Reviews

The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver

Hodder and Stoughton, 2012. ISBN: 9781444723137.
When Liza wakes to find that her brother Patrick has 'changed', she knows that the Spindlers, spider like creatures in whom only she and her baby sitter, Anna, believe, have taken his soul. She is the only one who may be able to save him. Armed with nothing but a broom, she leaves her dysfunctional family and heads 'Below' to try and find out what has happened to Patrick and bring him home. On her arrival she meets with a quirky rat, clad in makeup, a wig and clothing including a skirt made of newspaper and a paper hat. It is Mirabella who offers to help her on her quest to find the Spindlers. During their journey, they come across many other characters that cause them grief and try to stop Liza from completing her task.
I found this to be a totally engaging story involving many new and fantastic creatures and settings. The powers of each of the creatures need to be overcome before Liza and Mirabella can continue on their way. Together, the two manage to progress, despite the odds. In this sense, it is a tale reminiscent of Rodda's Rowan of Rin series and is a great example of the Hero's Journey. The two could be used as paired texts by upper primary students to compare and contrast the different journeys and strengths of the characters.
Oliver points out that one should not jump to conclusions about any situation or character or base one's feelings on stereotypes. Liza demonstrates a great deal of change throughout the tale as does Mirabella. Bravery, loyalty, family, resourcefulness, friendship are amongst the many positive themes of this book and I would not hesitate in recommending the title to children aged 10 and above.
Jo Schenkel

Earthfall by Mark Walden

Bloomsbury, 2012.
Recommended for readers 12 +. The huge following of fans Walden hooked with his H.I.V.E. series will be not be disappointed by the debut of his new book Earthfall. 14 year old Sam has been on his own for 18 months, believing himself to be the sole survivor of a frightening and devastating 'alien' attack on contemporary London. Hiding by day, scavenging by night, he has managed to avoid the ever-present threat posed by the 'Hunters' who constantly maintain their vigil over the enslaved 'Walkers'.
A terrifying encounter and a narrow escape reveal to Sam the presence of some other survivors when he is unexpectedly rescued by feisty and scruffy girl who takes him to a secret and secure headquarters. He discovers that the group of equally young survivors, headed by Doctor Stirling, are a well-organised and efficient band of resistance fighters - and quickly demonstrates his own innate skills and instincts as he too trains in guerrilla techniques. As the truth about the devastating 'invasion' unfolds, the reader is both fascinated and horrified by the underlying premise of Walden's plot. Aficionados of The Matrix, Garth Nix's Shade's Children and speculative fiction of similar ilk will relish the complex riddle behind the 'Threat'.
With unfinished business and unanswered questions embedded into Earthfall's conclusion, Walden leaves the reader well and truly anticipating the next instalment of Sam's journey. Top marks for tension and a terrifically paced plot.
Sue Warren

A Great Cake by Tina Matthews

Louis beside himself by Anna Fienberg

Allen and Unwin, 2012.ISBN 978-1-74237-994-4.
Recommended for upper primary students. Louis loves words. He collects them the way other people would collect stamps or trading cards. His father loves nothing more than to wrestle his son, with special moves such as 'The Walls of Jericho' or the 'Five Star Frog Splash'. His friends love basketball and skateboarding so Louis's passion makes him a little bit different form everyone else.
Enter runaway Cordelia into his life. She appears as a burglar one night and Louis decides to help by allowing her to camp in a tent on their lawn. He keeps Cordelia a secret from Dad but for how long?
A wonderful feel good book about families, friendship and personal courage. Anna Fienberg (of Tashi fame) has made Louis a believable character who learns a lot about himself while sharing his love of words with the reader.
A book trailer is available.
Jane Moore

Peggy by Anna Walker

Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 9781742832708.
(Ages 3+) Highly recommended. Picture book. Independence. Safety. The seemingly simple tale of Peggy the chook, finding her feet in the city will attract a willing audience in all places where books are read and enjoyed. Peggy lives in a small world; she wakes in her little house in a quiet street, eats breakfast, plays in the garden and watches the pigeons. But one day a gust of wind springs up and carries her away, landing her in a street in the city, far from home. In beautiful, understated ink and collage illustrations, the feeling of the little hem lost and alone in the busy streets, ignored by the bustling workers with their sea of umbrellas will win the hearts of the readers, watching as Peggy tries to find her way home. In her wanderings through the street, she sees things she has never seen before.But finding her way home is not easy. She follows someone with a bunch of sunflowers just like the ones in her garden, and sits on the train, before finding the pigeons she used o watch in her backyard.So all is well, but now she has friends and experiences outside her own home that she can recall, and sometimes even repeat.
This is a lovely story, full of adventure as Peggy finds new sights and sounds in the city, and unexpectedly finds friends. Her bravery and courage are to be admired as she boards the train, sits on someone's head, settles down for the night on a cushion in a shop window, and asks strangers for directions. Each of the things she does could initiate discussions with children at home or in the classroom, about being lost and keeping safe. But it could be well used for many discussions about bravery and courage, about trying something new, about adventure, about not being afraid of the unknown.
The illustrations with their nod to Tohby Riddle and John Brack, are wonderful. Each time I read the book, I see something new to think about and look at again, and children will too.
Fran Knight

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Talk talk SQUAWK - how and why animals communicate by Nicola Davies

Ill. by Neal Layton. Walker Books Australia, 2012. Softcover. ISBN 9781 4063 3854 6.
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Humans communicate with words, faces and hands, with signs and signals, flashing lights and sirens . . . and we aren't the only ones. So begins Talk talk SQUAWK, written by zoologist Nicola Davies, who has also written 2 other titles in a similar vein, about sharks and animal poo. This book is of the type which will fascinate curious young minds, and clearly Davies has the 'knack' of informing without boring, ably assisted by the illustrations of Layton, whose cartoons of enraptured female birds had everyone who read this book at my house in stitches, especially thanks to the addition of 'UKisims' such as 'Cor!' and 'you tell 'im' - what can I say, it's the little things.
There was a lot of genuine interest in this book and the facts within, and it sparked off some interesting discussion and independent learning. Any time you hear 'Did you know pandas ...' or 'Oooooh, so THAT'S why they make that noise', you know you are on to a winner.
Far from being dry, this book is fascinating, and I learnt a lot from reading it. I now know how stinkbugs flirt, for example. While that may not be a useful piece of knowledge in my day to day life, I am now a) more alert to the land of L'Amour in my vegetable garden and b) more likely to win at trivia nights, because the last question is always something completely obscure, designed to bring you back to try and win the meat tray next week.
I think this is a must have for any school library. With an estimated range of Year 4-7, depending on reading level and background knowledge, this book really hits the spot.
Freya Lucas

The edge of nowhere by Elizabeth George

Hodder and Stoughton, 2012.
This is Elizabeth George's first foray into the realm of young adult fiction and The Edge of Nowhere is the first novel in a series. As such, much is being set up for the continuation of the story with unanswered questions and mystery surrounding many of the characters.The protagonist, fourteen year old Hannah Armstrong, takes a new identity as Becca King to hide from her stepfather on the isolated Whidbey Island in the state of Washington, while her mother remains on the mainland to establish a safe existence for the two of them. Becca has an usual talent for 'hearing' other people's thoughts and both she and her mother believe that her stepfather wants to kill her due to what Becca has overheard of his business dealings.
Unfortunately, Becca loses contact with her mother immediately she arrives on the island and the unexpected death of her secret protector leaves Becca completely alone and reliant on her wits and the unknown islanders. Among others, Becca meets Diana Kinsale, who also has paranormal abilities but seems to understand Becca and is often there to help her. Eighteen year old Seth Darrow, a high school dropout, steers her to Debbie Grieder, the owner of the Cliff Motel who gives Becca a place to stay in exchange for work around the motel. Both Debbie and Seth accept Becca's story and seem to be on her side constantly but it is Derric Matheson, a sixteen year old Ugandan orphan, adopted as a young child by the town's Deputy Sherriff, with whom she has a special connection. When Derric is injured in a fall, Becca is the one who brings him out of the coma by discovering his secret.
Of course, not everyone she meets is sympathetic and she must be patient in establishing relationships and careful in whom she trusts in order not to give away her secret and true identity. The adult characters are, in the main, trustworthy and helpful, although the story ends with Becca seeing her stepfather at the front of the Cliff Motel and begging Seth to take her 'some place safe'; the perfect hook for the next book in the series. Readers who like series will love this and it is eminently suitable for a Middle School library.
Linda Koopman

Into that forest by Louis Nowra

Allen and Unwin, 2012, ISBN: 978 1 74343 164 6.
Suitable for older adolescent readers. This is possibly the most disturbing book I have read - not because I didn't like it but because I loved it. I was profoundly moved by the depiction of humans sharing in animals' lives, and deeply unsettled by the ease with which two young girls slip into an animal existence. Nowra raises important existential questions and, furthermore, he pays tribute to the animals eliminated by colonization.
Hannah and Rebecca are the only survivors of a tragic boating accident, while out with Hannah's parents in the ancient, deeply forested wilderness of Tasmania, are 'saved' by Tasmanian tigers, becoming part of their pack. The young girls name the tigers, yet, ironically, lose their human language. We are unsettled by reading graphic accounts of their sharing in the energy-rich freshly-slaughtered meat, their bodies and minds 'thrilled' in the burying of noses in bellies, of the super-high of drinking fresh blood, and of their warning 'mouth yawns'.
Hannah, reflecting on her survival, her essential difference to other people, her simple language, a legacy of the loss of human discourse during her formative years, and her struggle to learn to be human again, tells her story. Her deep grief for her friend's inability to adapt to the human world, as she speaks of Becky's father's long pursuit of the girls, is deeply emotive. Nowra suggests how thin is the line that places us 'above' animals, and how easily could we slip back: this is thread of Hannah's dark, heart-breaking narrative.
Elizabeth Bondar

The ghost at the point by Charlotte Calder

Walker Books Australia, 2012. ISBN 1 921977 73 3
(Ages: 9+) Recommended. Australian historical novel. Sorrie lives with her grandfather at the point near Jasper's Cove on the island just a few miles from the mainland. Since the Depression Gah has left his job in the town to fish for a living, and he hopes to save enough money to buy Dorrie some new shoes. While walking the streets selling their fish one evening, a pair of tourists stop them asking questions about Gah's sister's stories about a treasure buried on the island. Gah is dismissive and walks off home but Dorrie is intrigued and wants to ask further questions. On her return she spots the image of a boy about her age in the trees along the road and so becomes more intrigued with her aunt's stories about a ghost in the house.
The point has seen many wrecks and one night a small steamer is hurled on the rocks with four bodies found the next morning. The next time Dorrie sees him, she realises that this is no ghost, but a boy, and trying to speak to him, finds he has no English. But Gah is in hospital so the two find themselves surviving in the house alone. Things hot up when intruders invade their solitary lives.
This is a gentle, involving story of Dorrie and her grandfather finding something more than they bargained for in their isolated outpost. Linked firmly with the stormy seas, the remoteness of the island and its inhabitants all create a tightly controlled setting in which events such as these could credibly occur. Dorrie is an inviting character, one whom readers will take to heart as she tries to hide the boy and survive, hiding from the authorities and her relatives when they come searching and later wards off the intruders. An adventure story with heart.
Fran Knight

Liar and spy by Rebecca Stead

Text Publishing, 2012. ISBN 9781921922947.
(Ages: 9+) Highly recommended. Award winning author of When you reach me, Rebecca Stead has once again written a beautiful and memorable story. Georges (with a 's')moves from the home that his architect father has designed into a Brooklyn apartment building. There he meets Safer, a boy who drinks coffee and acts like a spy. Together the two start to watch the apartment of Mr X but Georges becomes increasingly uncomfortable about spying on the man. Meanwhile at school he is facing constant harassment by the school bullies, Dallas and Carter and life is tough. Stead is a clever, clever writer. She leaves a series of little clues that by the end of the story build up to one big picture that leaves the reader thinking that 'Yes, I should have known that' or 'How did I miss that?'
Her characters are quirky and very believable. Georges' loneliness, moving into a new place and missing a close friend at school, allows him to become involved in the machinations of Safer, an observant boy who spends much of his time watching wild parrots and devising wild schemes of spying on his neighbour Me X. At school, Bob English Who Draws and the class members are also well rounded characters.
The theme of bullying in handled in a thought provoking way. Georges' mother always says to look at the big picture (pg 186) and that is how Georges initially tries to handle the teasing. However when his father finds out what is happening he tells Georges that there are times to act now and that this is one of them. Georges is a clever and creative boy and with the help of Bob English Who Draws, comes up with a unique way to solve the problem.
Humour threads through the whole book so that I often found myself with a smile on my face as Georges makes his singular observations about what is happening. There are moments of sadness too, when I had a tear in my eye.
This is a book that adults can savour and one that should be promoted to children.
Pat Pledger

Monsieur Albert rides to glory by Peter Smith

Ill. by Bob Graham. Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 978
(Ages 4+) Highly recommended. Picture book. Humour. Cycling. When Monsieur Albert hears about the cycling competition, he dons his cycle clips, makes himself neat and takes his bike downstairs from his little apartment, to the Parisian street below. He joins the other racers, one of whom, Francois, the clear favourite to win the race to Nice, is surrounded by adoring female fans. Mild derision comes from his lips as Albert fronts up.
Told in rhyming stanzas, the humour of the situation will not be lost on the readers. Monsieur Albert is sixty. He has none of the sporty clothes or flash bicycles of his competitors, he has taken along his bread and wine to eat along the way, he takes time during the race to wave to his friends, and stops to eat his bread when he feels the need for a rest. Once in the mountains, the going becomes much tougher and despite Monsieur Albert's cramp and aching legs, he struggles on. Ahead a small snowball comes tumbling down, getting bigger as it rolls, eventually rolling across the road taking all the cyclists with it, except for Monsieur Albert who is a little further behind the main group.
Just like the speed skater, Australian Steven Bradbury winning gold in the 2002 Olympics, Monsieur Albert wins the day as the others fall into the sea.
Akin to the fable of the tortoise and the hare, children will delight in Monsieur Albert's exploits, his perseverance and his courage as they follow his ride in both the text and the illustrations. Bob Graham's soft gentle drawings wrap themselves round the stanzas, perfectly encapsulating the ride to Nice. All sorts of details shine out from the pages, making it recognisably France and paralleling the fervour which follows cycling races the world over while the poem makes a few pertinent comments about racing which may be a point of discussion in the classroom.
Fran Knight

Dying to know you by Aidan Chambers

Bodley Head, 2012. ISBN 978037033236.
(Age 15+) Highly recommended. Karl is hopelessly in love but his girlfriend, Firella, wants proof of his affections. Firella loves to write and she thinks that Karl should write down what he thinks about love. Karl is dyslexic and reluctant to tell her that in case she thinks he is stupid, asks an elderly writer to help him.  A friendship springs up between Karl and the author. They go fishing and find common ground and understanding as they get to know each other.
Narrated by the 75-year-old writer, the reader is taken into the world of an elderly man and into the uncertainties of an 18-year-old young man. Chambers does a fine job of making the friendship of these two completely different characters believable. I became engrossed in both stories. As the narrator begins to know Karl, so does the reader, sympathising with his disability and rejoicing in his skills and strengths and his quiet but practical introverted personality. The asides about the ills of approaching old age are also handled beautifully. Both characters learn about life, the depths of depression and dealing with death from each other.
Chambers gives the reader much to think about with this book. He writes poignantly about big themes. The nature of love and relationships is explored, both from the young man's perspective and from the elderly man's view. The art of writing is exposed, and the astute reader will learn much about being an author as the narrator takes what Karl says and puts it into written language. And the belief that art is something that an artist has to do to stay alive is one to ponder.
There are some lovely images that stay in the mind long after the book is finished. A marriage stone, thousands of years old, is a symbol of a lasting love and yet as an art object, still gives pleasure today. Karl's careful choice of rocks that sing to him make his cairn in remembrance of his father something special.
This is a book to put in the hands of intelligent readers who will be challenged to think about big issues and will come away changed from the experience.
Pat Pledger

Ratburger by David Walliams

Ill. by Tony Ross. HarperCollins, 2012. ISBN 978 0 00 745353 5.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Humour. Zoe lives on the 37th floor of a near derelict housing commission tower block with her father and now stepmother. She and Dad had a close relationship until he lost his job and married Sheila. So all Zoe has now is her pet hamster, Gingernut who she is training to do tricks. This she hopes will make her some money, enough for she and Dad to leave this awful place, but when she comes home after school to find Gingernut dead, she is bereft. One night she hears scratching, and discovers a baby rat in her bedroom. Her problems are solved. She takes him to school, away from the prying eyes of Sheila, and there lands into some trouble with the bully, Tina, when her pet rat, now called Armitage, bites her finger. But worse is to come. Their teacher Miss Midge is teaching about the Black Death, and the janitor comes to the class with the news that he has found rat droppings in the toilet.
So begins a very funny and poignant story about Zoe and her problems. In between the tale, Walliams is able to instill some asides about the living conditions of some people in the cities of England, and sympathetically show the devastating results of unemployment and the far reaching consequences of living in poverty.
Although it takes a long time to get into the main crux of the story (and it is over 300 pages long), the main character, Zoe, is a warm and interesting person to get to know and Walliams spends a lot of time early in the book making her most accessible, delineating her life and its setting with precision. Those around her are fascinating and Walliams is able to describe these people tellingly, derived I'm sure from minute observation, while Tony Ross' zany drawings add another dimension to this group of people.
Fran Knight

My first book of transport by Charlotte Guillain