The lilac ladies by Jenny Hughes and Jonathan Bentley
Little Hare Books, 2013. ISBN 978 1 921894 23 7.
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Age. Death. Friendship.
The routines of older people are beautifully illustrated in this
wonderful reminder that people will not always be here. Four older
women, Ida, Nelly, Maisie and Rose are the very best of friends and
do the same things together each day of the week. Sometimes the
women are not as capable as Nelly, but she is always there to help.
Monday sees them bowling, Tuesday swimming, Wednesday at the coffee
shop, Thursday they dance the tango and on Friday, the best day of
the week, they have high tea with Nelly who makes the most superb
cupcakes. But one week Nelly is not as active as usual, and the
others are a little concerned. Going to her place they find Nelly in
bed, and the four old friends talk of things they have done together
in the past, until it is time for Nelly to go. The following week
the friends no longer wish to do the things they did in the past
when Nelly was around to give them a hand, but a week later they
decide that they must continue. They might be a little different and
they might not be as successful at the activities as when Nelly was
there to help them, but they are achievable. Things are certainly
different but they are still together and in many ways Nelly is
there as well.
The lovely illustrations underline the points about friendship and
change, about death and loss being made in the text. The four easily
discernible women with their various hair styles, handbags, glasses
and jewelry, peer out of the pages beckoning the readers in to look
more closely. The readers happily become part of the routines,
and share Nelly's expertise at helping her friends when help is
needed. The readers will admire the women for being with Nelly
as she dies, and congratulate the women continuing the daily
activities, learning to adjust to Nelly's absence. The theme of loss
and change is one to be lauded, as it is not often tackled in
children's books. Here children will see that life does indeed go on
after someones death and things may be different in some ways
but change is inevitable.
Fran Knight
The Gorgle by Emma Fischel
A & C Black, 2012. ISBN 9781408174135/
Recommended for competent readers from 8-10 years of age. Themes:
Family, mystery, overcoming fear and grief. Finn is a city kid
transplanted to the country when his Mum wins Gulliver House, a dark
creepy place with archways and turrets. His sisters and Mum run off
to explore the many rooms filled with old furniture, draped with
dust cloths and cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. The house has a
dark persona that feeds Finn's anxieties and leads to the fear
charged meeting with the giant moth-like creature as it hatches from
a chrysalis. The tension is counter-balanced with Finn pulling
pranks and teasing his sisters Lily and Mo who he calls The Piggy
Princesses. They are enjoying exploring the many rooms of Gulliver
House searching for the hidden room. Finn's ally and young next door
neighbour Oliver the only one who has seen the moth monster helps
Finn search the dark woods for him.
This is quite a scary read; the moth is a huge hissing shape that
plagues Finn's life. It is an invasive shape shifter that is very
frightening. Emma Fischel builds the drama through the use of
short sharp descriptive sentences that are enhanced by Peter
Cottrill's very dark cartoon style illustrations.
Rhyllis Bignell
The diggers are coming! by Susan Steggall
Ill. by Susan Steggall. Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2013.
Hardcover. ISBN 9781 84780 2880.
(Age: 2-5) Recommended. This is a glorious celebration of the roar
of big construction machines and the work they do. There is much on
every page to capture the attention of any young child, with
colourful illustrations, captured in torn-paper collage. From the
wreckers which whack, wallop and wham, to the people who come with
boxes, bundles and bags, this truly is a 'ground up' story,
capturing the process of turning old abandoned buildings into
a thriving new community.
It's a story which is certain to appeal to any 'machine' fan, as
well as being a source of explanation for a child who is watching
the transformation of a space in their community, or a child moving
to a newly constructed home. One of the aspects of the story which
appeals is that the machines are in their 'natural' state - these
are not amorphisised with eyes and smiling mouths on a nonsensical
mission to deliver presents or be helpful - these are machines
designed to smash things, flatten them and haul them away.
The author is a teacher, librarian and mother, and this shows in
both big and small ways, with quality in both language and
illustration. This would make a valuable addition to any school or
home library.
Freya Lucas
Truly Tan by Jen Storer
ABC Books, 2012. ISBN: 9780733331213
Recommended for children ages 8 and up. Tan and the 'lollipops', her
older sisters Emerald, Amber and Rose, are about to re-locate to the
country with their parents. Following a rather eventful journey,
involving an assortment of pets and dodgy removalists, the family
finally spies the dead fox draped over the fence to mark their turn
and arrives at their new home, only to find all of their possessions
have been dumped on the front lawn. Thus begins life in the country,
camping out on the verandah! Quickly the girls meet some
children who live nearby and become involved in solving some
mysteries, especially one pertaining to a 'ghost's' house. Fancying
herself as something of a detective, Tan takes to solving the
mystery, eager to follow up on any clues she is able to find.
This is an easy read for confident readers, filled with diary
entries, a smattering of definitions which appear to have been taped
onto the pages, Penny Pollard style, and appealing illustrations
both in the form of photographs and line drawings. Tan is a likeable
character, who provides some humorous observations and the family
pets add to the laughs. A book about family, friendship, every-day
fun and adventure, overcoming one's fears as well as providing a
historic twist, this should be easily accessible to girls who enjoy
a bit of mystery. Written by the author of Tensy Farlow, a title I
had previously read and reviewed this book wasn't quite what I was
expecting, yet I found it to be most enjoyable, nonetheless. It's
far simpler, everyday story line is eminently suited to its younger
audience.
Jo Schenkel
Princess and Fairy: Enchanting Carnival by Anna Pignataro
Scholastic, 2012, ISBN: 9781742833200.
With the Carnival on its way, Princess and Fairy need to find all of
the things on their list. Heading off in a hot air balloon, they
visit Curious Treat Street, Cragbottom Heath, Moss Water Merry and
Wild Wooly Acres and begin to collect their treasures which they
must then deliver to the Carnival King. After the goodies are
distributed, Fairy and Princess become the carnival queens at the
greatest show in all of Fairyland.
As with the other books in the Princess and Fairy Look and Find
series by Anna Pignataro, the divine pastel shades used in these
water colour illustrations and huge quantities of glitter are bound
to hold much appeal to the young female readers. From the initial
pages which contain much white space to those later in the book with
beautiful borders and intricate details on every spare inch of the
space, this will capture the attention of little girls who love
fairies and magic. The message that one can find joy in helping
others is also strong and positive throughout, making this a
delightful tale.
Jo Schenkel
A Literature Companion for Teachers by Lorraine McDonald
A Literature Companion for Teachers by Lorraine McDonald Primary
English Teachers Association Australia, ISBN 9781875622863.
192pp., pbk RRP $A42.95 (non-members); $A32.70 (members)
In the foreword to this book, Associate Professor Alyson Simpson
says, 'A companion is someone who travels with you; a guide who has
gone before and therefore knows how to prepare you for the journey
and what to highlight on the way. This companion text shows you the
way to travel in the literary landscape, providing signposts for you
to look around with increased awareness but also stepping back so
you can make your own discoveries.' That statement perfectly sums up
this professional text which explores the English strand of the
Australian Curriculum, particularly the Literature substrand.
Starting with a section on the value of narrative for children and
young adults and the types of literary texts that our students
should encounter, the author (an academic at ACU, Sydney) shows us
how to navigate the literature requirements of the Australian
Curriculum through information, ideas, insight, examples, questions
and tasks that provide a very sound map for the journey. 'It
presents literary writing as both an 'art' and a 'craft' and
explores aspects of the 'craft' of writers' 'artistry'.' (p6)
For example, it explores the importance of the context - historical,
cultural and social - of a text so that as teachers we have that
fundamental knowledge to share with students, and this is supported
with examples of texts, suggested questions to interrogate it,
including sample responses and evidence, as well as tasks that
students could undertake to develop their own understandings.
Subsequent chapters address responding to literature, examining
literature, creating literary texts, figurative language, poetry,
reading and viewing picture books, and literature in a digital age
and each has the ACELT outcome and year level clearly referenced.
While its key focus is the literature strand, the language strand is
interwoven to enable us how to show students how literary language
constructs meaning and how literary texts provide models on which
they can build. Similarly, the tasks which focus on critical
analysis, structured conversations, close reading and guided writing
mean that the literacy strand is also prominent.
This book is going to be the basis on which the leaders of The FIRST
Book Club will base the tasks for students to complete, and
while these will be based on the outcomes for Year 5/6, it would be
an excellent platform for the program of any teacher librarian or
classroom-based teacher from K-10. It is one of the few titles
I've encountered where the contents live up to the blurb on the
back, and which won't just sit on the bookshelf unopened. It
is more than a companion - it is a valued and valuable friend, and
my copy is well-thumbed already.
Barbara Braxton
The People Smuggler by Robin de Crespigny
Penguin, 2012. ISBN 9780670076550.
Recommended for senior readers. At the time of writing, Ali Al
Jenabi is living in Sydney on a Removal Pending Bridging Visa, which
allows him to live here until Iraq is deemed safe enough for his
return. The People smuggler is the story of his life up to this
point. He grew up in Iraq under Saddam Hussein; his father was
arrested and tortured in front of him as an Islamist; he and three
of his brothers were also tortured and spent years in gaol. In 2012
one brother was still imprisoned despite regime change in Iraq. Ali
became responsible for his family and earned money in a variety of
ways, including as a tailor. For a short time he was supported by a
dissident group in the Kurdish area of Iraq. He eventually escaped
into Iran and Turkey, and then Indonesia after hearing about asylum
in Australia. He found the situation for refugees to be unorganised,
and United Nations support to be non-existent. To earn money to help
his family escape he organised boats to carry groups of people to
Ashmore Reef. In return they paid him what they could and he used
that money to buy boats, pay for accommodation and bribe swathes of
officials, including immigration and police. He was a people
smuggler. Betrayed many times he was eventually arrested and tried
in Darwin. He served a gaol term and then was put in detention as an
asylum seeker. In his sentencing comments the judge at his trial
compared him with Oskar Schindler, the German manufacturer who saved
some Jews from the Holocaust, in that he acted for his family and
did not seek to make large sums of money. Some may disagree with
this. However, this is a story of almost unbearable suffering,
betrayal and determination. The use of the first person voice and
the present tense can be annoying, but ultimately the reader is left
feeling grateful that we live here but baffled and angry about our
attitudes to asylum seekers.
Jenny Hamilton
Daisy and the puppy by Lisa Shanahan and Sara Acton
Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 9781742830513.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Picture book. Pets. Who hasn't had the idea
of getting a pup brewing within the family? That need is behind this
lovely picture book, beautifully told by Shanahan with matching
illustrations by Acton, which will readily tug at the heart strings.
Daisy and her family go to the pet shop every Saturday and look at
the pets. A whole range is offered, but Daisy wants a pup. So
decided is she that she begins to act like a dog, she sleeps
in a wicker basket, adds a tail to her backside, howls at passing
ambulances and fire engines, and washes all the dogs in the
neighbourhood.
Eventually she wins and the family brings home a pup from the pet
shop. But the youngest sibling is not so sure about the puppy in the
household, and several scenes are played out where the
addition of the puppy may be reversed. A funny and neat resolution
to the problem occurs which will brings smiles to all faces.
The charming illustrations, in gouache and watercolour, sweep
easily across the pages, flowing with the movement of a young
family, adding a substantial background to the already endearing
story. A few seemingly simple lines create the faces of the family,
and the pup's movements are beautifully captured with blobs of grey
watercolour, corralled by line drawings. The small things of a
family's life are scattered across each page and the intimacy of
sleeping, bathing, shopping together, all given an outing that
children will love to see.
Fran Knight
Arkie Sparkle series by Petra James
Pan Macmillan Australia, 2012.
Arkie Sparkle 3 White Fright. ISBN 9781742611259.
Arkie Sparkle 4 Treasure Hunter. ISBN 9781742611266.
A recommended series for
primary school. Arkie Sparkle continues her search to find another treasure in a
different continent. She has to succeed in her task in order to save
her parents who have mysteriously disappeared. Yet Arkie Sparkle is
not alone in her quest for she has the help of her brilliant cousin
TJ and Cleo a basset hound.
In White Fright Arkie must travel into the Arctic Circle to visit
the Doomsday Vault, a real life storage facility for seeds from
around the world. It is during her near miss capture inside the
vault that she meets a surprise character and ends up too close to a
very hungry polar bear.
In Ruby Red, Arkie and TJ had to gate crash a party for the
notorious pirate, Blackbeard in order to steal 'The Black Prince's
Ruby'. Things do not go as planned as pirates don't take too kindly
to discovering spies in their midst.
Each book continues the excitement with Arkie and TJ tracking down
the latest treasure and getting out of tight scrapes. The covers and
format are all similar and easy to recognise. At the end of each
novel, relevant true facts are listed as well as a teaser to keep
the suspense going for the next book. With about 100 pages, these
are an easy read for 8 to 11 year olds. A recommended series for
primary school.
Jane Moore
Nora's chicks by Patricia MacLachlan
Ill. by Kathryn Brown. Candlewick Press, 2013. ISBN 978 0 7636 4753
7
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Picture book. Friendship. Belonging.
Migration. When Nora and her family move from Russia to take up
farming in the American prairies, life is very different from the
life they left behind. Father has his work, mother has her colourful
house, even her baby brother Milo finds a stray dog to adopt, but
Nora is alone. She misses the hills and trees of Russia, her family
and her friends, until one day father brings home a dozen chicks and
2 geese. Nora adopts them immediately, disallowing her father's idea
that they be raised to eat. The birds follow her everywhere, even to
church, and it is after church one day that she finds one chick is
missing.
A neat resolution saves the day and Nora finds a friend in the girl
on the next farm through her chicks.
The sweeping prairies are beautifully drawn by the illustrator, and
bring the vastness of the new land home to the reader. Small things
dot each page reminding us of the isolation of these people, and of
the new life they have chosen to live. That the new arrivals have
come from a vastly different setting is made clear through mum's
pictures on the wall, and the few treasures they were able to bring
with them. Their clothes show them to be different as do their head
scarves and even the way they tie their hair. Details such as these
cry out to be noted and discussed.
This is the story of all who set out to make a fresh start, a new
beginning, finding comfort in the new, making friends and overcoming
loneliness. It is the story of so many of us, and all readers will
find something in the story to identify with and feel part of.
Patrician MacLachlan is the author of the beautiful, Sarah plain
and tall, a Newbery Medal Winner in 1986, which was made into
a film.
Fran Knight
The Mountain by Drusilla Modjeska
Vintage Books, 2012. ISBN 9781741666502.
(Age: Senior secondary - adult) Highly recommended. Papua New Guinea
is often overlooked by Australians in spite of its geographical
proximity and close historical and political ties. Australia was the
colonial administrator whose influence the inhabitants tried to
throw off at Independence. However, the links between the mountain
men and Australian soldiers in WW2 have become further immortalised
by the increasing tourism to the Kokoda Track.
The (fictitious - but representative) mountain of Drusilla
Modjesta's title is set not far from Kokoda on the largest island of
New Guinea. Europeans Rika and Leonard lived in Port Moresby during
the late sixties and early seventies. As an anthropologist, Leonard
spent time on the mountain and his film became a seminal account of
traditional life and its change caused by newcomers. Rika falls in
love with indigenous Aaron, an upcoming leader who is the hope of
Independence. There is foreboding about the length of his life.
Jericho, the child of Leonard and a mountain woman, is given as a
'gift child' to Rika and Aaron, who can't have children. The second
part of the narrative focuses on Jericho, who is the product of a
life brought up in London and the art world but who is searching for
his whole identity. He recognises the quality of the bark-cloth of
the high mountain villages.
The descriptions of art and place are linked with the surrealists.
Walking into one scene is described as being inside a Max Ernst
painting. Modjeska knows her art - she wrote the acclaimed Stravinsky's
Lunch about two Australian artists living at opposite ends of
the world. The Mountain is a rich, sensory epic. It will enlighten those
who know little about Papua New Guinea - a place of contrasts, 'the
treachery of paradise'. The English curriculum encourages the use of
texts which engage with Asia. While definition of the countries of
Asia is contested, the Pacific Islands/Oceania is included by ACARA
and so parts of The Mountain would be useful in schools, although it
is ideally aimed at adults or mature secondary students.
Joy Lawn
Marcy Series #2 by Susan Halliday
Quiz Champs: ISBN: 9781921665721 (pbk.)
Thirteen Dolphins: ISBN: 9781921665738 (pbk.)
Lost Dogs: ISBN: 9781921665745 (pbk.)
Award Winners: ISBN: 9781921665752 (pbk.)
Netball Challenge: ISBN: 9781921665714
Box Set: ISBN: 9781921665882
Ford Street, 2013. 55 pages, paperback AUD $9.95 each . Boxed
set with Toocool: $89.95.
(Age: Beginning readers) Adventure. Just watch the smaller humans
scramble for the shelves when they see these arrive! All those eager
little readers who are beginning their 'chapter' book journeys just
eat up these fun and exciting stories and bask in their success in
doing so. A perfect addition to any school or home library, and
available singly or as a boxed set (both series). As the characters
in both series, Too Cool and Marcy, are the same, both boys and
girls can relate to them and share the laughter which inevitably
results from following their exploits.
After the success of the first series of the Marcy books, Susan
Halliday has provided us with a whole new set of Marcy stories to
entertain and delight young readers, particularly girls. While Marcy
has her fair share of foibles, she is a girl who is ready to have a
go at anything, invariably with great gusto. Marcy's positive
attitude and her self confidence (sometimes a tad TOO much
confidence!) make her an endearing character and the reader is
immensely pleased to read about the success and unexpected rewards
of her ventures. This series has a commendable thread of
responsibility and citizenship running through, which would lend
itself well to a class discussion on these values. I can also well
imagine some enthusiastic girls initiating a staff/student netball
challenge at their own schools! As with Toocool, the books follow
the useful format of glossary and information and similarly these
are handled in a way which is entertaining and engaging.
Ford St has provided a wonderful set of teaching notes (linked to
the Australian curriculum) on its website.
These series would also make an extremely useful addition to any
'home reading' program with far more engagement and potential
'follow on' than the ubiquitous basal reader. Enthusiastically
recommended for readers 7 years and on, for library, classroom or
home.
Sue Warren
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Candlewick Press, 2012. First published 2002. ISBN: 9780763662622.
(Ages: 14+) Highly recommended. A good dystopian novel is
frightening because it feels like a plausible extrapolation of a
real-world situation. Feed goes one step further. Its social
commentary is so incisive that it often seems to show us ourselves
not as we could be, but as we already are. At times, its dire
predictions seem not only plausible, but inevitable, and it is
difficult to escape from the feeling that many of them are already
coming true.
Set in a future where the internet is delivered directly to people's
brains via microchip, Feed follows Titus, a teenager who is partying
on the moon when his 'feed' is unexpectedly shut down by an
activist. Normality for Titus and his friends is a constant stream
of chat messages, videos, games and advertisements that merge
seamlessly with their thoughts. The feed has eliminated the need for
written communication. Thirty pages in, you can feel the narrative
voice fighting against the decay of language itself, as Titus
struggles to find words to express what he is experiencing.
This dystopian scenario is so skillfully explored and so thoroughly
realised that it seems as bottomless as reality itself. There are
upcars, air factories, disposable tables, stacking suburbs, lo-grav
bars and meat tissue plantations, to say nothing of the invented
popular culture and the impressive vocabulary of slang. When kids go
to parties, dance music plays in their heads instead of out loud,
and illegal 'malfunction' websites do the work of party drugs. The
premise never stagnates - new facets are constantly being introduced
- and in the final fifty pages, the dystopia escalates towards a
spectacular conclusion.
The cover calls it satire rather than science fiction, which makes a
lot of sense - as well as being immoderately funny, Feed is
a compelling condemnation of the ways in which consumer culture and
the internet are rewiring our brains, right now. This, perhaps, is
the novel's most terrifying implication: that we might wake up one
day to find that the world has ended without our noticing, because
we had become experts at ignoring anything that our shortened
attention spans were not equipped to handle. And it all becomes
twice as frightening when you realise that this book was first
published in 2002, before the creation of Facebook (2004), YouTube
(2005) and Twitter (2006), whose feed-based models Anderson skewers
with visionary precision. If this one doesn't give teenage readers
something to think about, nothing will.
Samuel Williams
Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2013. ISBN: 9781742973951.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Hardie Grant Egmont seems passionate
about publishing debut novels, and the first book developed for
what's being called The
Ampersand Project is Melissa Keil's novel, Life in
Outer Space.
I had heard nothing about it, no build up or word-of-mouth. I found
it in Big W of all places (although it has since turned up in my ASO
pack), and I just loved it. I think my preferred YA contemporary
novels are those with male protagonists, and Sam is the perfect
example of such a narrator. He is a clever nerd, with only four
friends and a routine life exactly as he wants. It's safe. As long
as the arrogant Justin Zigoni and his group (who Sam refers to as
'the Vessels of Wank') leave him alone.
When bold and unique Camilla arrives at school, his organised world
is turned on its head. Camilla refuses to fit into any group, any
stereotype, any clique, and - horror of horrors! - she invades his
familiar spaces and talks to him, without irony, and without
embarrassment. Admittedly, the friendship begins online behind World
of Warcraft avatars, but eventually their IRL ('in real life')
encounters occur almost daily, and Sam's confusion and cluelessness
is adorable and funny.
Sam only talks to Camilla because he believes there is no way she
could possibly be interested in a romantic relationship. His self
worth, governed by the moronic high school hierarchy, gives Sam the
opportunity to befriend Camilla, although she isn't one to be
refused. She is determined to be part of their group, and her
matter-of-fact way of joining conversations, and ignoring the
possibility of becoming socially outcast, is pure sass and blustery
confidence. I have rarely seen such a genuine character in YA. She's
pretty awesome really. Sam's friends are not shoved to the side. We
see that Mike is struggling with issues, although it takes till the
end of the novel before Sam is able to figure out how to make him
talk. His gayness is dealt with honestly and affectionately. Allison
seems to be smitten with Sam, yet her storyline is resolved
positively, and Adrian, well, he stayed Adrian. Sam is loyal and
cares for his friends, another of his great traits. Hmm, I might be
gushing, a bit.
Keil uses film, specifically the Horror genre, to highlight her main
concerns, to pull the male readers in, and to weave a consistent
theme through her narrative, which is all about self perception and
figuring out who you are. Great to see a positive and fun Australian
YA contemporary. In the vein of Gabrielle Williams and Fiona Wood.
Trisha Buckley
Game over by S. Carey
Eerie Series. Penguin, 2013. ISBN 9780143306689. Paperback, 72
pages. RRP:$9.99.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended for readers with a taste for the macabre. Cast
your mind back to some of those great series like Deadly and
Wicked (Jennings/Gleitzman) and After Dark (Gary
Crew et al) and think about how popular they were with readers,
particularly boys, of about Year 4/5 level. Quick to read, ghoulish
enough to be creepy but not graphic and written in a quality style -
interesting vocabulary that just stretches the newly independent
reader.
The Eeries series promises to deliver just such a successful
formula. Game Over takes the reader on quite a retro trip back to
the 80s and readers may be slightly baffled at first by the
described desirables - an Atari 2600 for example. However, they will
be familiar (or dare I say, should be!) with others like MAD
magazine, Doritos, Oreos and other American delights which were just
beginning to creep into our collective consciousness back in the
decade of big hair and bigger shoulder pads.
John's new classmate, Samuel, is an unappealing American kid with a
very appealing mother and houseful of goodies - all too tempting for
an average suburban 80s Aussie kid. Lurking beneath this seeming
haven of tempting treats is a sinister fate for those who succumb
(think Lotus Eaters and you're on the right track). Is Samuel really
as indolent and unemotional as he seems? Is his rather glamorous
mother as kind and beautiful as she appears? Hang around, eat enough
goodies and play enough arcade games and you will find out. In fact,
you may find yourself in a very unpleasant situation!
Sue Warren
