Random House Australia, 2013. Hbk ISBN 9781742756509 $A19.95, ebook
ISBN 9781742756523
'Our dog is not a work dog, a round-'em-bring-'em-home dog. Our dog
is a SEADOG. A run-and-scatter-gulls dog.' So begins this most
delightful little story about a most unusual dog that is not like
any other dog in any way, except for one thing. With language that
just drips off the tongue in delightful phrases, this is a great
story for the very young that just begs to be read aloud, joined in
with and acted out. Everyone who has ever had a dog will relate to
it, and the humour in the text and illustrations will resonate with
every dog lover.
You can hear yourself reading it aloud and see the children engaging
with you.
And just in case you're wondering, my dog is not a
round-'em-bring-'em-home dog either. Nor is she a Seadog. She's a
sook dog, a chased-by-the-chooks dog, but, just like Seadog, there
is one thing that she shares in common with all the other dogs in
this story.
Loved it!
Barbara Braxton
The mimosa tree by Antonella Preto
Fremantle Press, 2013. ISBN 9781922089199.
Highly recommended. The mimosa tree by Antonella Preto is a
good book and extremely relatable. It focuses on Mira, an
Australian-Italian girl who has just finished school and has no idea
what she wants to do with her life. She is worried about the Cold
War - and is anticipating nuclear warfare whilst trying to make her
way through university. And at the same time, doing what her family
wants her to.
I found Mira easy to relate to, as a Year 12 student who is not sure
what to do with their life after school. Mira struggles with things
that are entirely realistic. There were some situations which I
could not completely relate to - specifically those to do with
drugs. But apart from that, it was easy to envisage this story about
life.
I would recommend this novel to people who enjoy historical novels
which are relevant today, as well as teen girls who are looking for
a book that could be applicable to them. I would also recommend it
to anyone who has read - and enjoyed reading - Looking for
Alibrandi, by Melina Marchetta, as it has many of the same
themes.
While parts of the book are slightly sad, it is a realistic and
touching look into the life and hardships of a 17 year old girl.
Jasmine Wiese (student)
Gracie and Josh by Susanne Gervay
Ill. by Serena Geddes. Ford Street Publishing, 2013. Hbk, 32 pp RRP
$A26.95. ISBN 9781921665844. Pbk. RRP $A16.95. ISBN 9781921665851.
Josh is making a movie, the first on his journey to being a famous
movie director. His sister, Gracie, is the star - dressed up as a
spider with lovely black squishy sausage legs and singing Incy Wincy
Spider with gusto and love, especially love. This is a good week for
Josh and it's celebrated with things like going to school... because
that is a celebration for Josh. The following week he's on the
downhill slide to his next bout of chemotherapy. That striped beanie
is not just an artistic affectation. Gracie urges him to be
resilient, 'Look, Josh, the spider fell down six times. But the
spider didn't give up. You just have to try, try and try again.' The
story follows Josh to hospital and the events there are touched with
such a gentle brush that it uplifts the spirit. It is a story which
shows both the joys of being a kid as well as their vulnerability
and confusion when confronted with tough stuff, and how the special
relationship between siblings is so critical. As much as Gracie is
there for Josh, he is there for Gracie.
Full disclosure - I have to be one of Susanne Gervay's greatest
fans, but I'm not going to recuse myself from reviewing her books. I
love the way she tackles topics that are not the mainstream for
children's literature, but ARE mainstream in the lives of many
children. I am blessed - so far none of the precious little people
in my life have been touched by serious illness or injury, but so
many families have and so many of the children in our care would
relate so well to Gracie. To go to the bookshop or the school
library and find a book that deals so beautifully and sensitively
with what is your everyday life has to bring some comfort. 'Wow,
someone sees the way my family is as normal and important enough to
write a book for me... maybe I'm not so alone after all. Maybe now
my friends will understand.' There needs to be no other
justification for having this book in your collection than that, and
the fact that it is perfectly pitched, masterfully written and
delicately illustrated in the softest lines and colours just adds to
its beauty. The partnership between Susanne and Serena is inspired.
This story has been endorsed by Variety, an organisation
dedicated to making the lives of sick children better - no doubt
many of us have reason to be grateful for their work. Make sure this
book is part of your collection. Teaching notes are available from Ford
St - and they are great conversation starters for the
classmates of a student like Josh, or even for a parent needing
guidance in talking to their healthy children. Correlating them to
the ANC is a bonus.
Barbara Braxton
Soonchild by Russell Hoban
Ill. by Alexis Deacon, Walker Books 2012. ISBN: 9781406329919.
Recommended. (Age 14+) Myths. Legends. Pregnancy. Shamanism.
Regeneration. Renewal. Soonchild is a mythical, fantasy
novel written for a young adult to adult audience. This novel is set
somewhere north of the Arctic Circle and is underpinned with Inuit
mythology and legends.
The protagonist Sixteen-Face John is a shaman, an angakoq who is
consulted by villagers seeking the best hunting grounds or spells
for falling in love. He comes from a long line of shamans who have
taught him their skills. He lives in the cold north 'where the night
wind blows and the voices of the lonesome dead wail'.
No Problem, his wife, is in the ninth month of her pregnancy and has
called their baby Soonchild. She is concerned when the baby refuses
to leave her womb.
Soonchild can't hear the 'World Songs' a unique kind of music needed
for the world's existence and for her delivery. Sixteen-Face John is
a fearful man who when confronted with his daughter's problem has to
embark on a journey to find the World Songs. In his dream he enters
the spirit world coming face-to-face with demons and animal spirits
including Nanuk the giant polar bear, Old Man Raven and Ukpika the
owl-woman.
Alexis Deacon's dark pencil illustrations add a frightening eerie
dimension. The ghost wolves surrounding John, the four demons and
the blackened pages with the raven in flight further the depth and
understanding to Hoban's story. Birth, regeneration and a search for
the meaning of life are the novel's central themes.
Rhyllis Bignell
Ferret on the loose by Heather Gallagher
Ill. by Benjamin Johnston. Little Rockets series. New
Frontier Publishing, 2013. ISBN 9781921928420. 80pp. RRP $12.95
(Ages: 7-8 years) Lucy's pet ferret Flash is in training for the
Fastest Fearless Ferret Race. He needs a little encouragement to
complete the race and Lucy tempts him with Yumdiddly chocolates. The
other members of the club include Elisha who proves to be a bully to
Lucy. Mr Olfart the founder of the Ferret Club is having problems
with his old ferret Sadie; he is quite mean-spirited. One week
before the race all the competitors and their owners are worried
about their chances of winning. Just a few days before the race
Flash disappears and Lucy and her family begin a frantic search for
him. All is resolved at the Ferret Race and the thief gets his
come-uppance. Ferret on the Loose is one of the Little Rockets
series of junior novels. Ben Johnson's illustrations add colour to
the short story.
Rhyllis Bignell
Ghostheart by Ananda Braxton-Smith
Secrets of Carrick, 3. Black Dog Books, 2013. ISBN 9781743032184.
(Age 13+) Highly recommended. Mally is always frightened, afraid to
move from the edge of the shore, afraid to make friends. But there
is change in Carrick and Mally may have to change too especially as
the bully Dolyn Craig has appeared and seems to want something from
her.
Braxton-Smith has once again written a beautiful lyrical story that
defies being put into a category. It could be said to be historical,
as it is set in a firm medieval setting and words from the language
of the Isle of Mann appear regularly, but equally there are
overtones of fantasy and magic realism. These combine to make
Ghostheart a challenging, complex book to read, and one that will
linger in my subconscious for a long time.
Mally is a very frightened girl. Ever since her best friend Dodi
Caillet disappeared she has been too scared to go near the sea even
when she is with all her brothers and sisters. Her only friends are
Lovelypig, who had been the runt of the litter, and a strange girl,
Breesh Dunna, who haunts a sea cave and who encourages Mally
to look into the scaaney pool to see visions. Her kind heart is
revealed as she helps to look after an old man, Shenn Cooley, taking
him meals and listening to his stories.
Initially the reader is convinced that Dolyn Craig is a just a bully
but Braxton-Smith deftly weaves in his story, revealing how the
Father at the monastery was responsible for putting the seeds of
violence in his mind. Together Mally and Dolyn learn about
themselves and each other and begin to accept what they are and what
has shaped their actions.
This is a beautifully written story that would be ideal to give to
readers who want something stimulating, that will get them thinking
about the big ideas of war, conflict, fear and family. It is not
necessary to have read the other two books in the Secrets of Carrick
series, although they would give some insight into the background of
the island. Teacher's
notes are available at the publisher's website.
Pat Pledger
Joyous and Moonbeam by R. Yaxley
Omnibus, Sydney, 2013. 169p
(Age: 13+) Joyous and Moonbeam is a heart-warming book
narrated by the characters for which it is named. Bracks, Ashleigh's
principal, arranges for her to volunteer in Mr Santorini's workshop
where she is assigned to Joyous. Joyous is a 30 something man with
an intellectual impairment.
Although, Joyous' Yoda-like unconventional speech and his habit of
going off on tangents is characteristic of his disability, some
would find Joyous and his mother anachronistic. Moonbeam, as Joyous
christens Ashleigh, is probably more believable. Her rocky
relationships with her family are more complex so we understand her
affinity with the 'big guy' in the sheltered workshop who inherited
an uncomplicated worldview of 'working things round' from the father
he never really knew himself.
Through Joyous and his mother's letters, we discover that Joyous has
always had it tough. The same 'badly judged whip around' that killed
his father and his aunt, left him with brain damage. Later he is
forced to leave his childhood home in the countryside with his
mother and cruel step father, Sammy-K and its pretty much all
downhill from there.
As we predict, it is Moonbeam who has the most to gain from meeting
Joyous. But their problems are just beginning and things tend to get
worse before Ashleigh can adopt Joyous' trick of 'working things
round'.
Readers able to persevere with Joyous' peculiar expression will
savour a story which succeeds at confronting our perceptions about
people with disabilities.
Deborah Robins
Stick Man by Julia Donaldson
Ill. by Axel Scheffler. Scholastic, 2008. ISBN 9781407132327.
The classic story of Stick Man has been revived in this series
designed as Early Readers. Despite the font being a smaller size
than one normally associates with early readers the colourful
illustrations and predictable rhyme pattern will endear it to the
younger reader.
Stick Man lives in the family tree with his wife and children three.
One day he goes out for a jog meets a dog and his troubles begin.
Especially designed for early readers the story told in rhyme will
be a hit with the younger audience as Stick Man's problems continue.
He is used in many different ways by a variety of characters as he
laments the fact he is travelling even farther away from his family.
When all hope seems lost he is rescued and returned home by a most
unlikely hero.
Whilst children will enjoy Stick man's adventures and the rhyming
language I think teachers will see a myriad of opportunities to use
this book in the classroom. From focussing on the rhymes to
discussing the passing of time as shown in the colourful art work of
Alex Scheffler which enhance the text and give a context to the
story.
The English country side from the wild life and way of life to the
way Stick Man is used by the children and animals who find him offer
opportunities to compare and contrast with the Australian
experience. A quick search of www.sparklebox.co.uk
will reveal resources already prepared for activities in Language
and Maths featuring Stick Man.
Sue Keane
Girl defective by Simmone Howell
Pan Macmillan, 2013. ISBN
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Sky Martin is a 15 year old girl.
Life is tough. Her mother has left the family and gone to Japan, her
brother Gully wears a pig mask all the time and her father has
a dusty record shop and likes beer a bit too much. When someone
throws a brick through the shop window, Gully is determined to
investigate, but there is also the mystery of the girl who drowned
in the St Kilda canal, and Sky becomes obsessed with that. Then
there is the puzzle of the connection that the new boy Luke, who has
just started working at the store, seems to have to the dead girl.
Her wild friend Nancy takes up with a local boy band leader and
leads Sky into some of the underbelly of the city where bands play
and sex and drugs are available.
Sky is a girl who is trying to find her place in the world and I
became totally involved with her life, her infatuations and her
fears. Redolent with the atmosphere of St Kilda, Sky bumbles her way
through life trying to keep the family store afloat, looking after
her strange little brother and investigating the death of the girl
whose crying face has been stencilled around the suburb.
Told in the first person by Sky, the language sings of life in St
Kilda, with all its quirkiness, the trample of developers and the
violence of fangirls who are in love with the boy singer. Threading
its way through is the music that Sky's father collects in his
record shop and the rock music of the underground.
Its themes of loneliness, single parent families, mental health and
alcoholism, are all serious ones, but Howell manages to touch on
them with a light hand that allows the reader to feel empathy for
the characters and cheer for Sky as she comes into her own.
Pat Pledger
Books always everywhere by Jane Blatt
Ill. by Sarah Massini. Nosy Crow, 2013. ISBN 978 0 85763 089 6.
(Age: 3+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Books and reading. With
a scattering of funny children, babies and animals, this book
promotes the sharing of books with just about everybody, anywhere
and anytime. From the first page with an enormous elephant on the
illustration of a book's page, complete with a mouse hiding behind
the book, children are in for a treat as they find contrasting words
and images brought together in books. The double fun of a book being
represented in a book will not be lost on younger readers, as they
recognise many of the books represented in the illustrations.
Sometimes it is only a title, sometimes opening lines, but readers
will have a tingle of recognition as they read the non story lines
on the pages.
In rhyming pairs of words, 'Book scary', 'Book rain', for example,
the pages reflect the phrase given as children will too, and add
their own knowledge of books around that theme. The monkeys are of
course on the page proclaiming the book, 100 Jungle Jokes, while the
giraffe is of course on a page about 'Book tall'. Younger
children will love this book as it gives them a chance to see how
some of the words can be represented and so learn what that word
means, as well as extolling the many virtues of books and reading.
Fran Knight
W.A.R.P.: The reluctant assassin by Eoin Colfer
Penguin, 2013.
Recommended for upper primary readers who are not squeamish! Artemis Fowl fans will be keen to try this first book in the latest
series from Eoin Colfer but they may be disappointed if not a little
shocked on reading the opening chapter. Though when the title is The Reluctant Assassin what would one expect but an assassination.
W.A.R.P. is the acronym for the FBI's Witness Anonymous Relocation
Program and 16 year old agent Chevie Savano has been assigned to the
London office after an embarrassing incident in Los Angeles. Her job
is to monitor 'the pod' which is a time travel portal to Victorian
England. Chevie develops an uneasy relationship with Agent Orange
aka Felix Smart, whose father invented the machine, and is prepared
to sit out her time until returning to Quantico, when 'the pod'
delivers Riley the apprentice assassin, and akin to a character from
Dickens' Oliver Twist, directly from Victorian London.
When Riley's master, the famous magician The Great Lombardi turned
professional assassin, Albert Garrick manages to also travel to the
present in search of Riley with the intention of killing him, Chevie
is determined to save both Riley and herself and prevent Garrick
from using the knowledge and weapons gained from his trip to the
twenty first century for his benefit in nineteenth century London.
The action races between the two eras and is littered with the
corpses of various individuals as Garrick pursues the youngsters and
they discover the truth about Riley's past. They also meet a range
of characters from Otto Malarkey head of the Battering Rams, a gang
of thieves and wastrels, to Tibor Charismo wealthy novelist,
composer and consultant to the Queen.
Whilst it took me a while to become engaged with the book as I
mulled over the opening chapter's implied and actual violence, I
enjoyed being privy to the inner thoughts of the main characters
written in italics and the descriptions of Victorian London. The
premise of the series gives plenty of scope for Colfer to introduce
even more characters relocated in the past, as heralded in the
Epilogue. I will continue to follow W.A.R.P. with interest but be
cautious in my recommendations to students.
Sue Keane
The wall by William Sutcliffe
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 978 1 4088 3842 6.
Joshua and his friend David are playing
football when David kicks the ball into a construction site
surrounded by a high fence. When Joshua goes to retrieve the
ball he discovers a flattened house and a tunnel which goes under
the wall which divides the new town from the old. Joshua goes
through the tunnel but is pursued by some boys who clearly mean him
harm. He is also amazed at the difference between this place
and the new town that he lives in, only separated by the wall and
the soldiers that guard it. After being saved by a girl and
meeting her family Joshua begins to question the system and tries to
find a way to help them. His own family life is unhappy as his
stepfather is a bully who barely contains his dislike and his mother
is manipulated and still grieving for his dead father.
Eventually Joshua is forced to make important decisions about his
own life and future.
A thinly disguised look at Arab-Israeli relations this book presents
a view of both sides but allows the reader to draw their own
conclusions. I would recommend it for middle school students
as a good introduction that may well lead to further discussion and
study.
David Rayner
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408831984.
For or a different take on the Princess theme, what can beat a
feisty and determined young Princess trying to save her family and
kingdom with the help of an unpredictable Castle.
Tuesday at Castle Glower is like no other day of the week. If
the Castle is bored, that is the day it grows new rooms or towers or
even whole wings, fully furnished!
The Castle has an influence on the kingdom greater than most royal
advisers. Growing corridors, sealing rooms, or suddenly growing door
or staircases the human inhabitants are manipulated and through the
quality of the furnishing in the rooms used by visitors and
inhabitants, it has informed royal decisions for generations.
Princess Celie the youngest child of King Glower the Seventy Ninth
loves the Castle and it seems to love her back. When her
parents and oldest brother Bran are reported ambushed and murdered
on their way home from Wizard School Graduation, Celie and her older
siblings Lilah and Rolf are bereft.
Rolf as crown prince, chosen by the Castle of course, is considered
too young by the Council so they appoint themselves and Prince
Khelsh of the neighbouring Kingdom of Vhervhine as regents to advise
Rolf.
The children believe that their parents are still alive, because the
Castle hasn't altered their rooms, and set out to discover the
truth. With the Castle's help they discover Prince Khelsh and the
Emissary to Foreign Lands plotting to take over the kingdom.
Determined to save the Castle and themselves, the children and
various supporters, from the staff to a visiting Prince, embark on a
series of delaying and mischievous tactics, aided and abetted by the
Castle itself.
Celie is a strong and engaging character; however it is the Castle
which is the most interesting and influential character in the
story.
Sue Keane
Dream eyes by Jayne Ann Krentz
Dark legacy book 2. Piatkus, 2013. ISBN 9780749956325.
(Age: Adult) Paranormal. Mystery. Romance. In the second
in the Dark legacy series, Gwen Frazier returns to a small
town, Wilby, Oregon, and finds that her friend and mentor,
Evelyn Ballinger has died. She believes that her death
is related to two murders that had happened previously and
joins together with psychic investigator, Judson Coppersmith,
to uncover what has happened. Judson has his own problems.
Haunted by dreams he is trying to recover from an undercover
investigation that went wrong.
Krentz writes another of her paranormal mysteries with her
signature flair and humour. It is not too hard to suspend
belief as Gwen goes about her business of reading auras and
curing nightmares as well as seeing ghostly projections.
Judson of course, is totally gorgeous in a very brooding way
and his ability to sense emotions at the scene of crimes helps
him as an investigator.
Very light, very quick and easy to read, this is an
undemanding book that gives the reader who likes paranormal
stories and a strong heroine a few hours of sheer escapism.
Pat Pledger
Don't let a spoonbill in the kitchen by Narelle Oliver
Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 978 1 86291 931 0
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Picture book. Australian animals. Humour.
Aching to be read aloud, this rhyming tale by Narelle Oliver, sings
with words and rhythm, while telling a tale of what not to let in
the kitchen or laundry or airport amongst other places. The
spoonbill is introduced swishing from side to side, filling his
spoon with a multitude of shrimp, gathered along the beach at low
tide. But the reader is warned, do not think that just because the
spoonbill's spoon can mix, it does not mean that the bird should be
anywhere near a kitchen. This is followed by the cormorant, the
pelican, the jacana, the stilt and the osprey. Each is given a
double page spread to start with, outlining the two stanzas about
that particular bird, with a distinctive illustration of that bird,
and then a double page follows with what instantly becomes a refrain
throughout the book, with some changes as it goes along, saying
where that animal should never be.
Children will enjoy the humour of the tale, join in with the
refrain, revel in the delightful illustrations and be informed about
some of the birds they might see in their environment.
The double pages with the refrain are exuberant, full of colour and
movement, enticing the eye with its array of things illustrated,
pleasing the younger eyes with a plethora of detail. I was only sad
that I did not have a smaller person here to practice this book on,
although my dog seemed to enjoy it.
Fran Knight
