Pookie Aleera is not my boyfriend by Steven Herrick
UQP, 2013. ISBN 978 0 7022 4928 0.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Verse novel. Country life. School.
With a range of people within the school having a voice through the
blank verse poems on every page, life in this small rural community
is revealed. Cameron tells of his abilities in the classroom, his
witty retorts to their new teacher, Ms Arthur, his ongoing feud with
the local newsagent, banning him when she finds him reading the
comics from the shelf, the class love of the two word filler, where
Spookie Aleera comes to life, the almost romances between some of
the class, the evenings at home. A variety of voices is heard often
with a wry tone, but certainly with wit and humour, pathos and some
tears. We hear of Jacob's run in with Charlie, the bank manager's
son, the building of a platform in the tree for the apple cores for
the birds, the joy at home on the farm when the rain comes. But
watching over all is Mick, the school captain who seems to attract
trouble, but wishes everyone to be happy and so devises a plan
whereby everyone will be kind for a whole week.
Steven Herrick's prowess with subtly building character and setting
through verse is well known, and this ability is more than evident
in this latest book, as he weaves a community until we know it well,
caring for the members as it they were known to us, wanting to know
how they fare.
Herrick's time in schools has been well spent. His eye for budding
relationships, the odd child, the lonely, the outsiders, the
watchers, the young teacher and her following, the principal and the
groundsman is spot on. And the spot appearances of the local
constable, ready to teach the children something important, are
embarrassingly real.
Fran Knight
Bush holiday by Leonie Norrington
Ill. by Brenton E. McKenna. Mates series. Scholastic, 2013.
ISBN 978 1 74299 001 9.
(Age: 6+) Mates series, Holiday, Australian bush, Aboriginal themes.
A new book in the successful Mates series from Scholastic is
a cause to celebrate as these little books are readily picked up as
early chapter books by emerging readers, as well as being a good
read for those with low literacy skills wanting to improve, as they
have the look and feel of a novel but with large clear print, some
illustrations and some words in a different font to allow readers to
take their time with that particular word.
A book by Leone Norrington too, is welcome, as she writes so well
about kids from communities where there is no distinction between
black and white. In this delightful tale, Tillithia wants to go to
the movies during the school holidays but her mother and aunt have a
different idea. They are going out to country where Tallithia will
be shown their land and how to use it and look after it. Norrington
shows readily the pouting child in the back seat and this is
underlined with the wonderfully apt illustrations.
In the end of course, Tillithia is able to understand more of what
her family is saying, and joins in with the old ladies, creating a
bush tucker meal to present to them.
This is a warm hearted story of bush tucker, of family values
amongst Aboriginal communities, of how the customs are kept alive
through generations, and so presents a very positive look at
Aboriginal communities.
Fran Knight
All monkeys love bananas by Sean E. Avery
Fremantle Press, 2013. ISBN 9781922089311.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Picture book. Verse. In catchy rhyming lines,
this is the story of one monkey who is sick of eating bananas all
day long is told. Monkeys are to be found where banana trees grow,
because they eat bananas morning, noon and night. But one monkey
does not want to eat bananas anymore. Lou McGregor who lives at tree
twenty four, revolts against his diet and runs away. He meets a
rabbit, Sue Hopoloo, who is also disenchanted with her diet of
carrots. They resolve to swap their meals, Lou will bring bananas
for Sue and Sue will provide carrots for Lou. But when they taste
each other's food, they are repulsed and resolve to eat their own
food from now on, remaining best of friends.
This is a delight, the rhyming story stunningly reflected in the pen
and ink illustrations, using only a few colours, particularly yellow
and orange to reinforce the tale.
For home or classroom, this tale would add to the books reinforcing
the idea of food and the three main meals in a day. It could be well
used to underline the food we eat that is good for us, rejecting
that which is part of another animal's diet. And of course, there is
much fun to be had in just reading it aloud to a smiling group of
kids.
Fran Knight
Flora's war by Pamela Rushby
Ford St, 2013. ISBN 978 1 921445 98 1.
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. World War One. Egypt. ANZAC. It is
excavation season along the Nile. The team from the USA, headed by
Dr Travers, accompanied by his wife and daughter, Gwen has arrived,
meeting their Australian friend, Mr Wentworth with his daughter
Flora, now his assistant. Both girls are sixteen, and the first few
months of Cairo are a heady mix of dressmakers, balls, dinner
engagements, learning to drive the new motorcar. But war is
approaching. Other excavation teams have not come this year, it is
1914, and men have been called to serve elsewhere.
The girls are asked to volunteer for the recreation hut established
by Lady Bellamy, and become involved with talking to the soldiers,
particularly the Australians, from the huge camp near the Sphinx.
They write letters for the men, visit them in hospital where they
languish with malaria and measles, take groups to the excavations.
Moving their accommodation when their hotel is taken to be a
hospital is the first sign that something more significant is about
to happen. Their quiet existence is over. It is April 1915.
Rushby builds the setting meticulously. The girls are proud of
themselves as modern and forward thinking at a time when most girls
of their age and class would have been heavily chaperoned and headed
for marriage with someone known to the family. Egypt is a living
entity in the book, the detail of the excavations and the Ancient
Kingdoms a constant backdrop to the unfolding tale of this little
appreciated aspect of the Gallipoli story.
The details of the war will readily hold the readers' attention. We
are plunged like Gwen and Flora into the worst imaginable results of
the Gallipoli campaign. The girls are asked to drive the wounded to
the various hospitals in Cairo, seeing for themselves the pitiable
end point of the doomed invasion of the Dardanelles.
The ease with which Rushby introduces her themes is astonishing. The
girls' innocence is sorely tested and their work during the
Gallipoli campaign an underrepresented one. I am in awe of the
amount of information skillfully woven into the story, and the
presentation of a group of women we hear little of.
Fran Knight
Time for bed, Fred! by Yasmein Ismail
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408837016.
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Bedtime. Fred will do
anything to avoid going to bed. He can be found hiding in a tree or
the long grass. He even takes to hiding in a water can. But when he
tries to hide in a dirty puddle, then he must come inside and be
washed and dried. Even then, he runs outside and hides. Once he is
brought back, tired, then he wants a story to be read to him, and
succeeds in trying out all the other beds in the house before
finally settling on his own where he dreams of the story he has
heard.
A funny and involving look at bedtime and what it means for animals
and by comparison, children, this will create lots of laughter in
the home and classroom, as children recognise all the attempts they
make in avoiding bed. But realising that bed is inevitable, bring
along a book, just like Fred, to be read to them as a prelude to
actually going to bed.
The infectious illustrations, rendered in washes of water colour,
will evoke laughter from those reading the book, or having the book
read to them. The impressions of Fred with a few seemingly simple
daubs of black and grey is just wonderful, and I loved particularly
the illustrations of him hiding in the flower garden and rushing
down the stairs, two of the many endearing and evocative drawings.
Fran Knight
Transcendence by C. J. Omololu
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN: 9781408836910.
(Age: 13+) Nicole fears she is losing her mind. Everywhere she goes,
anything she touches, triggers vivid images and scenes of a past
time, she has no idea about, and in places she has never lived.
When Nicole travels with her family on a holiday to London she meets
Griffon, a teenage boy who is the same as Nicole; he also sees
visions of the past. Little does Nicole know that what she sees are
actually her past lives she has lived.
The first time that Griffon touches Nicole, he instantly knows that
she is very special, he knows that she has visions of lives she has
already lived. Together Nicole and Griffon piece clues together to
discover a secret that could very well ruin their chances of having
a future together.
C.J. Omololu's novel Transcendence is the first novel in
this series and is soon to be followed by Intuition. The
novel Transcendence is set in 2011-2012, with short bursts
from Nicole and Griffon's past lives.
The characters in Transcendence do act and feel like real people
would. As the story progresses many of the characters do change,
some grow wiser and find their abilities, whilst others become cold
hearted and do not care about others and only wish to care about
themselves. Transcendence centres on the theme of reincarnation, it is
also an expressive thriller with a pair of star-crossed lovers in
the center of the story. With the gripping story and the ever
growing romance between Nicole and Griffon this novel is absolutely
stunning and is very engaging.
I would recommend this novel to teenagers 13 and older.
Emily Madden (Student)
What the raven saw by Samantha-Ellen Bound
Woolshed Press, 2013. ISBN 9781742757353.
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Death. Humour. Animals. With a sense
that he is better than the others around him, the raven sits on his
perch in the crumbling belltower, watching all that happens to both
human and animal alike beneath him. He loves his time with the
priest, a man who sees him in some divine light, and who plays the
organ singing with the raven. He sees the warden pilfer money from
the collection plate, and worries about the deception of the kindly
priest. He avoids the smelly pigeon with its rank sense of taste and
recycled words, and keeps away from the weatherhen convinced that
she watches where he hides his treasure.
Watching the funeral of a young boy, he is surprised by the sullen
sister who refuses to participate, running off into the churchyard.
He sees her again, this time at her brother's grave, bringing along
a croissant with her tears. Shortly after the ghost of the dead boy,
Todd, asks him for help. He wants his sister to know that his death
is not her fault.
The grumpy raven refuses to help as he does not want to talk to
humans, but gradually he is drawn into their grief, the girl who
thinks she has caused her brother's death, the boy who cannot rest
until she knows he does not hold her responsible.
Told from the raven's perspective, the tale of the acceptance of
death by the two children is extraordinary. The judgmental raven is
a perfect narrator and learns that there is more to life than his
sparkly collection and snide remarks.
Fran Knight
The Accident by Kate Hendrick
Text, 2013. ISBN: 9 781921 922855.
(Age: Teenagers) Highly recommended. The Accident is a story
about three teenagers and how their lives were affected by a single
event, the car crash which killed Robbie Starke. Sarah is devastated
by the loss of her brother; she blames herself for the accident.
Will is isolated and alone, his family is a mess and he doesn't know
what to do. Eliat is a rebellious foster child who can't do anything
right, she hides in a shallow night life taking all that she has for
granted and putting her daughter second to her own vanity. One night
changes it all. Sarah needs peace, Will needs his family and Eliat
needs direction.
Told the different perspectives of three characters the novel shows
how something as tragic as a car accident can change lives in a
positive way. Filled with relatable characters and incredible detail
this novel is not just the portrayal of one journey of self
discovery but three. I would highly recommend this novel for
adolescents as the author's expressiveness as well as her ability to
tell these stories in such a way makes it a powerful novel. This
book should be read by teenagers to give them a sense of the impact
which their actions could have on other people's lives.
Kate Hendrick's debut novel is an extraordinary take on a tragic
event. Her unusual style of story-telling adds to the novel's appeal
and she is set to excel in her writing career if her future works
maintain the same standard. I look forward to reading her future
novels.
Kayla Gaskell (Student)
On the day you were born by Margaret Wild
Ill. by Ron Brooks. Allen and Unwin, 2013. ISBN 9781 74114 754 4.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Picture book. Family. Childhood.
Each page begins with the lines,
'My daddy said:
On the day you were born',
and then follows several lines about where the child's father takes
him, with pride and love, to show him to his new environment. He is
taken to see the night creatures, the bat, the owl and the mouse,
all of whom woke and poke their heads out of the sleeping holes to
welcome the new child. They then follow the bees taking in the smell
of honey. Later the ducks are seen as mother duck swims back to
rescue a duckling which has strayed. A tree is viewed: an old
gnarled tree where the child's parents first met. Animals are
viewed, a feather falls on the child's hand, a berry tasted. Father
takes his baby back home where mother waits and the three become the
world, safe and sound together.
The tenderness of the text in exploring all the things a child
becomes part of as it develops is intoxicating. Every sense is
mentioned: sound, taste, hearing, sight and feeling, as the child
tastes the berry, hears the sound of the duck, feels the feather,
watches the things his father points out, and later tells the reader
what father said, all alluding to the nurturing nature of the family
and its responsibilities in bringing up a child.
Ron Brooks' illustrations extend the text with imagination and
verve. Younger readers will love to look at the variety of
landscapes he paints, searching for the things mentioned in the text
as well as taking time to look at all that environments so
gloriously illustrated.
A delightful book to read aloud and share with young children at
home or in a classroom, where discussion is sure to involve
remembrances of early childhood and the comforting love of the
family.
Fran Knight
The poison boy by Fletcher Moss
Chicken House, 2013. ISBN 9781908435446.
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Winner of the 2012 Times Children's
Fiction Award. Historical fantasy. Poisons. Dalton Fly is a poison
boy, a boy who tastes the food of the rich to make sure that it is
safe. When his friend Bennie Jinks dies while tasting, Dalton makes
a lucky escape and decides to find answers about why his friend
died. With the help of a rich girl, Scarlet Dropmore, and his friend
Sal Sleepwell, he sets out on a dangerous adventure to find the
poisoners and rescue his city. At the same time he must solve the
mystery of the buckle box that was found with him when he was
discovered as a baby in a wine barrel.
The setting of a medieval/Renaissance like city called Highlions
where poison is used by the rich aristocracy to murder unwanted
heirs and while boys like Dalton and Sal live in grimy poverty sets
the scene for this exciting adventure. The use of poison is
graphically described and the reader gets a really good idea of
their awful effects and their antidotes. Dalton has been trained as
a taster and can overcome some of the effects of poison but his
fight with two poisonings were heart stopping.
While the ruthless poisoners struggle to control the city state by
poisoning the heirs to dead Duke, Dalton and his band follow a map
that highlights the next heir to be poisoned and have many
adventures on the way. Not only is the setting superb, the
characters shine out. Dalton is a courageous boy whose leadership
skills grow as the story develops. Scarlet and Luke are unusual and
feisty heroines and Dalton's friends, Sal and Francis Eyesdown are
stalwart and clever allies.
Moss has made clever use of a language that the poison boys use to
make his dialogue memorable and giving the characters a vivid feel.
A glossary at the back gives definitions of words like 'chinkers',
meaning 'coins', or 'ghosted', meaning 'died' and the humour of some
of the sayings like 'Wet yourself' (for get stuffed) will sure to
appeal to the reader.
This was a really exciting and original adventure story that was
engrossing right from the start and happily the conclusion promises
another book to follow. It is sure to appeal to both boys and girls
and reluctant readers could find the adventure and poisons enticing
enough to try. Teacher's notes are available.
Pat Pledger
Shhh! Don't wake the royal baby! by Martha Mumford
Ill. by Ada Grey. Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408844632.
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Babies. Royalty. What a
hoot! A royal family, looking very like Liz and Phil, with William
and Kate all try in vain to get the new baby to sleep. Humour
abounds as they try lots of different methods in getting the child
to sleep, with each resulting in a very much awake baby. Finally the
queen has had enough and treks off to her helicopter where she hopes
the babe will sleep. But it does not, so with a Geronimo, she jumps
out of the helicopter, a la OO7, leaping towards the landing spot
near Buckingham Palace. And the baby falls asleep. All is well until
a King (!) looking very Phil like, loudly congratulates his wife and
wakes the baby. On it goes, all in the palace exhorted to be quiet,
even the corgis, of which there are many.
Lots of fun will be had with this book. Discussions will centre
around the monarchy and of course, William and Kate's new child and
its place in the inheritance of the line, but also about the changes
a baby causes in any household, and ways to get it to sleep, and how
the family copes with a new member. A warm hearted well illustrated
book with lots of laughs to be found in the drawings. Watch out for
those floating corgis.
Fran Knight
The Heaven I swallowed by Rachel Hennessy
Wakefield Press, 2013. ISBN 9781862549487.
Recommended. The main character of this novel is Grace Smith, a
seemingly widowed and devout member of a Catholic parish, who
decides to take in a twelve-year-old aboriginal orphan named Mary.
Grace's ostensible aim is to train and educate Mary, so that she
would overcome 'the disadvantages of what she was, while never
.(.forgetting).. exactly what she was'. This sentence captures
precisely Grace's attitude. To be black, to be aboriginal was
shameful in her eyes and those of the white community.
However, Grace herself has lived a life of loss and abandonment. As
a child she experienced cruelty and neglect in a Catholic orphanage.
Moments of religious ecstasy and a vision of the Madonna did not
compensate for the lack of loving kindness. As an adult she was a
failure as a teacher, her baby was stillborn and her husband Fred,
rather than being dead, has abandoned her for a Japanese woman in
Japan. Grace's insecurities mean that she is not strong enough to
ensure that Mary is educated as she should be, and instead she
trains Mary as a domestic servant. Grace begins to love her, and
recognizes her own childhood reactions to cruelty in Mary. She
is appalled to learn that Mary's mother is alive and longing to see
her daughter. Ashamed but fearful of her own loss Grace does not
tell Mary. However, Mary finds out and runs away, leaving
Grace deserted again. Meanwhile Fred encounters racism in
Japan, where his child is looked down upon by the Japanese.
Penniless he is forced to return to Australia and by chance
encounters Grace. Given the chance to love again Grace accepts it,
but continues to look for Mary. The casual racist cruelties that are
dealt to Mary by all the white community are well captured, but the
characterization of Grace depicts a nuanced view of the situation
while not excusing it. The use of the first person narrative is
skilled as the reader clearly understands Grace's motives, and
understands Mary better than she does. All the characterizations are
strong and the claustropbobic atmosphere of the widows' circle in
the parish is particularly believable. The style is assured
and the reader is skilfully drawn into the story. The book is
recommended for all ages.
Jenny Hamilton
Hunted by Gabrielle Lord
Conspiracy 365: Black Ops. Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 9781742835198.
(Age: 10+) Crime. Thriller. Mystery. Young Adults. The second book in the Black
Ops Trilogy hits the ground running as Cal narrowly escapes
detection in Damien Thoroughgood's office. He's on a mission to find
the truth behind the disappearance of missing girl Sophie and the
suspicious activities of youth retreat leader Damien on Shadow
Island. The pressure is on. He has 60 days to solve the mystery and
it's crucial his 'double-act' cover as his twin brother Ryan isn't
blown. With barely a moment to catch his breath, Cal is weaving
through underground tunnels, driving mining machinery and venturing
through a laboratory filled with strange potions, clues and robotic
contraptions. Never far away, are the robotic spythons, watching
every move he makes. But the sinister rumblings of the Island
volcano create an even greater urgency for Cal to complete the
mission.
With several books of action-packed fodder for young adults under
her belt, Lord has truly mastered the formula for engaging young
readers. The language is not overly technical, making it an easy
read for 10-12 year olds. The power of the first person narrative
will channel the adolescent psyche to Cal's quests and struggles in
a hostile world.
Any negatives? With barely time to make my second cup of
coffee, the book finishes abruptly amidst a scene of chaos. I wanted
more - a little extra substance to sustain me until the next
instalment. I guess I'll have to wait patiently - ready to
tousle with all the other young readers out there when Combat is
released, the last book in Black Ops trilogy. It can't come quick
enough.
Michelle Hunt
Lilli and Shadow in Trouble by Laura and Sabrina Dudgeon
Ill. by Tracey Gibbs and Sally Morgan. Waarda Series. Fremantle
Press, 2013 ISBN 9781922089359.
Recommended for Year 3. This is story set in the north of Western
Australia where Lilli is spending the school holidays with her
Grandmother. Lilli is looking forward to leaving the city and being
with her extended family in her home country and being reunited with
Shadow. Shadow lived in the Mango tree at the bottom of the
garden, but his home had been taken over by someone called Glog.
Glog had been evicted from his home in a mangrove tree which had
been cut down to make room for a jetty. The story tells how Lilli
and Nan solve the problem.
Rhoda Jenkin
Raven flight by Juliet Marillier
Shadowfell bk 2. Pan Macmillan, 2013. ISBN 9781742612249.
(Age 13+) Recommended. The second in the Shadowfell series
follows the story of Neryn, who has finally joined the rebel group
at Shadowfell and must find the Guardians of Alban who will train
her as a Caller. The Guardians have hidden themselves away from
human eyes and prove difficult to convince to aid her. Accompanied
by the tough soldier and guard, Tali, Neryn journeys across the land
in search of them. Meanwhile Flint has returned to the king's
service and must play out his dangerous role as double agent. Raven Flight is a really strong second book in the series. It
concentrates on the characters of Neryn and Tali, two very different
women, who are both strong and steadfast in different ways. Quiet Neryn is
not a soldier but under Tali's guidance, she becomes strong enough
physically to undertake the dangerous journey and grows in self
knowledge on the way. Tali is tough and outspoken and keeps her
emotions hidden. Much of the interest in the book is the contrast
between the two women and their growing friendship and the way that
they are loyal to each other and the cause. Flint's dangerous role
in the evil king's court also provides some heart stopping moments
and empathy for the dilemmas that he finds himself having to contend
with. War inevitably means death and Marillier doesn't flinch away
from that either.
This is high fantasy, with a setting of dangerous terrain and
abounding with mythical creatures, powerful Guardians and stalwart
humans. The cliff hanger at the end of the story will ensure that
readers pick up the next in the series.
Marillier is a favourite author of mine and this is another with
signature wonderful settings, loyal young women coming to terms with
themselves and their powers and action enough to keep the reader
interested. Shadowfell and Raven Flight are both
exceptionally good books that are sure to garner a following.
Pat Pledger
