(From an original idea by Siobhan Dowd). Ill. by Jim Kay. Walker
Books, 2011. ISBN 9781406311525.
(Age 13 +) Highly recommended. The cover and title might suggest
this is a horror story but in fact it is a touching tale about a boy
facing the death of his beloved mother. It's bad enough that Conor's
mum is battling cancer; it's bad enough that Conor is having
dreadful nightmares but things become even worse when the yew tree
monster comes to call. Every night at exactly 12.07 the monster
appears. At first Conor thinks it means to frighten him until he
discovers that the monster wants to tell him three stories: one
about a witch queen (a little like his grandmother), one about a
selfish man (a little like his dad) and one about a lonely,
invisible man (a little like himself). Conor is confused and angered
by these stories which all have a sharp twist in their tails.
However, he is horrified when the monster asks him to tell the story
of his nightmare. Can he finally face the truth?
The idea for this touching story came from Siobhan Dowd, whose
untimely death prevented its completion. Patrick Ness has done a
brilliant job in taking Dowd's idea and not only making it his own,
but also, creating a beautiful book in the process. He is well
supported by illustrator, Jim Kay, whose dark pictures and evocative
cover complement the text brilliantly. The placing of the
illustrations even provides an antidote at times: as the grief and
anger mounts in Conor's life, it is almost a relief to turn a page
and find the mood conveyed in pictures rather than words.
And the meaning of the nightly visits by the monster will finally,
and heart wrenchingly, become clear to both Conor and the reader.
The subject matter behind this story may be dark but Ness cleverly
finds the beauty of love and life at its core - readers will be
saddened but also satisfied by the novel's ending.
Deborah Marshall
Sektion 20 by Paul Dowswell
Bloomsbury, 2011. ISBN 978 1 4088 0863 4
(Ages: 12+) Recommended. Thriller. Cold War. Alex is a rowdie,
deemed as subversive by the authorities and others loyal to the
German Democratic Party of the DDR, German Democratic Republic, or
East Germany between World War 2 and 1989. He comes from loyal
parents, but the views of Alex and his sister, Gali are cause for
concern for his teachers and then the Stasi, the police whose aim is
to make all conform to the narrow beliefs of the state. The Cold War
is in full swing, the division between east and west all
encompassing. Alex loves the hated subversive music form the west,
playing with his cheap guitar, and sharing his love with his band
and his girlfriend, Sophie.
But when one of his group, Holger and his girlfriend, Effie, attempt
to escape over the wall, Alex comes within the sights of the Secret
Police, and the new leader of Sektion 20, a zealous ex Nazi who has
taken an East German's identity, and is ambitious to prove his
ability. After he is tortured, Alex's family realise that they will
always be under suspicion and that their children will have many
doors closed to them, so they escape into West Germany. But their
troubles are still not over.
A spine chilling adventure story of survival, the background of the
Cold War is fascinating and will be new to many students, adding
another level of story about refugees and what it is like to have to
flee your homeland.
Fran Knight
Murgatroyd's garden by Judy Zavos
Ill. by Drahos Zak. Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 9781 921720 52 9.
(Ages: 5 +) Picture book. Recommended. The cautionary tale of what
happens if you do not allow your parents to wash your hair, is given
full reign in this very funny story of Murgatroyd and his dislike of
getting his hair washed. His parents try to do this task, but he so
dislikes it, he screams and the screams radiate all over the city,
causing mayhem to commoner and rulers alike. Women's skirts fly up,
umbrellas are wrenched from people's hands, the mayor cannot give
his speech, the quuen's crown falls to the ground and is smashed and
the president loses his suitcase, all of its contents spilling onto
the ground. So what to do? The queen orders the parents never to try
again and so the hair grows and grows, filling up with flowers and
trees and vegetables. neighbours pick the flowers and veggies, but
Murgatroyd becomes weaker an weaker, trying to hold up his enormous
garden of hair, so that he is forced to ask his parents to cut it
off. A neat resolution to the problem makes everyone happy.
The story is augmented with delightfully whimsical illustrations.
Richly detailed, enticing children to look more closely, the
illustrations will also make the parent laugh at the little things
hidden in the pictures. Why has the president a high heeled shoe in
his luggage for example? The hair is full of interesting little
things which younger children will delight in searching out.
First published in 1986, Murgatroyd's garden was named an
honour book in the CBCA list that year, along with Animalia
(Graeme Base)
Walker Books has republished this along with many other Australian
Classics, all listed at the back of this book, along with
information from both the author and illustrator and the 1986
publisher.
Fran Knight
Only Ever Always by Penny Russon
Allen and Unwin, 2011. ISBN 9781741750447.
(Age 15 +) Readers may well find the beginning of this novel to be
rather confusing as it switches quickly between the two very
different worlds of Clara and Claire. Claire's world is one of
safety, love and happiness. However, this world is shattered when
she learns that her beloved Uncle Charlie has had an accident from
which he may not recover. Clara's world is already shattered: she
appears to have no parents, she lives in a wreck of a house and she
scrapes a living together by scrounging. However, Clara does have
two friends: the streetwise Groom, who clearly adores her, and the
enigmatic Andrew, whom she adores. When Andrew becomes ill, Clara
sets out to save him and so becomes embroiled in an even seamier
side of life.
The literal link between these two stories is a musical globe which
enables the girls to move between worlds. Befittingly, Claire's
globe is whole whilst Clara's is shattered. But there are other more
subtle links: the two quaint old ladies who live next to Claire also
feature in Clara's world (in a more evil incarnation) and Andrew's
battle against death mirrors Charlie's.
Unfortunately, there is much to confuse the reader in this book:
Clara's world is difficult to understand at first and the frequent
transition between the two worlds, at climactic points in the story,
can be a tad jarring. Claire's second person narrative voice is also
an odd choice as it often seems rather stilted; at other times
her phrasing seems a little too poetic for a thirteen year old girl.
However, for those readers who stick with it, there is also much to
enjoy in this novel: as the twin stories draw closer together, we
see how both girls deal with loss and grief. There may be elements
of the story which are not fully explained but the ending is quietly
satisfying.
Deborah Marshall
No Ordinary Love Song by Alison Prince
Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 9781406306637.
(Age: 14+) Sixteen year old Callum doesn't see the point of anything
in his life. Convinced the world is doomed because of environmental
vandalism, he also feels disconnected from school and his
dysfunctional family. Each week he travels from the small island off
the coast of Scotland, where he lives, to attend counselling
sessions on the mainland. When a new girl from Australia comes to
live near him, Callum is challenged to see the world differently.
This book deals with typical teenage issues such as the search for
identity, romance and sexual intimacy, although not in a
particularly confronting way. It is told from Callum's point of view
and that of his mother Elaine, who is also searching for her own
happiness in a tired marriage. She and her husband are having extra
marital affairs which adds to Callum's sense of isolation.
Alison Prince is the author of over forty books and teenagers will
identify with her contemporary concerns about the environment and
family breakdown. Unfortunately the story feels contrived and
superficial in places, which undermines its overall value.
Tina Cain
Blood Song by Rhiannon Hart
Random House, 2011. ISBN: 978 1 74275 096 5.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. When her sister becomes betrothed to
a prince in a northern nation, Zeraphina's only consolations are
that her loyal animal companions are by her side - and that her
burning hunger to travel north is finally being sated. Already her
black hair and pale eyes mark her out as different, but now
Zeraphina must be more careful to keep her secret safe. Craving
blood is not considered normal behaviour for anyone, let alone a
princess. So when the king's advisor, Rodden, seems to know more
about her condition than she does, Zeraphina is determined to find
out more.
Zeraphina must be willing to sacrifice everything if she's to
uncover the truth - but what if the truth is beyond her worst
nightmares?
This book is amazing, it brings on a different take on vampires. I
read this book in exactly 7 hours and 25 minutes, and that's pretty
fast for me. I really enjoyed the story line and even though a few
sentences were confusing or slightly in the wrong place I love it! I
will definitely be following Hart with her writing career and cannot
wait until the sequel.
Taylor Oxenham (Student)
Poggle and the treasure by Michael Evans
Egmont, 2011. ISBN 978-1405248129.
Poggle is an enchanting baby dragon with a cheerful, gentle, teddy
bear face who lives in a jaunty striped beach hut at the beach where
his adventures take place. In this story, he and his best friend
Henry have spent a grand day playing pirates . .
. they've made a pirate ship, eaten a pirate lunch and fought
a scary sea monster. Now, in the best tradition of all pirates, they
are digging for treasure. But what they find is not the chest of
riches, they expect. It is an egg, which they lovingly tend to until
it hatches. The creature that emerges will be familiar to the
children, but not to Poggle and Henry, and there's a certain delight
in knowing something others don't. The ending has a delightful twist
and both Poggle and Henry agree they found REAL treasure.
Michael Evans has crafted a great story that Miss 5 really enjoyed
(especially guessing what might be in the egg) and his illustrations
add a touch of humour that we both enjoyed. We talked about the
things that come from eggs (she's familiar with these because we
have chooks) and what real treasure is. It's not always jewels and
gold. I'm sure this one will be a read-again next time she comes.
Barbara Braxton
Have you seen Ally Queen? by Deb Fitzpatrick
Fremantle Press, 2011. ISBN: 9781921888489.
(Ages: 12+) Highly recommended. When fifteen year old Ally Queen
moves from Perth to the back of beyond, she believes that her life
is over. With her only friends having been left behind and their
communication being limited to text messages and emails, it seems
that nothing can get any worse. Ally's nerdy younger brother, Jerry,
lives for his electronic creations and seems happy enough about the
move, whereas she places the blame entirely on her non-conformist
parents who have forced the change upon the family. Feeling as
though she doesn't fit in, with her dress sense and interests
different to those of the girls at the new school, Ally keeps to
herself and seemingly attracts the interest of only an annoying boy
who travels on her bus. Her mother starts to 'lose the plot' and
Ally continues to keep her private life a secret from her class
mates, teachers and the school counsellor whom she is forced to
visit. Will her life ever be 'normal' again?
By using the genuine voice of an egocentric teenage girl,
Fitzpatrick has dealt with the serious issues of growing up, being
true to oneself, family, friendship, relationships, isolation and
mental illness in such a way as to appeal to a broad variety of
readers. There is a suitable amount of humour sprinkled throughout
thereby lifting the mood of the story without trivialising the
issues. From an adult perspective, the wall Ally builds around
herself, thereby adding to her loneliness, seems unnecessary. To a
teenager, it is highly likely this would be the accepted way of
handling matters, yet the author shows that problems can be shared
and hence diminished.
The similarities between this title and Tim Winton's Lockie
Leonard Legend are certainly evident. With the Western
Australian beach setting, the distinctive Aussie voice, the move to
new towns, the mental illnesses experienced by the mothers of the
protagonists and their ways of handling them, these could act work
together as paired or comparative texts. The responsibilities Locky
and Ally take on could provide a focus for the points of difference
between the two titles.
Jo Schenkel
Captain Congo and the Klondike gold by Ruth Starke
Ill. by Greg Holfeld. Working Title Press, 2011. ISBN 978 1 921504
27 3.
(Ages 8+) Adventure. Graphic novel. Warmly recommended. The daring
Captain Congo and his side kick, Pug, travel incognito to Alaska's
Klonduke after the heat of the gold rush to investigate claims that
the old gold field is haunted. Reports of a monster, of lights at
night and of men disappearing are grist to the mille when Congo and
Pug hit the trail. During the train ride north they are sabotaged,
Pug almost falling to his death and the would be murderer falling
foul of Congo's strength. Arriving at Klondike, they are again
detoured from their purpose as another villain lures them down a
dangerous river, then leaves them to the rapids. Luckily Congo was a
champion rough river rider, and so saves the day, yet again!
At night the pair watches what happens, following the trail of the
Yeti type creature, until it ends suddenly. But the next day pug
falls into the hole where the creature disappeared and eventually
Congo follows him, working out just what is happening. But in
catching the bad men at the end they appear to be helped by a
somewhat ephemeral being from inside the old mine.
A hoot from beginning to end, I was captivated by the wonderful
antics of Congo and his friend as they pursue villains, follow
monsters and solve the crimes. They do not flinch in the face of
danger and stand up to what ever is thrown at them. The Canadian
Mounted Police, Mae West and villains of all sorts make an
appearance, adding to the underlying humour of the piece, all well
served by Greg Holfeld's imaginative and entrancing illustrations.
He has a great style, filling the pages with bright, evocative
pictures full of movement and drama, his characters all having
quirks which separate them from the others. Evocative of comics I
read in the 1950's, the storyline and illustrations are all
consuming to the modern reader, and the hard back book is great to
handle and read.
Fran Knight
A spy in the house by Y. S. Lee
Walker, 2009. ISBN 9781406315165.
(Age 12+) Recommended. Mystery. After Mary Quinn lost her parents,
her life deteriorates and she is forced to steal to stay alive in
the grim Victorian age when orphan children scavenge on the streets.
Sentenced to death for theft at the age of 12, she is rescued from
the gallows and taken to Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls, where
she turns her life around. After five years at the Academy, she is
ready to take on a new life and is offered a place in the Agency,
which investigates cases involving criminal acts and when sufficient
evidence is collected, the criminals are turned over to the police.
Mary is sent off to live with the Thorold family, as a companion to
Angelica, a bored, spoilt girl, who is also a gifted musician. Mr
Thorold is suspected of fraud and Mary is to keep her eyes and ears
open and help find evidence to convict him. When Mary meets James, a
young man who also wants to find out about the Thorold family, all
sorts of exciting adventures follow. This mystery was gripping with
lots of red herrings scattered throughout the book and enough twists
and turns to keep the reader guessing what was going to happen next.
There is also an intriguing mystery about Mary Quinn's father, which
I hope will be explored in the sequels, The Body at the Tower
and The traitor and the tunnel, which I am looking forward
to reading.
Right from the first pages I became really involved in the feisty
character of Mary Quinn. Lee has created a wonderful heroine whose
adventures kept me enthralled to the end of the book. I loved how
independent she was and how the Agency was prepared to take girls
who were intelligent and had potential and turned their lives
around. The witty repartee between James and Mary also brought a
dash of humour to the book.
A fast paced, well written book, this would be a good introduction
to the mystery genre for young readers.
Pat Pledger
Tropical Trouble by Aleesah Darlison
Ill. by Serena Geddes. Totally Twins series. New Frontier, 2011.
ISBN 978 1 9210 4269 0.
This is the third instalment in the Totally Twins series
about identical twins Perse and Portia. Perse is a writer and loves
to keep diaries of the adventures that she and her twin sister,
Portia have. It is her way of having something personal that is
special to just her. In this story Perse is writing a travel diary
about their trip to Fiji with their next door neighbour Dillon and
their grandma. Their gran is a travel writer and for this assignment
she has decided to treat the girls and also give Dillon's parents a
break by taking him too. When they arrive in Fiji the girls are
quick to learn that their luggage has been lost and although Portia
is excited by the prospect of new clothes, Perse is a little
concerned about the style of clothes available on a resort. As they
all bunk in the one room they are looking forward to the week ahead.
While gran is exploring and researching island information for her
article Perse, Portia and Dillon go to kid's club. Portia
immediately seeks out new friends while Dillon and Perse get
acquainted with the format and activities. They play tennis and go
sailing although not without incident as Perse tries to encourage
Portia to include her in her new cycle of friends and also ensure
that Dillon is having a good time. When Portia twists her ankle
while playing basketball and is rescued by the resort owner's son,
Perse just wishes the holiday would end. However the second half of
the week proves to be much more enjoyable and rewarding and Perse
eventually makes a new friend and succeeds in enjoying the island
hospitality.
Tracy Glover
Laughing hyena by Shoo Rayner
Pearson Picture Books. Pearson, 2011. ISBN 978 1 4425 4808 4.
(Age: Junior Primary) Hyena loves to laugh and play tricks on his
friends. He frightens zebra, glues a coin to the pavement so
elephant is fooled and continues to trick the bears. The animals get
their revenge when one of the bears shouts to Hyena not to step
backwards. He does of course and falls in the hole! They all laugh,
with Hyena admitting that he fell for that trick. The story shows
how unthinking tricks can be upsetting to the receiver and when they
back fire, the recipient needs a good sense of humour! The
illustrations are bright, clear and large, and fun to interpret for
young readers. Well recommended.
Sue Nosworthy
Ten blue wrens and what a load of wattle! by Elizabeth Honey
Allen and Unwin, 2011. ISBN 978 1 74237 787 2.
(All ages). Recommended. Picture book. Australian themes. Counting
book. Counting from one to a thrillion has never been such fun as
when Elizabeth Honey brings her considerable skills with paint and
words to the fore. Combine this with a love and exploration of
Australian themes, there is much to like, play around with and most
importantly share, in this Aussie showcase.
From one to twelve, Honey takes us through a catalogue of Australian
icons, including a nipper at the beach, artists creating dot
paintings, blue wrens and meat pies, all in sentences full of rhyme
and rhythm, fun and curiosity. Children will love to read along with
each page, finding the things on the page that reflect the sentence
and number given. They will love to predict what is coming next and
I can imagine many children learning off by heart the pages that
they most love to say along with the reader.
Kids in new arrival programs can be easily introduced to some
aspects of Australian culture and customs, kids in the city
can be introduced to some of the staples of the bush and rural kids
can be exposed to some of the things that city kids take for
granted. Iconic Australian structures, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the
houses with iron lace, sit well alongside the natural environment,
blue wrens, bowerbirds and Uluru, as well as the adapted
environment, meat pies, kelpie dogs and sheep stations.
The end papers extend the use of this wonderful book. Inside
the back cover the endpapers have the numbers one to twelve over
again, asking kids to recall and remember what they have just read,
while the front endpapers, with their sprigs of wattle in bottles,
show the class just how Elizabeth Honey painted the illustrations.
When the details on the publication page are read, many students may
well try the stencilling for themselves. By including such detail,
Elizabeth Honey has ensured that her book, the methods she has used
and the lesson given to the class will make this a more than
memorable book to read.
On the back page is a stanza summarising the words inside. Some may
like to read this first as a teaser, before venturing inside.
Fran Knight
Wolf blood by N.M. Browne
Bloomsbury, 2011. ISBN 9781408812556.
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Trista is a Celtic warrior girl who has been
taken as a slave. When she finally manages to escape she falls into
the hands of two Roman soldiers. Using her gift of sight, she
realises that one of the soldiers has a secret; he has Celtic blood
and he is also a shape shifter who shares his soul with a wolf.
Together they have a chance of survival and by using both of their
skills they cross dangerous territory trying to reach Caratacus, the
leader of the tribes, who is gathering his forces before his land is
overrun.
This was an exciting and refreshing novel which has all the
ingredients that will appeal to teen readers: a strong, determined
heroine, a young man who turns into a wolf and an exciting adventure
story line. However it goes well beyond the usual paranormal
romances involving werewolves. The setting is the first century AD
and Browne has done a wonderful job of bringing that period to life.
It is not hard to picture a Roman fort, early villages, tribal
meetings and rough terrain from her vivid, well written
descriptions.
Browne uses different chapters to tell the story of her two
characters, bringing each alive. Both are deeply appealing. I was
fascinated by Morcant's struggle with his wolf nature and the call
that the female wolf had for him. Often I was afraid that he would
not make it back as a young man. Trista too, had struggles with her
gift of the Sight and this added tension to the story as she went
about her quest to deliver a message to the Celtic leader.
An action packed adventure, this historical fantasy with its
supernatural elements, strong characters and beautiful writing, was
an absorbing read. I look forward to reading others by this author.
Pat Pledger
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
Simon and Schuster, 2011. ISBN 9781847374592.
(Age: Senior students) Recommended. The Lady of the Rivers
by Philippa Gregory is historical fiction set in the mid to late
15th century in both English-held France and England. The main
character, Jacquette, is chosen by the Duke of Bedford as his new
wife because of her ability to scry, or foretell the future. The
Duke is insistent on preserving her virginity, an apparently
indisputable aid in alchemy. Young and beautiful, Jacquette falls in
love with the Duke's squire, the handsome Richard Woodville, and
despite her status as a duchess, marries him when the Duke dies.
Jacquette and her husband become trusted advisors to Henry VI, the
Lancastrian king, when Henry marries the French Margaret of Anjou.
The novel shows the increasing turbulence in England between the
nobility, resulting in the Wars of the Roses, and the eventual loss
of most of England's French lands. Henry lapses into near imbecility
and religious fervour, allowing Margaret to act cruelly to protect
the interests of her young son. Richard, now Lord Rivers, and his
son are avowed Lancastrians but after many weary battles are
eventually forced to surrender to the young Yorkist, Edward March
who becomes Edward IV. Conveniently, at the end of the novel Edward
is about to fall in love with and secretly marry Jacquette's eldest
daughter Elizabeth, thus assuring the Woodville family of power and
influence in his court. The author manages to combine historical
accuracy with story-telling flair. The personalities are convincing
and the action moves quickly. Queen Margaret's development into a
cruel and militaristic force is believable. While Jacquette's
abilities and influence are romanticized and the language is at
times jarringly anachronistic this is popularised history and as
such very readable.
Jenny Hamilton
