A and C Black, 2011. ISBN 9781408128343.
This novel is one in a series of pirate adventures. Terry Deary has
a reputation for capturing historical facts in episodes of fiction,
bringing delight to young audiences worldwide. In this story Red
Legs Greaves owns a sugar plantation on the island of Nevis. He used
to be a pirate but his days of roaming the high seas have caught up
with him. He faces the gallows for robbing a wealthy ship owner many
years before. Only a miracle can save him.
This book is an exciting read that will intrigue most children. It
is a short, fast paced adventure guaranteed to whet the appetite for
the remainder of the series.
Tina Cain
Three summers by Judith Clarke
Allen and Unwin, ISBN 978 1 74237 827 5
(Ages: 12+) Highly recommended. The first summer sees best friends,
Ruth and Fee waiting for their year eleven results. Fee already
knows what she wants in life, marriage and children and has set
herself upon that path. Ruth, encouraged all her life by her
grandmother, Margaret May, the child of an orphanage and a sour
marriage, aims for university, and is in two minds when she wins a
scholarship and place at Sydney University. The local priest, a long
time friend of Margaret May, who has watched over the motherless
Ruth, rages against the decision to move to Sydney from the pulpit.
After all men do not marry educated women and cities are places of
sin and abomination.
The small country town, west of Dubbo breaths rumour and innuendo,
gossip and half truths as the fabric of their living is revealed by
Clarke in this story of the girls' lives. Ruth is attracted to Tam a
young man from the big house outside town, and rumoured to have
fathered several children to girls in Ruth's school. After an
encounter with him, thoughts of what might have been shadow Ruth for
the rest of her life.
Fee's letters later follow Ruth to London where she lectures and
writes, letters full of her marriage and five sons, and a longing to
know if Ruth is happy. The second summer sees Fee begin to question
her life, and when her youngest son, Josh is accepted at university
but also intends to marry, Fee is shocked into saying things she
later regrets.
During the third summer, Ruth has returned to Sydney and living in
the mountains, fosters a damaged girl, one she is warned, never
shows affection. During one long day of extreme heat and with the
promise of fire in the air, the two women, the retired lecturer and
the young girl with Tam's grey eyes, find a path of connection.
This is a stunning novel. The two women, friends for life, are on
opposing paths on life's journey, one staying home contentedly
married and bringing up children, the other seeking worlds anew.
Both question their decision, but each knows it is the right choice.
The steadfast friendship remains a constant theme in their lives,
and the one true thing each has aimed for is there for each of them.
Neither can imagine living the life of the other, but as the summers
pass they both accept what each has chosen, just as each realise
that their path is particular to themselves.
Again Clarke deposits us in the world she has created, we laugh and
cry, recognise people and situations, and are dismayed all over
again with the narrowness of some while congratulating those who
have some recognition of what makes them human. This is a moving
story, skillfully told, which will readily capture the imagination
of its readers.
Fran Knight
Kick it to me by Neridah McMullin
Ill. by Peter Hudson. One Day Hill (distributed by Scholastic) 2012.
ISBN 978 0 980794 6 1.
Warmly recommended. Picture book. Football. The story of the
beginnings of Aussie Rules Football is not a story widely known, but
it is brought to life in this engaging story by Neridah McMullin.
Tom Wills, a young boy living on a Western Victoria pastoral
station, was sad at the end of summer when cricket was finished for
the year. His Aboriginal friends invited him to join them, and so he
learnt the basics of Marn-grook. Years later, in a position where a
new game was being touted to encourage fitness in Australia, rugby
was suggested, but Tom Wills, famously said ; "we shall have a game
of our own" and so Aussie Rules Football was born.
A two water bag introduction by Eddie McGuire gives the premise for
the book, but readers will jump straight into the story and get what
they can from it by themselves. They will engage with the story
readily, it has all the ingredients necessary for a good tale,
football, boys out by themselves trying new things and comradeship.
That it is true, adds another dimension to the tale, and readers
will look at the game and its Aboriginal footballers with renewed
interest and respect.
The lively illustrations will engage and direct the reader to things
mentioned in the text. I loved the close up pictures of the boys'
faces staring straight out of the frame; they give a directness to
the story and challenge the reader to think about what they are
reading. The biographical information about Tom Wills rounds off a
book which slots in well with our new curriculum.
Fran Knight
My green day by Melanie Walsh
Walker Books, 2012. ISBN 978 1 4063 3001 4.
Warmly recommended for younger readers. Picture book. Environment.
With the subtitle, 10 things I can do today, the books has a
smiling face peering out of the round hole in the cover inviting
readers inside. When she wakes she tells us that she eats free range
egg for breakfast, and this is shown in the illustrations, while in
smaller print at the bottom of the page, the term, free range, is
explained. One the next page we are told that she places the egg
shell in the compost bin, and this is shown, again with an
explanation of why this is done. Through ten double pages, many with
an inset, we see the things the narrator can do at home to be green,
thinking about her impact upon the environment. Each page is loaded
with things children can talk about. Each page would act as a
springboard for a class discussion or small group discussion.
I really like the way the publisher uses cut outs and part pages to
create interest in turning each page, and the bold swathes of single
colour too added to the interest for the reader. I can imagine this
book being used in the classroom, with a teacher using it to
introduce a topic about being green, or the environment, or what to
do at home to help the planet, and about recycling. There are
endless possibilities, but make sure you have a muffin recipe ready
to use.
Fran Knight
Ten Scared Fish by Ros Moriarty
Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN: 9781742379128.
(Age 2-5) With turtles by the waterhole, snakes in the river grass
and fish in the saltwater, all seems to be well until the arrival of
a shark changes the dynamics.
This simple counting book continues to add animals until the
appearance of the wide open mouth of the threatening shark. Young
children would enjoy counting along with the addition of each
animal. Basic shapes used to create the illustrations could easily
be copied by young children as the artwork holds much appeal.
Jo Schenkel
Night School by C. J. Daugherty
Atom Books, 2012.ISBN 9781907411212.
(Age: teens) Highly recommended. Something sinister appears to be
happening at Cimmeria Academy, and secrets need to be uncovered
before someone is hurt. In her novel Night School, C. J.
Daugherty builds great tension into this wildly intriguing plot. The
brooding graphic and blurb on the cover, together amplify the
undercurrents lurking in this novel. By invoking elements of
vandalism, young love, murder and fires, there is plenty of action
going around. Night School opens with sixteen-year-old Allie caught
red-handed in a brazen act of vandalism, her artistic graffiti
boldly adorning the school principal's office door. After a night in
the lock-up and an unceremonious handover by the police, Allie
discovers there will be no meter of leniency from her parents. All
too soon she finds herself bundled away to boarding school.
Once installed in the vast three-story gothic mansion, Allie begins
to ask herself whether it is a school, or a prison? Automatic
locking gates, curfews and 'night school' all fill her with
apprehension. In spite of her reservations however, Allie begins to
make friends, and quickly discovers a connection with the quietly
withdrawn Carter West, but also confusingly, handsome Sylvain's
admiration is difficult to resist. Tres difficile. Life at the
academy settles into an orbit of classes, secrets and explorations
and then, disaster strikes. What happens on the night of the summer
ball, and why has it not been reported? When everyone is lying, who
do you trust? Allie isn't sure, but is determined to find out.
Writing in the third person, C. J. Daugherty quickly establishes
believable characters. Some of her strengths lie in description and
dialogue, and, she has manifested interaction well between the
characters in her broad cast. Although some tensions are left
unresolved in this novel, these mysteries will surely be revealed
once the sequels hit the bookstores. Publication of the first sequel
to Night School is anticipated in 2013. I look forward to
it. Night School is highly recommended for secondary school
libraries.
Colleen Tuovinen
Au revoir, crazy European chick by Joe Schreiber
Electric Monkey, 2011. ISBN 9781405259439.
(Age: 13+) ALA
2012 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers. Perry Stormaire
is persuaded by his parents to take the Lithuanian exchange student,
Gobi Zaksauskas to the senior prom. The bribe of having his father's
Jag to drive sweetens the ordeal for Perry, who really doesn't want
to take the unattractive young girl out. Instead he wants to play in
his band which has finally got a gig at a nightclub. It turns out
that Gobi is a highly trained, attractive assassin who is out for
revenge and Perry is in for the ride of his life.
Each short, snappy chapter starts with an essay topic from a leading
university. This gives a fresh and funny approach to the writing,
which is done in the first person by Perry. Through his
writing the reader finds out about his bossy lawyer Dad, his band,
and his hopes for his future. Best of all, the reader is taken on a
high octane ride through New York as the hapless Perry is forced to
drive his father's Jag as a getaway car after Gobi carries out her
assassinations.
The action is so fast and the suspense so thrilling, that I was
compelled to suspend belief and read this in one sitting. Smart
writing and funny asides from Perry added to the enjoyment.
Schreiber gave enough information about his characters to make them
believable, and the hint of romance was a nice touch.
It is sure to be a hit with both boys and girls and is certainly one
to tempt reluctant readers.
Pat Pledger
The ghost of Ping-Ling by Peter Cooper
Omnibus, 2011. ISBN 978 1 86291 918 1.
(Age: 11-14) Dillen is an orphan looked after at the temple in
Ping-Ling by the priest Kaji who despises him. His life is
changed forever when he is visited by an Easterner in the service of
the Empire who tells him to find the sorcerer Hallegat and serve him
well. After the temple burns down and Dillen is blamed for it
by Kaji he has no real alternative but to flee. He is soon
captured by the Puk-do, a blend of pig and human, luckily he escapes
and teams up with Tajni and later Koto, Tajni's friend. They
then embark together on the quest to find Hallegat, along the way
meeting many others both human and non-human. The Empire has
some resemblances to Japan and the author has skillfully woven
together many diverse elements to create an exciting story. It
is not clear whether Dillen is meant to succeed or merely provide a
diversion. However by equal combinations of luck and skill,
Dillen and his friends eventually succeed and he returns to
Ping-Ling to expose Kaji for what he is.
This fantasy should appeal to those who like an oriental flavor to
their story, but also elements of magic and magical creatures.
The story moves along at a cracking pace and should appeal to both
boys and girls in middle school. There are two other
books in the series as Dillen and his friends continue the quest for
the Blue Jade.
David Rayner
Chicken big by Keith Graves
Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 978 1 74169 977 7
(Ages: 5+ ) Picture book. On a very small farm a huge egg is laid by
a very small hen, and out of the egg hatches a humungous chicken. He
is so big that he does not fit into the chook house, so big that he
that the other animals think he is all sorts of things. So begins a
search for what this large yellow animal really is, as the chooks
sift through a number of large things, to arrive at a name for him.
Is he an elephant, or an umbrella, and so on, each time deciding why
he is not what they think he might be. Classes and individual
readers will have a great time trawling through the reasons why the
animals think he is one thing, and be able to call out why he is
not. A great deal of fun will be had. The illustrations too add
another layer of mirth as roosters and hens walk in line scared of
this large yellow animal. The expressions on their faces add another
level of fun for the readers.
When the large chicken saves the day by scaring the fox away, all is
resolved as the large chicken is accepted for what he is and invited
to reside in the hen house with the rest of the chooks.
A wonderfully funny story of difference and acceptance.
Fran Knight
Crow Country by Kate Constable
Allen and Unwin, 2011. ISBN: 978 1 74237 395 9
Highly recommended. When I began the novel Crow Country I
had no idea what to expect. However I soon learned that Crow
Country is one of those rare great Australian mythological
novels tying in not only with the original land owners but with the
war and the Australian football culture as well. This book is one I
would highly recommend to young people with an appreciation for
culture.
When Sadie Hazzard and Her mother move from their Melbourne home to
the town of Boort in rural Victoria she didn't expect to like it.
Boort was a strange place full of even stranger people who all
seemed to know her mother. Feeling lonely one day Sadie decides to
find the much-talked-about second lake of Boort. But what she finds
there is enough to turn anyone's head.
The Mortlocks and the Hazzards have lived in Boort ever since anyone
can remember. They grew up together, worked together and even went
to war together. Clancy Hazzard knows this and he full appreciated
the position Mr. Mortlock puts him in coming into his home with
blood on his hands.
The story must be told, what was lost must be found and what is
sacred must be protected by those who know. Sadie teams up with her
friend Walter, an aboriginal boy, to try and solve this mysterious
puzzle all the while being watched by one particularly auspicious
crow. Crow Country is a very engaging book made even more so with
the links to aboriginal mythologies and WWII. Kate Constable has
previously been labelled as 'the time-slip queen' and I can see how
she earns her title. This compelling book recreates voices of the
past in a superb manner and it seems a shame that the book had to
reach an end. I am looking forward to reading more of Kate
Constable's novels.
Kayla Gaskell (Student, 16)
Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781742379265.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. This amusing story is told through a
combination of narrative form, letters, diaries, and encyclopaedia
entries, and even a play. The main characters here are Princess
Wisdom, otherwise known as Dizzy. Then there's Tips, a soldier who's
trying to keep his true identity a secret. And last, there's
Fortitude, an orphaned maid who longs for Tips and has an unusual
gift of sight. They must work together in order to preserve their
empire from ruin, and they might even accomplish their dreams on the
way. Wisdom's Kiss is oddly satisfying; it has an excellent cast
of characters, each with well-developed, interesting personalities.
It has a fun, not too serious storyline and it is consistently
amusing, with some truly hilarious moments. More than all that, it's
smart. There's an underlying theme of dry, funny wit throughout, and
it's very cleverly written.
If it were just written in an ordinary narrative style, it'd be
good, but by combining the narrative with letters, diaries,
encyclopaedia entries (some amusingly informative), and for some
reason a play, this makes a good story great. Wisdom's Kiss is a funny, sometimes hilarious story with
memorable characters, perfect for a light read. It doesn't take
itself too seriously, so neither should you. I recommend this book.
Rebecca Adams (Student, Year 10)
BZRK by Michael Grant
Egmont, 2012. ISBN 9781405259941.
Nano technology in the form of biological and robotic 'bugs' is
applied for both therapeutic and sinister purposes in this
long-science / future fiction story. Nano bots developed for medical
use by the fabulously wealthy McLure Corporation have been hijacked
by operatives employed by the conjoined Armstrong twins who have
delusional plans for world domination. These individuals are so
ruthless that they are prepared to commit mass murder to achieve
their goals and one of the many creepy aspects of this story is that
the logistical and practical application of their plans has the
background and sense of being little more than electronic games.
Nano bots are controlled by Twitchers and the best of these, like
the Bugman who works for the Armstrong twins, can manage multiple
units simultaneously in a similar fashion to an individual playing
several video games at once. Competitive spirit prompts the best
twitchers on both sides of the Good versus Evil divide to yearn to
defeat their opponents in battle. This sense of gamesmanship must be
put into perspective in that the battles are waged within the bodies
of unsuspecting human beings and the gladiators are microscopic
robots whose primary tasks are cellular repair or alternatively
internal sabotage, depending upon the cause of the Twitcher.
This runaway, suspense filled drama will interest middle teens for
its action and predictable characters, yet it contained both
unexpectedly thought provoking and gratuitously unpleasant elements.
The reader is made to feel decidedly uncomfortable by the fact that
subjects and targets have no choice about whether they are
penetrated by nanobots. Twitchers simply introduce the particles via
innocuous touch, causing them to enter bodies through eyes, ears or
noses via remote control. Disturbingly, the Twitchers have access to
what the subject can see, hear and, to some degree, think, with the
target being completely oblivious to their presence. One
particularly repellant example is how the Bugman artificially
conjures affection and devotion from his impossibly beautiful
girlfriend by using nano technology to rewire certain brain
receptors. The fact that this girl would otherwise have no interest
in him and is prompted to be intimately accommodating to an underage
teen makes this little more than technologically advanced sexual
assault.
Battles waged on the micro level within humans are played out as a
consequence on a monstrous scale in the real or macro world. The
various characters are complex and cleverly presented with
operatives having colossal controlling power over sublimely
developed technology whilst possessing debilitating human flaws. A
theme which readily prompts consideration is that the threatening
twins have repellant intentions, yet they sincerely believe that
they are doing good for mankind. Alternatively, the forces who
oppose them don't hesitate to use criminal or immoral means in their
crusade against evil. The result is a dizzying web of interaction
between players and everyone, including the reader, has little
confidence in who can be trusted.
Rob Welsh
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Harper Collins, 2012. ISBN 9780732292614
(Age: 13+) Hallowed is the second in a series, following on
from Unearthly and with a third to follow, possibly. The
main character, Clara is part-angel, part-human; she and her
brother, Jeffery, are learning what this means while they living as
'normal' students and dealing with more mundane and expected teenage
problems. They each have a purpose, and varying superpowers. They
can both fly, a useful trait, and Clara is very empathetic and can
read some minds. They are also recovering from the trauma of the
forest fire that concludes Unearthly. Has Clara failed to
fulfill her purpose? Is she still in love with Tucker? Can Clara
learn to control her 'glory', an ability to glow with power? Can
Tucker cope with her angel-related relatives? To their surprise,
they meet others in their area who are part-angel, part-human and
have similar abilities, but learn that some, the 'Black-wings', use
their power negatively. Sameeza, a Blackwing, continues to haunt
Clara's life. They learn also that part-angels part-humans have long
but limited lives, and Clara realizes that her own mother will die
soon. In her final year at high school Clara must plan for her
future while dealing with the death of her much loved mother. The
device of the angelblood involves the writer in some clunky
plotting. Heaven and Hell must be assumed to exist, and parts of the
Old Testament are interpreted quite literally. The degree of
angelblood has some tricky genetic implications, as 'angelblood'
should be maintained through marriage. However, the writing, in
teenspeak, is lively and engaging, and the characters are generally
believable, despite the young men being quite stereotypical. The
novel is a mixture of fantasy, romance and teen issues, and will be
enjoyed by girls aged 13+.
Jenny Hamilton
The Grimstones by Asphyxia
Allen and Unwin, 2012. Hatched ISBN 978-1-74237-688-2 Mortimer revealed ISBN 978-1-74237-689-9
Described as a gothic fairytale, the Grimstones a quirky, small
novel, immediately made me curious. These small books are
illustrated with both puppets and people and the author's name
Asphyxia is certainly unique. It was only when I searched the
internet that I discovered that The Grimstones is based on a puppet
show with the author as one of the two puppeteers and an actor in
the show. Hatched, the first book, introduces us to the Grimstone
family through Martha Grimstone, a young girl, lonely since the
death of her father and the resulting incurable grieving of her
mother, Velvetta. Martha would like to follow her grandfather's
footsteps into the world of magic but even though she has been
forbidden, she dabbles in a spell creating an egg which hatches into
an unusual and remarkable brother. Mortimer revealed continues Martha's quest to discover how
her father died. No one in the family is willing to give an
explanation, so she decides with the help of Crumpet, her 'hatched
brother', to find her own answers.
These stories are unique and fascinating to read. The puppets are
gothic yet appealing and the small sets used in the puppet play are
cleverly constructed and a doll house lover's dream. There are some
interesting oddities in the book such as the embalmed father
Mortimer lying in his open coffin, visited by both Velvetta and
Martha and Martha's creation of the three legged child, Crumpet.
I enjoyed reading both these original stories and I predict they
will be popular with 8 to 12 year olds, in particular, girls. For
some background information on the puppet show on which the books
are based visit here.
Jane Moore
The Flappers: Vixen by Jillian Larkin
Inkhouse, 2011. ISBN 9780552565042.
Every girl wants the flapper lifestyle. Gloria has it all, and is
living it up with her best friend, Lorraine. Gloria is engaged to
Sebastian Grey. Gloria's cousin, Clare has arrived to make sure the
high-society wedding goes to plan. Gloria loves to party, surely she
still has enough time to party before she has to walk down the
aisle. Lorraine is tired of living in Gloria's shadow and when her
envy spills over, nobody is safe.
I love the early 1900's and the twenties were a crazy time. Vixen
is intriguing and full of suspense. The minor characters all were of
some importance and had a role to play, leaving you wanting for more
after each page. The book is written from three points of
perspective, which may cause a little confusion but is more
interesting in the telling. The author uses the language of the
1920's, and it is captivating. It is different to not picture the
teens with laptops and cell phones and was a great book to change
that image. It's good read and those whom love the early 1900's will
love this book.
Cecilia Richards.
