground and wills it to life, offering the sorts of noises it will
make. But it proves less alluring than the bird and the mouse, and
the children are a little frightened of what has been created, and
baulk, while the snake slithers into a hole in the ground. But then
he creates a wolf.
An allegory for modern times, the story parallels the creation of
all we see, and in particular, the things we would prefer to have
been left out. Just like Pandora, the evil things brought into the
world astonish and bruise the children, but here, they are able to
revoke the wolf, although it still lurks beneath the earth. I love
the feel of the story, that people have created good things but also
some not so welcome. In the hands of an encouraging teacher or
parent, the discussions about what is good in the world could be
impressive. This could lead on to discussions about their
responsibility in making the world a safer place.
The illustrative techniques used are as different as the story,
inviting the readers to ponder why the illustrator has used this
style and discuss how the style parallels the story, giving it
a surreal edge.
Hints in both the story and illustrations, point to other stories,
building up a multi-layered effect, where readers can bring in other
stories they have heard. Moulding animals out of clay, the images of
the older boy taking up more room on the page as he creates the
snake and then the wolf, the gods on high resting in clouds, the
image of the snake as evil, and so on, all parallel other creation
stories from differing cultures which beg to be discussed.
Fran Knight
