Reviews

The ghost at the wedding; a true story by Shirley Walker

Penguin, 2010. ISBN 9780143203292. Louis Braille Audio Book read by Kate Hood.
With an intriguing title, The Ghost at the wedding, sets out to tell a personal story of love and family, during the tumultuous period from 1914 to 1945. It considers both the men who went to war and the women who coped with everything life threw at them. The narrative joins a current flock of fictionalised accounts of real people's lives, attributing to actions and emotions which can be surmised rather than known. This new tradition of biography allows authors to blend historical detail, anecdote and personal memories into a narrative which is not only accessible to a wide readership but also creates a deep understanding of personal experiences of a specific time in history.
This fascinating story illuminates pioneer life in the cane fields of northern New South Wales, the battlefields of Gallipoli, the trenches of France and the struggles of the Kokoda Track. She poignantly describes a series of lives torn apart and melded through the struggles of war. At times, the narrator slips into historian during the narrative, which does jar with the reader but it also lends an unique authenticity to the historical claims of the text. Shirley Walker is telling her family story, but the vast amount of research she has done and the documents she has been able to unearth will leave other genealogists green with envy. She has been able to paint an authentic picture of all the periods and places she describes.
While the title, The ghost at the wedding, describes a particular period in the family's life, in a sense it could also be seen as the proverbial 'elephant in the room' which underpins the whole story - namely, war and its effects on individuals and family. Such difficult topics could be harrowing and while Shirley Walker does not shy from them, neither does she revel in gory details. Each person's story and situation is treated remarkably sensitively, as one might expect from a personal history rather than a racy blockbuster. Shirley Walker is able to bring many skills from her long career in Australian literature to bear in this important piece of social history.
In the tradition of the excellence for which Louis Braille books have come to be known, Kate Hood reads this narrative with clarity and sensitivity. She brings warmth and honesty to this remarkable story.
Diana Warwick

The Cat and the Fiddle: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes by Jackie Morris

Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2011. ISBN 978-1845079871.
(Age: 0+) Highly recommended. Jackie Morris has carefully chosen 40 well-known and less well-known nursery rhymes and illustrated them in her outstanding style. Included are family favourites such as Baa black sheep, Ride a cock-horse and Hickory dickory dock and unfamiliar ones like The hart and the hare and Jumping Joan.
Most of the rhymes take up a double page spread of beautiful, eye-catching illustrations done in watercolours. The details are so gorgeous that it becomes a book to pore over and revisit time and again. I especially loved All the pretty little horses where mother and baby are pulled along in a tented coach by six magnificent white horses and escorted by 'pretty little horses. Black and bay and dappled and grey'. Another thing that really caught my attention was the size of the animals in relation to the people. Baa baa black sheep for example, has a sheep as large as a camel, carrying skeins of wool in a pack on its back. A touch of humour is added with the sheep dog carrying a ball of wool for its mistress who is knitting as she strides along. Each illustration will stimulate the imagination and leave the reader to dream about beautiful women with long flowing hair, impish boys, and fabulous animals and flowers.
This is book that I believe is very likely to become a classic and highly collectable like the books of the illustrator, Errol le Cain. Most importantly, though, it is a book that is sure to enchant everyone who chants the rhymes and delights in the glorious illustrations.
Pat Pledger

Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Penguin, 2012. ISBN 9780143566113.
(Ages: 15+) Recommended. In the sequel to Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, Jessica and Lucius are married (read about the wedding here) and living in his castle in Romania. But life is not necessarily 'happily ever after'. Now known as Princess Antanasia, Jessica is bewildered by the language, customs and expectations of her new family and is increasingly worried that she will not be able to fulfil her role as princess and future queen of the vampire clans. After all she is still a teenager, raised by her vegetarian, animal loving adoptive parents in Pennsylvania, that finds herself the co-ruler of a traditional, feudal and very conservative society. When Lucius is arrested and imprisoned for his alleged role in the murder of his uncle, it is up to Jessica to clear his name. Increasingly plagued and debilitated by vivid hallucinations and dreams, and not knowing whom to trust, she enlists the aid of her American best friend Mindy and Lucius's Italian, peace-loving surfie cousin, Raniero, to help find the real culprit.
The story is told in alternating chapters with Jessica, Lucius, Raniero and Mindy sharing the narrative. I particularly enjoyed Lucius and Raniero's droll correspondence, and the intrepid Mindy with her trusty suitcase full of styling products. The atmosphere is supplied by huge castles, secret tunnels, forbidding pine forests, cemeteries at midnight and the warring vampire families strident calls for revenge.
Jessica's Guide to dating on the dark side is a very popular book amongst our students, and I must admit I enjoyed that book very much - a fresh twist on the vampire/romance genre. This new book does not disappoint and is a very satisfying sequel. Whilst there are secrets to expose and a murder mystery to unravel, this is really a story about the importance of love and friendship, believing in yourself and learning to appreciate people for whom they are; all while trying to prevent the fragile peace between two vampire families descending into a literal blood bath!
A very enjoyable read with darkness, danger and a sly sense of humour that also hits all the right romance buttons.
Great fun for teenage girls.
Alicia Papp

Lola and the boy next door by Stephanie Perkins

Penguin, 2011. ISBN 9780143566267.
(Ages 14+) Highly recommended. Lola Nolan is a budding designer. She doesn't believe in fashion, she believes in costumes and the more expressive the better. But beneath her outrageous style she is a devoted friend and daughter who loves her gay parents and wants do the right thing for them but also want them to approve of her boyfriend. She has big plans for her future and everything is perfect in her life until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the house next door. Calliope is a talented figure skater, who has won silver in two world cups and hopes to compete in the Olympics this year, and Cricket is a talented inventor and always has been. When Cricket steps back into Lola's life, she finds herself torn between her boyfriend and the boy she has always loved.
This book is amazing. It felt like the characters were actually real people. I would highly recommend this book especially to people who like to read romances.
Tahlia Kennewell (student)

Editor's note: Selected as one of 2012 Best fiction for young adults by American Library Association

Snuff by Terry Pratchett

Doubleday, 2011. ISBN 9780385619264.
(Ages: 14+) Highly recommended. Sir Samuel Vimes, Commander of the City Watch, Duke of Ankh-Morpork and Blackboard Monitor, is on an enforced holiday, with his adored wife and son, in the peaceful countryside. It is his idea of hell, and he finds trees, livestock and wildlife slightly disturbing, not to mention his young son's obsession with all things 'poo'. However, his supposedly quiet retreat is interrupted by a murder. The fact that it is a goblin that is murdered, and that most people consider them non-sentient beings and no better than animals, doesn't deter Vimes from investigating. He uncovers systematic corruption, vice and slavery and has to deal with the local aristocracy who believe the law doesn't apply to them. These poor fools have no idea what they are in for, and while Vimes is a cynical sceptic, he holds on to the law for dear life. To him, no one is above or beneath the law.
I am a self confessed Terry Pratchett fan, and I am always excited when a new book is released (this is the 39th Discworld book). I especially enjoy the City Watch books and have watched Sam Vimes evolve as a character over the series. It is always amusing and uplifting to see him overcome his prejudices against non-humans (and humans!) ie. vampires, trolls, golems, orcs, zombies, and now goblins. He has learnt to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, and judges them by what they do, not what they are.
Terry Pratchett is a wonderful, witty and wise story-teller. His books are social commentary, interspersed with humour, farce and extremely funny footnotes.  One day he has Sam giving a gentle dressing down to a bunch of fluttering Jane Austenesque young ladies, the next he is chasing a killer on a steamboat on a raging river. He does rollicking adventure and crime mysteries extremely well. His stories are rich and multilayered, with a large cast of characters and locations. Whilst he is never strident, he pokes mild fun at people's frailties and foibles, but is happy to take a bigger stick to hypocrisy, discrimination and cruelty.
Alicia Papp

Book of blood and shadow by Robin Wasserman

Atom, 2012. ISBN 9871907411441.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. With her thriller in the genre of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, Wasserman takes the reader on a roller coaster ride with Nora after she finds her best friend Chris murdered,  his girlfriend Adriane in a catatonic state and her beloved Max not to be found. Nora believes that Max is innocent of the murder and is determined to find him. Following clues found in ancient letters, she sets out on a trail of blood and adventure with the enigmatic Eli closely following her.
This is a hefty read at 432 pages and is littered with letters and poetry written in Latin, which had to be translated by Nora, allusions to historical figures in the Renaissance like Kepler, a German astronomer, and codes and ciphers that needed to be worked out. It is not a book that I could read in one sitting, rather it is one that I had to ponder about before the mysteries and characters called me back to continue reading the next section.
A complex trail of letters and poetry brings to life Elizabeth Jane Weston and her life in Prague, in a time when astronomers and scientists believed in alchemy and where she laboured to bring to life the Lumen Deii, a strange machine that would connect man with God. As Nora translates her letters, she becomes increasingly entwined in what happened to Elizabeth and it is this connection that keeps the reader involved in the complicated plot.
The relationships in the book are also engrossing. I enjoyed reading about teenagers who are highly intelligent and capable of being research assistants to a History professor. Although Nora is naive about the relationships in her life, she is loyal to her friends even when she is not sure whom she can trust. She is the one who cracks the codes and finds the clues and directs the search for Max. It is a relief to read a book where the love interest is not the most important aspect but rather fits in with the action and needs of the characters.
There is also action galore in this book, as Nora travels to Prague where she and her companions become the target of religious sects who are determined to gain hold of the Lumen Dei.
Wasserman very skilfully weaves the action, relationships and a fabulous setting to make a wonderful thriller.
Pat Pledger

The future of us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-85707-607-6.
The Future of us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler is a brilliantly put together novel that is set in 1995, with hardly any of the modern technology we have today. The storyline centres on Josh and Emma, the main characters. These two have been friends and neighbours since they were little but their friendship suddenly withered in the teen years when Josh misinterprets Emma's body language; they then find it quite awkward to be close friends and drift apart. One day Josh brings around an AOL CD that he has received in the mail. He decides to give it to Emma because his parents don't agree with the internet. They try out the mysterious disk on Emma's brand new computer when it connects to Facebook, a social networking site, fifteen years in the future! They then discover that what they change in their everyday lives affects them big time in their future. Emma becomes super distressed about her future, recklessly changing things every day, which in doing so changed a countless amount off people's futures too, ending up in a very moral ending for the readers and the characters alike.
This novel is great for teens and almost anyone. The first person chapter switching, differing between the two main characters' personal thoughts and feelings is brilliant, giving both Josh and Emma's view on the pressing matters. It is a fantastic novel with many twists and turns throughout the story, great for light and quick reading or even an English assignment at school, it's just that good.
Sarah Filkin (Student, Yr 10)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles Bk 1. Penguin, 2011. ISBN 9780141340135.
(Ages 14+) Highly recommended. Cinder, written by Marissa Meyer, is the first book of the Lunar Chronicles. There are themes presented within the text but one stands out in particular: Romance thriller. I know at the moment we are surrounded by millions of novels about forbidden love and vampires killing one another, but Cinder is worth every minute of the time you spend swooning over the prince and/or killer vampire in other novels.
Cinder is based on the original Cinderella story. You know the one, her ugly step sisters take away Cinderella's pretty dresses and force her to wear rags and become their servant.
Cinder is a gifted mechanic in New Beijing; she is also a cyborg who lives with her step mother and stepsisters. But when her stepsister suddenly falls ill to the deadly plague Cinder is in a race against time to find a cure, but falling in love with Prince Kai was not part of the plan and she is caught between her duty to save her sister and the freedom she has always longed for. Throughout her violent struggles and desires Cinder must uncover the mysteries that surround her past in order to protect the Earth's future.
I thoroughly enjoyed Marissa's writing techniques and her astounding plot that kept you on edge the entire time. I was gripped from the very first sentence and spent every free minute reading it. I encourage many other teenage girls to read Cinder and fall in love with the plot and characters as I did. Happy reading!
Justine Harrison (student)

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

Ill. by Keith Thompson. (Leviathan Series). Penguin Viking, 2011. ISBN 9780 6 70 07305 4
(Age: 12 - Adult) Goliath, the last in the Leviathan trilogy, is a steampunk story set during WWI. For those who are still coming to terms with this relatively new genre, it has been described as the future as Victorians would have imagined it. In fact many steampunk books are set in or near the Victorian era. Think fantastic inventions of machines, gears and cogs.
Book 3 continues the adventures of Prince Alek, who is striving to reclaim his Austrian throne and Deryn a girl who masquerades as a boy so she can be in the British Air Service.
The story reflects WWI history but contains its own fantastical creatures, machines and events. The world is divided into 2 sides, the Clankers and their machinery and Darwinists who use living fabricated beasts.
At the beginning of the book Deryn and Alek are aboard the Leviathan, an airship best described as a cross between a whale and a zeppelin. The ship has been ordered to pick up a scientist, Mr Tesla who claims to have a secret weapon, 'Goliath' that can destroy a whole city and stop the war.
There are battles, lots of fighting action, intrigue as well as the drama of the continuing affections between Deryn and Alek. The wonderful illustrations by Keith Thompson add a whole other dimension to Westerfeld's invented world. They helped me gain a greater understanding of the unusual machines and a better grasp of the action.
I enjoyed reading this last book in the trilogy more than book 2 but after some internet researching, I know there are many fans of the whole series. Deryn is a strong female character (even if she pretends to be a boy) and the main feature of the book covers. Will these books have equal appeal to both genders with its mixture of fighting and romance? I am unsure but I would definitely recommend these books from 12 year olds up to adults.
A wonderful book trailer is available to help with promoting this series.
Jane Moore

Are we there yet? by Alison Lester

Penguin, 2002. ISBN 978 0670880676.
(Ages: 4+) Highly recommended. Picture book. The National Year of Reading, 2012, has chosen this picture books as its focus for reading and book activities in Australia in 2012, and rightly so. It is an amazing book, considered a classic, detailing the exploits of a family and their trip around Australia in their family 4 wheel drive. With the refrain of 'are we there yet' common to everyone, everywhere, the family hits the grey nomad trail, one increasingly covered by younger families as well. A map at the start helps set the scene as the family packs up grandpa's old camper trailer with everything they think they will need for the three month trip.
A small Australian map every few pages acquaints the reader about how far they have gone and reinforces the position of the places they have stopped at. From The Cooroong to Uluru, Wave Rock to Sydney Harbour Bridge, the sights and sounds of Australia are presented in Alison Lester's beautiful illustrations and economical words. What better introduction to the Australian scenery could we hope for? I can imagine every classroom using this book as an introduction to any unit of work based around Australia, its land and its people.
The glowing pictures of various places around Australia are set against the family's trials and adventures, with the group pictured in their various costumes suited to the climate they are travelling through. The whole is presented with warmth and humour, underlining the vastness of the land through which the family moves, and also its friendliness and comraderie.
Fran Knight

The name of the star by Maureen Johnson

Eli the good by Silas House

Candlewick, 2011. ISBN: 9780763652883.
Set in the United States, in the summer of 1976, this is a novel about the ongoing impact of the Vietnam war for returned veterans and their families. Told through the eyes of ten year old Eli, the novel opens with 'The first true day of summer for me began with a scream . . . ' pg 4. It is his father screaming in his sleep after travelling back to Vietnam in his dreams.
Eli's Mum is a science teacher whose love for her husband and family makes a big difference in their lives. Eli's older sister Josie is at the difficult teenage stage. She is always complaining, even about her adoring boyfriend Charles. She has an ongoing dispute with her mother about wearing shorts that have an American flag printed on them.
Eli's Aunt Nell arrives with her records and record player to live with the family. Nell's participation in an anti Vietnam protest and the publicity it received is a source of ongoing tension with her brother. Eli overhears that Aunt Nell has cancer and this secret adds to the poignancy of her time with the family.
 Eli's best friend is Edie, the girl next door, and it is with her that he secretly reads the letters his father wrote to his mother from Vietnam. The other secret that Edie discovers is that his sister Josie has a different father to him.
So while this novel is set in a particular time and place, the United States in the 70's; the themes of teenage angst, family conflict, war, betrayal and ultimately the difference that love and committment can make are themes that are universal. A good read.
Jenny Brisbane

Wolves, boys and other things that might kill me by Kristen Chandler

Speak, 2011. ISBN 9780142418833.
(Age 13+) Recommended. K. J. lives near the Yellowstone National Park where her father is a fishing and wildlife guide. She is a loner who spends her time helping him out in his shop and in the wilderness. Over the summer she has turned into a more noticeable version of herself and when she meets Virgil, the new boy at school, things begin to change. While researching an article on the controversial wolves who live in the park, she starts to see her home in a new light.
There are people who love the wolves, like Virgil's mother, who is researching their behaviour, and people who hate them, like the ranchers who lose their cattle from their raids. Tension runs high in the small community and K.J. unwittingly adds to it with her newspaper article. Chandler adds a dash of mystery to her story with the advent of someone who is an arsonist and who peppers Virgil with shot during a parade.
K.J. is an engaging heroine. An orphan, she tries to live up to her father's high expectations of her and her ability in the wild. This father-daughter relationship is central to the book and K.J's love for and problems with her father add a dimension that is not often found in novels for teens. The budding romance between K.J. and Virgil is deftly dealt with, as are the relationships between other characters in the book.
A thought provoking novel that will appeal to anyone who is interested in conservation, this issue-based book is a very good read. Readers will gain solid information about the behaviour of wolves and the reasons for the controversy about their return to Yellowstone National Park in a well rounded, well written way.
Pat Pledger

Melody burning by Whitley Strieber

Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781742379135.
(Age 13+) Thriller. In the crawl spaces and niches of a large Los Angeles building lives a boy named Beresford. When very young he witnessed a horrible death and has hidden ever since, making the chutes his home. When rock star Melody comes to live in the hotel he falls in love in her, even though he is not sure what love is. Melody has been too busy to fall in love, with her mother pushing her to become famous. In the hotel also lives a dangerous pyromaniac, who urged on by an evil man, is making plans that will affect the futures of Beresford and Melody.
This is a very fast paced thriller that held my attention for the whole book, which I finished in one sitting. The suspense of what would happen with the pyromaniac and also what would happen with the growing relationship between Melody and Beresford, kept me glued to my seat.
I was intrigued with the idea of a feral boy who never went out into the sun and who watched over the occupants of the building. Beresford's story is told in the third person and a strong, intelligent but emotionally and educationally deprived teen emerges as events unfold. Equally fascinating are the descriptions of life as an emerging pop star, told by Melody in the first person. The angst over song writing, the fans, her pushy mother and the paparazzi are brought to life and the reader gains a sympathetic view of her feelings through the songs that she writes.
This is recommended as a light, exciting read for teens. Whitley Shrieber is a horror writer who has previously written for adults.
Pat Pledger

Stork by Wendy Delsol

Candlewick, 2010. ISBN 9780763648442.
(Age: 12+) 16 year old Katla Leblanc has moved from Los Angeles to the wilds of Minnesota with her mother after her parents got divorced. Fashion is all important to her, but being trendy brings stares from the locals and horrors of horrors, she finds that she is a Stork, a member of an ancient group of women who decide which mothers are worthy of babies. Then there is Wade, who she had a bad date with before school starts, and Jack the editor of the school newspaper, who thinks she should know him and seems to hate her. As Kat learns more about her powers and the near fatal experience she had as a young child, she must face up to what she really is.
Drawing on Norse mythology, Delsol has created a different background for her story. I was intrigued by the idea of a group of Storks making decisions about which mother would be the best for a potential infant. It was interesting to see Kat taking on her role as Stork and deciding that she had to make mature decisions, and not just ones that could give her revenge on a popular girl or help out her friend. Jack too has a background that is steeped in Norse mythology. He doesn't feel the cold and strange things happen around him. The school is producing The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen and references to this story also add depth.
Delsol scatters humourous one liners throughout the book, which kept a smile on my face. Kat is mad about fashion, and teens who enjoy clothes will enjoy the many references, often funny, to clothes. They will also have fun with the makeovers.
This was a quick easy read with Kat's dilemmas and witty repartee keeping my interest for the whole book. Girls who like romance, high school angst and paranormal events should appreciate the unusual Norse folklore background. There is a sequel, Frost.
Pat Pledger