Reviews

Planet of the Lawn Gnomes by R. L. Stine

Goosebumps Most Wanted. Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 9780545417983.
The Goosebumps series has been popular over a long period of time and I know many boys who have been turned on to reading through the work of R.L. Stine.
The lawn gnomes on the cover are enough to make the faint hearted reader turn away, and the lovers of horror fiction delighted. The opening chapter reinforces the impression that this is for horror lovers only as the author introduces the story.
Jay the main character tells the story from his perspective. He claims he is not bad despite having 'been in some pretty bad trouble'. He and his family have moved from another town recently and we become aware that it is because of the trouble Jay has caused. New neighbour, Mr McClatchy, is now the focus for Jay's pranks, but the presence of several garden gnomes spooks him.
These are not little gnomes, being almost as tall as 12 year old Jay, and seem to move about at will, and are everywhere. There is also the quagmire at the end of the street containing quicksand and enormous, blind, Buzzard Hawks flying about. The Buzzard Hawks are large enough to carry away the family golden Labrador Mr Phineas. With these problems and the fact that no one seems keen to tell Jay what is going on, leads to a very confused main character, and reader.
Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of the series in the 90's and despite the many titles now in circulation, this new Most Wanted title hasn't changed my opinion. I found the main character Jay hard to sympathise with and understand, and even at the end was left feeling bemused.
For true fans it undoubtedly will be a hit, but sadly, I have yet to be converted.
Sue Keane

Interview with Angela Sunde by Fran Knight

Adelaide, February 18, 2013.
Teacher's College in New Zealand in the 70's, like Australia, had a bond system.Those who were the recipients of education department bursaries for university degrees meant that once you completed your studies you were bound to the education facility for a number of years. Fortunately when Angela Sunde completed her training, teaching jobs in New Zealand were scarce, and so her bond was revoked, giving her the opportunity to apply for work in Australia. Another happy emigre was welcomed to our shores adding to our cultural achievements.
First work was in Melbourne, where temperatures range from 14C to 34C just in one day, as a secondary teacher of German. Angela was heavily involved in the Goethe Institute, winning a scholarship to Germany to work and study. Back in Australia, she and her husband decided to move to the Gold Coast after her mother and siblings moved there from New Zealand. Here she worked for several years, but having children meant reducing her time in schools, so she worked in primary schools for some years, developing an empathy and understanding of younger children and their reading needs.
But changes here, meant that she no longer felt happy, having to teach in two schools with reduced time given to languages, so she took a TAFE course in writing for children and has never looked back. Finding something you are passionate about is most gratifying and within this genre of children's literature, she was able to tap into her inner self and write.
Pond Magic, her first novel for upper primary students was published in 2010, and another in the same series, Aussie Chomps, was written but unfortunately missed the boat, that wonderful series having been shelved by Penguin.
In Pond Magic, 12 year old Lily notices that her face is changing colour. Later she notices that her feet are becoming webbed and now and again a croak emanates from her mouth and she wins the breast stroke race at the school swimming carnival by miles. What to do? When her family, the Padds, take on an exchange student from France, Lily finds a neat solution to her problem and all is resolved.
The light touch of Lily's story is part of its charm. The continuing puns on all things green, webby and French are pitched at just the right level of humour for this age group and I for one, reread the story hoping there would be a sequel.
Moving to the Gold Coast meant that Angela was also able to access the events aimed at helping emerging writers. She has been to the CYA Conferences in Brisbane each year since its inception six years ago, listening to the authors and publishers speak about their work, while having access to publishers and being able to pitch her own work. At these conferences many budding authors are able to get a publisher interested in their work, and see how their work sounds while talking to others. Through these conferences too, Angela has made some wonderful friends in the writing and illustrating world.
Awarded one of the 2013 May Gibbs Fellowships, Angela has been able to stay at the apartment in Norwood, meet fellow authors and illustrators in Adelaide, and meet some of the publishing world here. Working on her next book, The Blue Tutu, Angela was grateful to have spoken to Dyan Blacklock, allowing her to see her story from a different perspective and with renewed vigour.
Angela spends some of her time volunteering for organisations using illustrating as a forum. The event, One Word - One Day sees a group of illustrators given one word to use as the basis for an illustration during the day. The illustrations are taken to Sydney where they are auctioned and the money so raised goes to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. This is backed by the Australian Society of Authors. She and the writers' group in the Gold Coast to which she belongs, Prana Writers, entered the 'Write a Book in a Day' competition recently. A hellish task, but Angela and her group won the day! (won National First Place in the open section and raised $980 for the Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane)
I asked Angela about her blog, which can be found here, as it seems to me that many authors spend a lot of time on their blogs, possibly taking time away from writing. She agreed, but admitted that lately while in Adelaide, she had been posting a short piece each day on her blog, while she usually limits it to one post a month.
For more information about Angela Sunde see here and on the Puffin website.
Fran Knight

Pond Magic by Angela Sunde

Puffin, 2010. ISBN 978 014330525.
(Ages: 10-12) Recommended. Another in the highly successful series, Aussie Chomps, this very funny story has poor Lily watching herself turn into a frog. At first she notices her skin is going green, then she embarrasses herself highly in the school bus with the most enormous burps, when changing for swimming, she suddenly notices the webbing between her feet, and to top it all off, she wins the race easily, using the fastest breaststroke anyone has ever seen. Combine all this with eruption on her face and a proclivity for flies, Lily's life is a mess.
Her mother, Mrs Padd, surprises her with a French exchange student, coming to stay and Lily is determined not to like him. But he speaks French. So when Mrs Swan next door confesses that is it her doing that is causing these momentous changes, Lily finds something on the web in French, needing his discretion to translate it and so get her life back to some sort of normalcy.
A great read with lots of puns and jokes around frogs and green things, this deceptively uncomplicated writing will engage the Aussie Chomps audience, looking for something with bite, a sound plot and amiable characters and yet still not too complex or overlong.
Fran Knight

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Definitions, 2013. ISBN: 978-1-849-41566-8.
(Age: Teens) Recommended. In just one day anything could happen.
Allyson has lived a sheltered life for as long as she can remember; she has never done anything dangerous or rebellious. That is until she travels to Paris with a strange boy for just one day. Allyson rebels, loves and losses all in one day. Exhausted both emotionally and physically she returns to America in a state of severe depression not knowing whether she had made the biggest mistake of her life or not. She is not the happy collage student her parents had expected her to be and despite this she pushes herself to live up to their high expectations and forget about her day in Paris. It is nearly impossible to do so. She soon decides to return to Paris during the summer break. Her parents are horrified to learn that their obedient daughter had gone to Paris without their knowledge and refuse to sponsor her trip. Allyson is forced to work her way for the first time in her life. She feels drained but alive. But finding a boy with only a description and a common name is much harder than she expects.
Just One Day is an enlightening novel about taking chances and growing up. Set across continents in Europe and America and centering around two of Shakespeare's plays As You Like It and The Twelfth Night the novel is both informative and engaging. With multiple sub-plots and codas this well written novel is a heartbreakingly compelling read which I would recommend to fans of romance fiction.
Kayla Gaskell (Student).

Snap! by Janet A Holmes and Daniela Germain

Little Hare Books, (Feb) 2013. ISBN 9781 921714 99 3
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Fear. Overcoming adversity. Going to school for the first time can be very daunting, and the hero of this book decides that if there are monsters, then he will be one too, and scare them away. He dons his jeans, t-shirt, socks and shoes, and puts his crocodile face on. He is left at the place and snaps at everything he sees. He snaps at the other monsters, the toys, the cake. He snaps when a story is read, and even when he runs outside, the monsters are still there. Sitting on a log he finds a smaller monster sits near him, drawing. Eventually they move closer to each other, and he finds she has drawn a monkey face which she allows him to put on his face. And so the two play together for the rest of the day, until it is time to go home.
Children will love following the seemingly simple tale of the boy finding his feet in a new place, of finding a companion, a friend in this unknown place, of overcoming his fear of the strange and unusual. They will follow his story with interest as they find the monsters in the background, hiding in the grey forest, watching the forest thin out to a few green, leafy trees as his fears lessen. Many children will be able to relate stories of times they have been scared of a new encounter or a new place and so share in the boy's dilemma, adding another level of response. Many children will be able to relate to the idea of hiding behind a mask, and so will pull out, Sendak's Where the wild things are, to add to the reading. Teachers and parents will extend the story of the book into a craft session, where masks are made and worn.
The illustrations are an integral part of the story, again adding another level of interest and intrigue. Many children will take up the challenge of recreating a collage picture of their own, emulating the style used in the book.
Fran Knight

Nerdy Ninjas vs The Really Scary Guys by Shogun Whamhower (John Larkin) and Heath McKenzie

Nerdy Ninjas series. Scholastic Australia, 2013. ISBN: 9781742830261. RRP: $9.99
Recommended for boys 8-10. Themes: Friendship. Humour. School life. Wise words of wisdom from The Ninja Warrior's Handbook, Volume 27 begin each chapter 'A ninja should never egg an adversary, no matter how tempting'. Jake, Ben, Pongo and Veejay are four nerdy school friends who are members of SNOT the Secret Ninja Operational Team. They are given a new assignment to help hunt down beastly intruders lurking in Forest Forest.
Ben's creativity in writing his English essay is stopped by his Mum demanding that he take Fang their dog for walk. The adventure starts when Fang returns with a troll's cape in his mouth. Veejay's story writing comes to an abrupt halt when he hears a blood curdling scream coming from the forest. Pongo Twistleton spends his life boinging on a pogo stick and not doing his home-work. Jake the science nerd is also busy planning to hit the moon with a laser beam. He is the only one who responds to the night noises and finds a troll in the forest.
The action is fast-paced and humorous as the Ninja Nerds face problem after problem at school the next day. They have to battle the evil Principal Kinkoffen, help Ben with his Easter/Celebration hat dilemma and face the troll in the basement. This is just an average school day for the Ninja Warriors who use their special powers to conquer the enemy. Jake's wheelchair plays a special part in the rescue.
Boys from 8-10 would thoroughly enjoy reading this book, that is the second in the series. They would enjoy the humour and empathise with the 'nerdiness' of the protagonists.
Rhyllis Bignell

Racing Ruby by Susannah McFarlane

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Allen and Unwin, 2013.
(Age 14+) Paranormal. Angels. Romance. Felicia Ward is trapped in Level 2, a waiting room between Heaven and Earth. She spends her time in her pod in the Hive, downloading memories of what happened before she died, her friends and Neil, the boyfriend that she yearns for. Then Julian appears from her past and she learns about a rebellion that is happening in the Hive. It seems that she has an important part to play.
Felicia's past actions and feelings come through as memories as she accesses what has happened in the past. The reader learns of her involvement with Julian, even though her best friend is going out with him. We learn about the searches that her father makes for strange tribal music and wonder why she no longer plays music. She spends a lot of time going over her feelings for Neil, the charismatic Christian boy and how she behaved with Julian who is not portrayed in a very sympathetic light. What emerges is a picture of a Felicia as a very selfish teenager. As the story progresses the reader sees her character growing but it is a little difficult to see her as being strong enough to save the Hive.
What makes this book memorable is the original setting, which is quite different from much of the paranormal romance that abounds. The Hive is a fascinating place and the way people are treated there is engrossing. The combination of high tech memory access and drone like behaviour is handled well and keeps the action and motivations of the main characters alive. Touches of Greek mythology and Christian beliefs add to the complexity of the situation that Felicia finds herself in.
There are some action packed chases through the Hive, with Julian and Felicia on the run from the rebels and the inevitable love triangle between Felicia, Neil and Julian is sure to thrill teen readers who enjoy romance. This is a debut novel and more books are to follow in the series.
Pat Pledger

Rattled! by Michael Wagner

Maxx Rumble Cricket series. Ill. by Terry Denton. Black Dog Books, 2012. ISBN 978-1-742032-52-8.
(Age: 7-10) Recommended. Maxx is back! I remember the Maxx Rumble footy books that were huge hit with the grade 3 & 4 boys but I must have missed this cricket series first released in 2004.
Maxx has to survive the pressure of playing against the Princely Pigdogs especially their bowler Happy. It's a tough game and the final result relies on the batting power of Maxx himself.
The book is full of jokes and puns. Thegroup photo, at the beginning of the book shows all the Stone Valley Saints including players called 'I. Drew Nuffin' and 'Lynn C. Doyle'.
The humorous illustrations by Terry Denton are just as important as the text and make the book an entertaining read.
This will appeal to all the younger cricket fans but even I enjoyed it ( cricket is a form of torture to me! )
The book is only 38 pages long and contains official club records and a cricket ladder to compere scores after round 1. There are 8 books in the series, all with a powerful catchy one word title.
Recommended for 7 to 10 year olds or should I just say 'Recommended!', in the spirit of the books themselves.
Jane Moore

Freia Lockhart's summer of awful by Aimee Said

Walker Books, 2013. ISBN 9781 921977 80 0.
(age: 12+) Highly recommended. Growing up. Cancer. Don't you love it when you pick up a sequel and are immediately drawn into the book you read a year or so ago, and without thinking are aware through the wonderful writing of the events and characters of that first book. Freia is the most appealing character, full of life and doubts, loving her family with a passion, but also aware of their faults, detailing for the reader just how this family works, and in this story, how they all cope with mother's cancer, the summer of awful.
Freia and her boyfriend Dan are kissing in her bedroom, which in this house is against the rules, when her parents call her down to a family talk. She thinks its about her infringement, but the parents have bad news, and the routine of hospital and specialists visits begin. Aimee Said is able to detail mother's medical procedures with interest and compassion, enabling the reader to know what is happening without a wash of medical jargon but with enough information to make it quite involving, using a touch of humour to alleviate the tension and emotional involvement.
All the while the relationship between Freia and Dan seems, at least to Freia's eyes, to be dissolving especially when he takes off for the New Year to visit his estranged mother. Gran helps in her own inimitable way to repair the breach between them, suddenly taking off herself when a friend dies. This is a marvellous read, full of the highs and lows of family life, Dad sitting in his study while his mother in law is in the house, Ziggy acting oddly, eventually being chatted by the Police for anti social behaviour, and all through it Mum with her visits and stays in hospital shines through: no one is unbelievable, each is a rounded character, and lower secondary people will feel welcomed to this family.
Fran Knight

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