Walker Books, 2013. ISBN 978 1 4063 4368 7.
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Rabbits. Bravery. The
little rabbit finds that there is a larger black rabbit following
him about. Wherever he goes, the black rabbit is there. If her runs
fast, it follows him: if her stands behind a tree, the black rabbit
is there when he comes away. He calls out to it to go away, but it
stays. He swims across the pond, but it is there when he gets out.
Exasperated, he walks into the deep dark wood. Two large eyes stare
at him from the gloom and he thinks the black rabbit has found him,
but on running out of the wood, he finds the eyes belong to a wolf.
Luckily the black rabbit is there again and scares off the wolf, so
bringing the rabbit and his shadow together.
A neat solution is found to the rabbit's fears, and this would make
an ideal lead in story to talk about fears and responses to fears,
about bravery and taking care. In pre school environments this book
could be well used with puppets and in particular shadow puppets,
lending an edge to the telling of the tale.
Fran Knight
10 little circus mice by Caroline Stills and Judith Rossell
Little Hare Books, 2013. ISBN 9781 921894 17 6.
(Age: 3+) Picture book. Counting book. Circus. A counting book with
a difference, the 10 mice turn their household chores into practice
for their circus events as they count down from 10 to one on the
verso, and count up from 1 to 10 on the recto. Each page is full of
colour and movement as each chore is turned into an event. 9 mice
tidy their bedroom, while one mouse somersaults, 8 mice cook, while
two mice juggle and so one. Each chore uses the same equipment as
the circus practice, so children will love to see the things used in
a different way on each page. Each page shows the mice using
everyday things but of course on a smaller scale, so children again
will be intrigued with the use made by the illustrator of pencils,
cotton reels, and cups and saucers to name but a few. Each
double page has all ten mice shown somewhere on the page, so
children will enjoy finding each of the group of ten.
The possibilities of using this book at home or in the classroom are
endless. It fits into the themes of counting and circus, and also
working together, physical activity, mice and doing chores. It
readily adds another level of interest for children intrigued by
smallness - children will love to search for tiny things they could
use for a mouse house, and perhaps build up a room showing the
things collected.
The first steps at addition too are given with the numbers counting
down from 10 to 1 on the verso and building up from 1 5to 10 on the
recto. A picture book to add to the few extolling the beginnings of
maths.
Fran Knight
The pocket book of weather: Entertaining and remarkable facts about the weather by Michael Bright
Bloomsbury, London, 2013. 144 p. Hardback.
(Age: 10-15) This small book is a classic 'pocket' encyclopaedia,
which dips into many weather topics, concepts and issues. It is not
a dictionary and therefore not organised in alphabetical order.
Rather it is organised in 10 themed chapters eg Clouds and fog, Hail
and snow, Thunder and lightning. The final chapters The energy of
weather and Global weather change touch on our weather-related
environmental concerns and it is encouraging to see these chapters
included in a 'pocket' publication.
Michael Bright is a prolific author of books about the natural
world. His writing is clear and concise and reflects his vast
experience in this genre. The design and layout have been well
thought out with significant use of sub-headings, different font
sizes and italics. Included are Contents, Index (comprehensive),
Picture credits and Websites (for further research).
There are many colour photographs as well as diagrams and tables.
Also included are gold Fact boxes with fascinating weather snippets
eg 'On 15 August 1291, a typhoon moving across the Sea of Japan
destroyed an entire Mongol invasion fleet. It became known as the
'Divine Wind' or 'Kamikaze'.' (p. 89). There are some Australian
examples of extreme weather eg Cyclone John (North-west WA) 1999,
Brisbane flood 1974, Marble Bar heatwave 1923-24. However, the book
has been published with the British and US market in mind with many
US references and examples, in particular.
This is not an in depth resource. However, it would be useful for
beginning research, choosing a weather topic, understanding basic
weather concepts or simply browsing through a multitude of
fascinating weather facts. The book is strongly bound with an
attractive cover, which makes it very appropriate for a Middle
School library with students aged 10-15 years.
M. E. Strickland
Questions of Travel by Michelle De Kretser
Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781743311004.
(Adult) A dual narrative follows the lives of Laura Fraser and Ravi
Mendis from the 1960s to the end of 2004 in Questions of Travel.
Laura is a big, plain, sexually ravenous woman from Sydney who
travels for years before returning to work for a travel-book
publisher and Ravi who flees Sri Lanka after a tragedy.
Laura's tedious life is embellished by her affairs at work and in
the house at McMahon's Point where she lives in exchange for tending
the roof-garden and later, on Sundays, to titillate the old man who
lives there. The portrait of Ravi gives an insight into the refugee
who is escaping death - its threat and memory - and a character
whose exterior passivity may derive from his experiences as well as
his own personality. His relationships are inhibited. Most of the
Australians of this novel may be well-intentioned but they cannot
understand Ravi.
The writing is high-quality: dense and literary - with themes of
connection and isolation, injustice, search for meaning,
dysfunctional relationships, and, of course, travel (its tedium,
search for familiar landmarks when lost, inaccessibility for the
poor and the impossibility of being anything other than tourists for
those rich enough to afford it). It uses strong symbols of the child
(and father, or fatherless, relationship), nets (including the
internet and websites), flowers and water. Water encircles both the
novel and its significant places. In spite of the book's formidable
length at over five hundred pages, re-reading will unearth powerful
links between characters, events and place that may not be absorbed
at a first reading. In the context of secondary student readers,
Questions of Travel will have appeal for sophisticated mature
readers including those with an interest in Sri Lanka and refugees.
Its true audience is readers of award-quality literary fiction.
Joy Lawn
The little corroboree frog by Tracey Hutton-Ramirez
Ill. by Angela Ramirez. Magabala Books, 2013. ISBN 978 1 921248 81
8.
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Picture book. Environment. Aboriginal themes.
A lovely story of the critically endangered corroboree frog will
bring information to those who read the tale in a simple and direct
way. The story is of two frogs leaving their eggs near the edge of
the riverbank, ready to hatch when the rains come down. But the pond
begins to dry up, and so they seek the advice of Grandmother Frog.
She tells them of what is happening in their environment with
climate change making it hotter and drier, and with people leaving
their rubbish on the edges of the ponds making it difficult for the
tadpoles to survive and hatch. When a young boy and his father
come to the riverbank, the frog jumps onto his shoulder, showing him
what is happening to its eggs and the environment the eggs are in.
The boy realises the frog's predicament and calls to his father to
help clean up the mess that has been left behind, being careful not
to drive too close to the edge of the river, so destroying the
frogs' habitat.
A double page of information follows which will educate, intrigue
and delight the readers. Addresses of the major conservation groups
is also included to enable teachers and students to find more
information. All in all a most satisfying look at conservation at a
grass roots level for younger readers.
The publication of this little book is beautiful, with its clear,
bold and bright water colour illustrations, and lovely child
friendly sized print. It is always a pleasure to hold and read books
with a clear audience in mind, where thought has gone into not just
the teacher or parent but the child picking up the book in the
library, classroom or at home. No one reading this book would be in
any doubt about the markings of the Corroboree Frog.
Fran Knight
Bad grammar by Nathan Luff
Walker, 2013. ISBN 9781921977862.
For upper primary to lower secondary readers. Recommended
action packed adventure/mystery.
Imagine school, no, imagine a bad school, no wait, imagine the worst
school in the world! Now picture yourself being sent there by your
well-meaning but slightly misguided parents. You're not a bad
student; you're a warrior, a legend! Somebody do something!
Worried about their son's obsession with computer games and lack of
three dimensional friends, Marcus' parents have resorted to sending
him to Bourkely Boys Grammar, an isolated boarding school for
troubled boys. Marcus arrives in the dinghy, isolated,
prison-like school with his life on a memory stick and plans for
immediate escape. Things, however, prove to be a little more
complicated. When the bullies fix their beady eyes on Marcus and his
stick of computer game memories, he knows he is in for a tumultuous
time. But Marcus is a warrior with skills like stealth, deception
and infiltration and no matter what, he is getting outta there or
will die trying.
Luff has created a feisty, funny character doing his best to survive
in the dog-eat-dog world of the school playground. His portrayal of
Marcus, a clever, proactive, self-proclaimed warrior will appeal to
young male readers who will be pleasantly surprised by the depth of
this character. The protagonist learns about friendship and trust
while coming face to face with a school ghost, a principal who may
or may not be woman, a wacky teacher and some very nasty bullies.
Young readers will enjoy this adventurous romp that has enough
humour, twists and mystery to keep the plot moving at a blistering
pace.
Fiona Bell
Unlucky Break by Kate Forster
Smitten series. Hardy Grant, 2013. 280p. ISBN 9781742972527.
Recommended for girls 15+. Unlucky Break is one of a new
series of books coming out this year under the name Smitten
. . .because every girl wants to be. The series promises to have no
'ice-cold vampires or emotionally distant angels' which might limit
the current vampire loving readers. However, its themes of grief,
love, sex, drugs and drinking will resonate with its young readers.
Set in Hollywood, Unlucky Break's protagonist Andie has
flown from Melbourne after the death of her mother to live with her
movie star aunt. Living the life of luxury is an immense change for
her but she falls comfortably into it on receipt of her 'welcome
pack' which includes an iPhone, credit card, MacBook Air and later
on the keys to a black BMW.
Andie quickly becomes BFF with the Jess the young starlet who lives
next door and despite their many differences they soon prove to be
helpful to each other in the whole 'growing up' adventure. Naturally
she falls in love with James Hawthorn the young male star she
glimpses on her arrival at LAX. Unfortunately though he has a drug
addicted starlet girlfriend whom he feels obliged to help. Sorting
out this relationship has its ups and downs and misunderstandings
and embarrassing situations occur frequently particularly after
Andie accidentally runs him over.
Despite the unlikely setting, this novel is an easy read but
definitely for an older teenage audience - think Mills and Boon for
teenagers or Fifty Shades of Light Grey.
Denise Russell
Missing by Gabrielle Lord
Conspiracy 365: Black ops. Scholastic, 2013 ISBN 9781742835181.
Having a holographic cover depicting a teen landing a parasail in an
electrical storm, this book will appeal to young adolescents from
the moment they see it on the shelf. Another quirky element is page
numbers which run backwards, giving a tense countdown towards the
conclusion .
As book one of the Black ops trilogy, this book tends to assume a
lot of prior knowledge from the popular Conspiracy 365 series, in
terms of knowing the background and prior exploits of the
characters. The first few pages are clumsy, yet readers unfamiliar
with the previous works will quickly accept the framework and move
with the story which delivers action and adventure in abundance.
Callum Ormond is recruited by Benedict Bellamy, head of security
agency SI6 to investigate the disappearance of youths on Shadow
Island, a resort set up to give troubled teens a chance to rest and
recuperate before re-joining society. Whilst Callum has been charged
with discovering the whereabouts of a girl known to SI6, by
coincidence, his twin brother Ryan appears to have been taken to the
island too.
Callum is parachuted on to the island in secret where he commences
hidden surveillance and whilst he is initially puzzled by the
peculiar controls and intense security measures applied by those
running the 'resort', he gradually unravels the mystery.
The author effectively maintains a sense of tension and excitement
as teenagers struggle to outwit those controlling the island. The
characters have to evade capture and break into secure zones,
however there are no concepts or events which would be inappropriate
for a twelve year old to read. Violence does not feature beyond
scuffles and restraint, usually in testing and training.
Young adolescents, particularly boys will enjoy this story which
emphasises the value of intelligence, technology, physical fitness
and good friendships. A strong female character is also central to
the narrative.
My only criticism is that the novel concludes abruptly, without any
resolution to the story and with the clear implication that readers
will have to access the next book in the series which presumably
will finish the same way. The current trend in writing an overall
series rather than novels within a series probably engages many
readers, however I personally find this disappointing and unappealing.
Rob Welsh
Night School: Legacy by C. J. Daugherty
Atom, 2013. ISBN 9781907411229.
Well worth a read. Night School: Legacy, plunges the reader
into a world of action and intrigue, at the centre of which is the
Cimmeria Academy, a vast gothic mansion that no longer provides
sanctuary and safety for its inhabitants, and indeed, seems to
harbour nothing but secrets and mysteries.
In this, the second book of the Night School series, C. J.
Daugherty wastes no time in immersing the reader in Allie Sheridan's
life at the Academy, a co-educational boarding school that teaches
far more than academic subjects.
Cimmeria Academy is an intimidating place, but it is the one place
where Allie has felt a sense of belonging. Its old world traditions,
its sense of entitlement and privilege, its unusual subjects, and
the friends she makes make her determined to protect it.
Some of the school's traditions are based around nocturnal
activities where night croquet, with glowing balls and racquets and
night tennis, with a net made of fairy lights provide fun as well
athletic training. But then there is the Night School - a society of
elite students so secret that just talking about it can get a member
expelled.
Able to be read as a stand-alone, Daugherty skillfully manages to
supply enough of the back story, and information about the
significant events in the first novel to enable the reader to
understand that Allie's life is far more than it seems.
From a missing brother who she believes may now be the enemy, to a
hithero unknown grandmother, to parents who have lied to her, to
mentors and friends that she no longer completely trusts, Allie's
life seems to controlled by forces that she must discover and
understand, beginning with who her family really is and why the
mysterious Nathaniel is trying to kill her.
Allie soon uncovers a huge conspiracy of which the Night School is
only a small part. However, it is down to these students to ensure
that the Cimmeria Academy and its inhabitants survive.
As Allie tries to find out the truth about what's going on at
Cimmeria, she soon realises that her life and those of her friends,
and the people she cares about is under threat. She must uncover the
truth about who she really is and where she really belongs.
This novel is action packed, and full of danger, intrigue,
excitement and romance.
Ros Lange
Tiger at the door by Lisa Regan
Ill. by Kelly Caswell. Series: Wild Things. Bloomsbury,
2013. ISBN 9781 4081 7935 2.
(Age: 5+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Animals. Zoos. This
series called Wild Things, published in association with the
London Zoo, has animals coming to stay at a family home. Through the
pages, the animal is shown being accommodated within a house, with
questions about its habitat, sleeping arrangements, food and
activities given an airing as the question is always posed about how
it would fit in. In funny double page spreads aimed at the very
young, the answer is obviously 'not at all', but through this
situation, the author is able to show children the animal's specific
needs for survival. Tiger at the door, for example has a tiger coming to stay.
Each double page gives one of the tiger's needs and suggests how it
could be met. On one page the tiger needs to be hidden as it likes
to be camouflaged, and so the tiger is hiding behind a group of
trees; its tail and eyes just visible. The following page talks
about food, and shows a tiger reading a menu with large animals on
it. Because the tiger is the biggest of cats, it needs a large
animal to eat, so the suggestion is that you provide a buffalo for
its meal. But because it likes its food rotten, it may be good to
provide a pond where it can lay down some of its food for later. In
this way, the information about the tiger is given in funny bites,
with the conclusion that the tiger does not belong in the home. Two
pages of information are given, followed by a glossary and a page
about the zoos involved in this project, with the last page having
the covers of the rest of the books in the series.
Others in this series concern the addition of a Monkey, Penguin,
Lion, Giraffe, Hippo, Elephant and Emu, in the home.
Fran Knight
Ella and Olivia : Puppy Trouble by Yvette Poshoglian
Ill. by Danielle McDonald. Scholastic Australia, 2013. ISBN
9781742836577.
The Ella and Olivia series has proven popular with younger girls as
an introduction to chapter books. They reflect the issues and
interests of girls in the 5-7 age group.
The main characters are Ella, who is in year 2 and Olivia her
younger sister who has just begun school. The series follows their
everyday adventures at school and at home. Puppy Trouble follows their journey as the family adopts a new
puppy, from choosing him at the pet shop to the realisation that as
cute as the puppy is there is a whole new level of the
responsibility that comes with pet ownership. Bob, the pup, is not
as easy to look after as the girls think. Typically he wrecks havoc
in the house and runs away as they take him for a walk.
Written in the present tense, the larger font size is supportive of
the early independent reader. Whilst the chapters are of a
reasonable length the line drawings and embellishments as well as
wide paragraph spacing make the pages of text look less daunting. Ella and Olivia books are a good follow on for those girls who have
read the Billie B Brown books and are looking for something else
in a similar vein.
Sue Keane
Web of Deceit by Katherine Howell
Pan Macmillan, 2013. ISBN 9781742610306
(Age: Senior secondary to adult) Crime. Paramedics Jane and Alex
have encountered all kinds of situations in their work and are
skilled at making quick assessments. When they are called to a
single vehicle accident where the driver is terrified of leaving his
car, they assume he is delusional. He keeps insisting that someone
is out to get him. They take him to a nearby hospital in the hope
that he will receive a psychiatric evaluation. A few hours later he
is found dead under a train. It might look like suicide but Jane is
troubled by his earlier behaviour.
Detective Ella Marconi is allocated to investigate the case
but she is hampered by her budget obsessed boss, lies and
subterfuge. It would be simple to write the death off as a suicide
but when the victim's boss tries to kill himself after being
interviewed, detective Marconi's curiosity is piqued. The sudden
disappearance of a witness further complicates the matter. She
doesn't like taking shortcuts and is determined to unearth the
truth, even if it means going behind her boss sometimes.
Howell is skilled at developing multiple story lines and weaving
them together in a credible manner. In her personal life Jane is
quietly thrilled to have a promising love interest while single
father Alex is struggling with a recalcitrant teenage daughter.
Detective Marconi is in the unenviable position of being
romantically attracted to a doctor despite being responsible for
having his father jailed for murder. When a woman is beaten and left
for dead in Jane's garden and Alex's daughter goes missing the
private lives of these characters intersect in a tense and thrilling
conclusion.
This well written book is guaranteed to satisfy lovers of crime
fiction.
Tina Cain
This is me: Ian Thorpe the Autobiography by Ian Thorpe
Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN 9781471101229.
Recommended. I picked up this book fully believing that all you had
to do to swim fast was to move your arms really fast. I put down the
book knowing a lot more than I bargained for.
WOW, is the best word to describe this book. I've always approached
autobiographies hesitantly, but WOW every time I have a break I have
to give myself a minute to remember that I'm not Ian Thorpe, but
only a girl who struggles to swim. The book is written that well.
Also some of the things that are written in this book are
breathtaking. For example, when the plane crashes into the Empire
State Building! I felt gobsmacked and had a heavy heart for the rest
of the day. The amazing reason I felt that way was because I had
previously heard about the tragedy, so it was no surprise, but I
didn't realise the negativity the journalists portrayed. I hope that
at least one journalist reads this book and walks away with second
thoughts about the way they approach celebrities with their prying
questions.
Rating: 4 stars
I recommend this book without a doubt. I now have an open mind about
autobiographies and am looking forward to reading another one . . .
Lilly S. (Student
Chinese Whispers by Christine Harris
Raven Lucas. Omnibus, 2013. ISBN 978-1-86291-929-7. 184 pages; p/b;
rrp $14.99
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Chinese Whispers written by
Christine Harris is a great conclusion to her Raven Lucas series.
This award-winning author has a unique ability to engage the reader
until the final page.
Although I have not read the earlier books from this series, I was
hooked from its opening paragraph. Not only is Christine Harris's
plot intriguing, her exotic panorama stretches from Australia to
Malaysia, and her characters are lively and entrancing. The opening
chapter is dramatic, and straight away captures the reader's
attention. Harris punctuates her chapters with evocative phrases
such as 'sirens punch the air'. Her novel is underpinned with great
dialogue and bantering teenage humour that brings her characters to
life.
Raven Lucas is a switched-on fourteen-year-old who is still
searching for her missing father, and nothing will stop her until
she finds him. As she prepares to travel to Malaysia with her
closest friends Sarah and Jessica, she cannot imagine the adventure
ahead: discovery of a murder in a Malaysian market, swimming with
sea-going monitor lizards, and much more.
Raven hasn't been to Malaysia before, and her mother who is still
recovering from a poorly disposition, does not want her travelling
alone. She sends her housekeeper along as chaperone, but the
question is, can she be trusted?
Reading the first two books from the Raven Lucas series
prior to reading Chinese Whispers, will enable the reader to
become fully acquainted with the variety of characters and their
activities that make up this series. This book will appeal to
middle-upper primary girls who seek adventure and mystery, and will
provide a sense of the exotic for girls who one day would like to
travel.
I recommend Chinese Whispers for inclusion in school
libraries, and indeed for the home library of young girls aged 12+.
Great value for money.
Colleen Tuovinen
The Cartographer by Peter Twohig
Fourth Estate, 2012. ISBN 9780732293161.
(Age: Senior secondary - adult) Highly recommended. The
Cartographer is a grimly joyous account of a young boy who
lives in a tough Melbourne suburb in the 1950s. His identical twin,
Tom, has recently died. Tom was 'bold as brass'; our unnamed
protagonist is 'sharp as a tack'. Now he is trying to be both boys,
adopting Tom's mannerisms until he is disappearing himself. The
boy's perspective is innocent, yet knowing. He is tinged with pain
and the ugliness of the world; witnessing murder, rape and
kidnapping, but still hopeful. His original voice is a tour de
force.
He seems to be dealing with his grief and trying to find meaning by
mapping his shady neighbourhood; beginning with the streets and
buildings - outside and then progressing inside to hear secrets, and
into the railway tunnels and drains. The comic drawings on the cover
signify his role as an urban superhero-explorer. He views the
horrible things that happen to him as tests. The Mapping Manual
which he has found helps him feel that he can create a world of maps
'in which I could walk around in without getting frightened half to
death every five minutes. It was almost as if I was protected by a
secret identity . . . My thought was to harness the power I had been
using to using to turn myself into Tom to instead turn myself into a
brand-new super identity, far more powerful than both of us together
. . . 'the cartographer' '.
Although from the adult list and with corresponding content, the
boy's quest for understanding and survival, the book's principle
that life is to be explored, and the gripping, accessible style and
superhero metaphors, make The Cartographer an appealing and
alternative read for mature secondary students.
Joy Lawn
