Excellent excuses (and other good stuff) by Liz Pichon
Tom Gates. Scholastic, 2011. ISBN 978-1-407124-40-7.
(Age: 8-12) This is the second Tom Gates book, the first being The
Brilliant World of Tom Gates, which won the Roald Dahl Funny
Prize in 2011. It's a great read, especially for kids who are having
withdrawal symptoms after finishing all the Wimpy Kid books.
Tom rejoices at the beginning of the book with the fact that he has
'no school for two whole weeks' and immediately lists all the
activities he will enjoy during the break. They include the
continued campaign against his older sister Delia and practising
with his mate Derek in their band 'Dog Zombies'.
Not all of his plans run smoothly and Tom has a lesson to learn
about cheating on his homework assignment.
Each page is full of Tom's doodles and handwriting. Apparently the
handwriting from Liz Pichon's sample exercise books was used by the
publishers as the basis for a new font used in the Tom Gates books.
Some of my favourite doodles are of Tom's grandparents, fondly
referred to by Tom as 'the fossils'. They are anything but 'fossil -
like' in their behaviour.
This is a fun book that will immediately appeal to boys but will be
suitable for all readers ages 8 to 12 years.
Jane Moore
Chill by Carol Thompson
Little Hare, 2010. ISBN 9781921541735.
Dolly the pig likes to play on her own - but some games are no fun
playing alone. Along comes Jack Rabbit and they have the best times
together, until one day they decide to paint pictures. Neither likes
the result and the friendship seems doomed. Can it be saved?
The solution lies in a strategy that would be most useful for every
young child learning to negotiate relationships so the cliche
molehills don't become mountains. It's a great story for exploring a
range of emotions to expand the children's concepts and vocabulary
and for them to empathise with each character - 'How would you feel
if . . . ?' 'What would you do if . . .' - which are
essential skills for developing reading and readers. It got a
thumbs-up from Miss 5.
Barbara Braxton
Fracture by Megan Miranda
Bloomsbury, 2012. ISBN 9781408817391.
(Age 13+) Recommended. Delaney Maxwell is pulled out of the icy
waters of a frozen lake eleven minutes after she went through the
ice. She should be dead. Her heart has stopped beating but after
being in a coma she wakes up and all seems to be normal in medical
terms. However Delaney feels a strange pull to people who are dying
and then she meets Troy Varga, an enigmatic young man who seems to
understand her frightening abilities. She begins to question whether
she is causing death or is being drawn to people on the verge of
death.
This is an absorbing book that works very well on a number of
levels. Miranda manages to write convincingly of an altered brain
state that could sense death, making it seem real and credible. At
the same time she twists in a thrilling plot that keeps the reader
wondering what is going to happen next. There are a number of deaths
and it is never clear how they happen. The reader is left wondering
whether Troy is good or evil and whether he will hurt Delaney, or is
the only one who can understand her.
At the same time there is the conflict of Delaney's relationship
with Decker, her best friend, the boy who wouldn't give up when she
was drowning and who pulled her out of the water. The author manages
this relationship in a realistic way, beautifully describing the
uncertainty of teen feelings and the hesitancy for Delaney of moving
from having a best friend to boyfriend.
Underlying the mystery and romance were some key themes that I kept
thinking about. The right of the individual to make decisions about
how and when they should die and the guilt of the living is
explored. I particularly liked Delaney's phrase, 'If you had one day
left to live what would you do?'
Readers who enjoyed Before I fall and If I stay by
Gayle Forman will enjoy this story.
Pat Pledger
Relic Master: The dark city by Catherine Fisher
Relic Master: Book 1. Dial Books, 2011.
(Age 11+) Chosen as on of the ALA Best Fiction for
Young Adults 2012, The dark city is the first in the
Relic Master series, and is a welcome reprint of a book that was
first published in 1998. Galen, a Keeper of the Order and of Relics,
and his young apprentice, Raffi, live a difficult life avoiding the
Watch, which wants to destroy all members of the Order. Anara, their
world, has been mysteriously devastated and Galen and Raffi go on a
quest to find the Crow, something or someone who may be able to
rescue their world. On the way they meet a young girl Carys, who is
a member of the Watch, and who journeys with them, keeping her past
a secret.
Fisher has created a wonderful world that is part science fiction
and part fantasy. The relics that Galen and Raffi seek are from a
technologically advanced world, with powers that they have no
knowledge of. At the same time the Keepers have magic powers. Raffi
can feel sense-lines and knows if danger is near. He needs all his
powers to keep them safe as they travel to the city of darkness,
Tasceron, where dangerous secrets lurk. The Sekoi, original owners
of the land, also play a role in the dangerous quest that they have
embarked upon.
Written in an easy to read style, Fisher carries her readers along
on an absorbing journey. Although quite long, the book is made of
short chapters, each of which is divided with an illustration and
saying from sacred books and this makes it an easy read. Entries
from Carys' journal also provide interesting insights into the
characters of Galen and Raffi as well as her growing doubts about
the Order and the Watch.
There are three more books in the Relic Master series, which I look
forward to reading. This book should appeal to middle school readers
who enjoy fantasy and although easier to read than Incarceron
(Horn Book best book 2010) and Sapphique, its sequel, it
will also appeal to readers who enjoyed those two books.
Pat Pledger
King's Ransom by Jude Watson
The 39 Clues: Cahills vs Vespers. Scholastic, 2011. ISBN
9780545298407 (Hardcover).
(Ages: 10 +) The 39 Clues series is written by multiple authors and
this is the second in a spin off series. This series has two
families, the Cahills and Vespers, engaged in a deadly rivalry. The
main characters in this book, Dan and Amy Cahill, are forced to work
their way across Europe stealing historical documents and artifacts
so they can save the lives of family members kidnapped by the
Vespers.
While a lot of the situations and escapes by the two teenagers are
not feasible the fast pace of the narrative does allow the reader to
suspend our disbelief for much of the book. The historical details
are interesting but not over described and the puzzles and clues
engaging. It would be preferable to have read others in the series
as there are characters and events mentioned in passing that a first
time reader would find confusing. There is an associated website
with information and more puzzles and clues.
This is not a lighthearted read with an often depressed Dan, major
betrayal by family members, and a death, so librarians may wish to
monitor its borrowing by younger readers.
Chris Lloyd
Little colour fairies by Mara Van Fleet
Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN 9780857075079.
(Age 4-6) A touch and feel book with tabs to pull, Little colour
fairies is sure to be a hit with young girls who love pink,
glitter and fairies.
Little fairies wearing a range of colours, red, blue, green, brown,
orange violet, pink, yellow, black and white and silver come along
to the palace to help dress the little princess for the Royal
Rainbow Ball. Each group of fairies is dressed in glittery gowns
with wings to match and they have lots of fun dressing the princess.
The illustrations are cute, with the fairies drawn to look like
little girls.
The combination of touch and feel elements in the book and the use
of colour will give young children the opportunity to learn what
things feel like, while also reinforcing what different colours look
like. There are delightful sparkly red shoes, and soft green velvet,
silky brown hair, and pink satin to feel, as well as tabs and
pop-ups to delight the reader. The book ends with the princess
making her debut at the ball, and children will have the opportunity
to look at her dressed up and pick out the different colours.
Pat Pledger
Lia's guide to winning the lottery by Keren David
Frances Lincoln, 2011. ISBN 9781847801913/
(Age: 15+) Recommended.When Lia wins 8 million pounds in the
lottery, life starts to change. She begins to wonder whether the
problems that she has with her mother will go away now that she has
enough money to plan to get her own flat. Raf, the gorgeous boy she
has been eying off for months, seems to be interested, but she is a
bit troubled that it may be her money and not her personality he is
interested in. Her sister suddenly becomes popular and Shazia, her
best friend, has been forbidden by her strict father to have
anything to do with her money.
What makes this book stand out for me is the humour. There are lots
of laughs in this amusing take on a 16 year old winning the lottery.
Humour is not often found in books for girls and this is a smile a
page as well as a serious look at wealth and whether it makes you
happy. I especially liked the little asides about whether Raf, the
dark and brooding boy that Lia contrives to sit next to, could be a
vampire or a fallen angel, as all the young girls at Lia's school
believe. The truth of course is much more painful, as Raf has many
real life problems to brood about.
Lia comes across as a very selfish 16-year-old. She argues endlessly
with her mother and the sibling rivalry she feels towards her sister
Natasha is brought out brilliantly. However, as the impact of her
lottery win starts to kick in, with so called friends taking
advantage of her, and a hate Facebook page being put up Lia has to
work out just what is important in life. It's a coming of age novel,
with Lia learning about wealth, what it could do to help poverty
stricken communities and discovering the commitment she has to make
to get a relationship to work. There are also themes of bullying,
teen drinking and sex and the author manages to point out the perils
of these without being didactic.
I liked the advice about how to handle winning the lottery that Lia
wrote at the beginning of each chapter, even though she often didn't
follow it. The information about lottery winners, chances of winning
and just what money can do is cleverly put together at the end of
the book, giving the reader a chance to think about wealth and the
possibility of getting it. In the UK she writes that there is 1 in
13,983,816 chances of winning a jackpot in a standard lottery.
I certainly will be picking up any more books that Keren David
writes. I loved her humour and the real world that she created for
her characters.
Pat Pledger
Diary of a . . . star series by Shamini Flint
Ill. by Sally Heinrich. Allen and Unwin, 2012.
Diary of a Soccer Star. ISBN 978-1-74237-825-1
Diary of a Cricket God. ISBN 978-1-74237-826-8
(Age: 7-10) 9 year Marcus Atkinson writes the diaries and he is
being very sarcastic with the titles. According to Marcus, he is not
a sporting hero but a sporting disaster with no understanding of any
of the rules or skills of the game. Marcus is spurred on by his
father to try different sports. Indifferent to any objections that
Marcus makes, he encourages him with motivating sayings such as
'seize the moment' or 'you are what you believe son'.
Marcus records each sporting disaster in his diary and there are
simple illustrations on every page. Many of the misunderstandings
are a play on words, such as 'duck' in cricket having Marcus
imagining the bird.
Marcus does have some shining moments though and manages to succeed
in the end.
This is light hearted fun and an easy read for 7 to 10 year olds.
Children who have enjoyed The Diary of a Wimpy Kid and books
by Jeff Kinney will be attracted to this series. The diary format
seems to be very popular at the moment and I feel there will be many
more titles to come. The appealing cover will also help this series
be easily recognised by young readers.
Jane Moore
Wash Your Face in Orange Juice and Other Silly Songs by Peter Combe
Scholastic, 2012. ISBN: 9781741699616.
Containing three of South Australian children's entertainer Peter
Combe's decidedly 'silly songs' and filled with Danielle McDonald's
vibrantly coloured comic style illustrations, this book is bound to
take the fancy of a whole new generation of children. The pictures
of the animal characters are simple, bright and appealing. The
songs, Wash Your Face in Orange Juice, Stuck in a Pizza and
Spaghetti Bolognaise are catchy and almost impossible to get out of
your head.
Having been teaching for longer than I care to mention, this music
has virtually always been a part of my career as well as that of the
lives of my own children. With his first album having been released
in 1982, Combe's songs truly have stood the test of time and are
unforgettable. The predecessor to The Wiggles, both use food as a
recurring theme in their music, with much rhyme, rhythm and
repetition, all perfect techniques to keep young children
interested.
Jo Schenkel
The reckoning: a strange angels novel by Lili St Crow
Razorbill, 2011. ISBN 9781921518942.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. The fifth and last book in the Strange
Angels series sees Dru off to the Appalachian Mountains to the home
where she had lived with her grandmother. It is a place where she
believes her best friend Graves and the broken wulf, Ash will be
safe. She has fought off deadly zombies and jealous djamphirs, and
there is to be one last battle and one big decision for Dru.
This has been an exciting and gripping paranormal series, which is
much better than many of the vampire books that currently abound. As
ever Lili St. Crow's world building is excellent. I loved the scenes
in the mountains and the vivid descriptions are outstanding.
Dru continues to be a driven, caring heroine who looks out her
friends. As a reader her feisty, strong character carried me along,
as did her deep feelings for the things that she has lost and the
nightmares that she is facing. In this final book she has come of
age and is now a beautiful svetocha, and one who finally has to make
a choice between her two potential suitors, Christophe and Graves.
Teens who have followed this love triangle will be surprised by the
outcome of the romance, but I think more thoughtful readers will
love the ending, as I did.
I can't wait to read any future books that Lili St Crow writes. She
is definitely my favourite author of paranormal stories.
Pat Pledger
The dead I know by Scot Gardner
Allen and Unwin 2011. ISBN 9781742373843.
(Age: Secondary) Recommended. This book is unusual in that it deals
with death, not usually a topic dealt with in society. More
specifically, it touches upon the funeral industry and the disposal
of the dead. It does this sensitively and respectfully and this is
one of the strengths of the book.
Aaron Rowe has dreams and sleepwalks. He often wakes up in
unexpected places and doesn't know how he got there. He lives with
his Mam in a caravan and is bullied by another resident of the
caravan park. Aaron's life begins to change when he starts a
job as an assistant to a funeral director. Through the care and
understanding of John Barton, Aaron begins to take hold of his life
and to confront his dreams and sleepwalking. At the same time, he
has to deal with his Mam's descent in dementia.
This book can be read and enjoyed on many levels. Aaron is a
likeable character who has a lot to deal with. Ultimately the dreams
and sleepwalking are resolved and Aaron is able to deal with the
problems in his life realistically and satisfactorily. His Mam's
dementia is explained as all the parts of the puzzles in the book
fit together. I particularly like this book and would recommend it
to secondary students.
David Rayner
Nanny Piggins and the pursuit of justice by R.A. Spratt
Random House, 2012. ISBN: 9781864718164.
Highly recommended for ages 8 and up. When Nanny Piggins is taken to
court for tight rope walking between two buildings, in a quest for
chocolate cake, she is ordered to complete five thousand hours of
community service. She accepts her punishment in good grace and
first visits the Golden Willows Retirement Home to 'talk' to the
residents whose television has broken down. Naturally, the
irrepressible Sarah Piggins takes it upon herself to entertain them
in her own inimitable style with unexpected consequences. Later, she
displays her exceptional skills as a fortune teller, the driver of
the school bus and an agony aunt. Along the way, she battles memory
loss and a challenge to her accomplishment as 'The World's Greatest
Flying Pig'.
Each chapter in the book could exist as a stand-alone episode with
Spratt's writing incorporating entertaining situations and
vocabulary which is aimed at competent readers. The author has a
quirky sense of humour and her descriptions of the settings and
characters made me chortle loudly on occasion, particularly as she
describes libraries and librarians! This title would make a
thoroughly entertaining novel to use as a read aloud in class,
holding plenty of appeal to boys and girls alike. Spratt has created
a winning recipe in this series and each book has managed to engage
the reader with Nanny Piggins being the adult with whom every child
would love to live. I find her lack of rules and flouting of
authority to be especially amusing, and I imagine most children
would agree.
Jo Schenkel
Fearless in love by Colin Thompson
Ill. by Sarah Davis. ABC Books, 2012. ISBN 9780 7333 2951 7.
(Ages: 5+) Picture book. Animals. Fearless has been told by his
mother 'life is much nicer if you love everyone', and so he sets out
to do this when he arrives at his new home. But his idea of love is
definitely not the same as his owners, as he causes mayhem and
mischief throughout the house. He loved his new bed so much that he
eats it, and his mother's lovely orange jumper is just the thing to
chew to bits, while chewing socks, slippers, homework also makes
them cross. But when he chews up the lottery tickets, he is banished
to the garden.
In the garden, the birds help him see the error of his ways, and
when a bunch of earth is tossed near him, another dog emerges
from the garden next door. Fearless now realises what real love is.
All the while of course, the sheepish, endearing dog looks out at
the reader with big sloppy brown eyes, and simply impels the reader
to keep reading. The disarming illustrations are a treat and add
another dimension to Thompson's lovely story of finding your place
in the world. This is a charming companion story to that of Fearless,
produced by the same team in 2009.
Fran Knight
The scary solo by Sally Rippin
Hey Jack! series. Hardie Grant Egmont. ISBN: 9781742971261.
Age: First chapter book readers (6-8). Hey Jack is the
spin off series of Billie B Brown and takes the same easy
chapter book format with large print and illustrations on most
pages. Readers of the Billie series will already be familiar with
Jack as Billie's best friend and next door neighbour and will now be
able to see the world from the perspective of the somewhat shy yet
aspiring Jack. In this instalment we follow Jack on an emotional
rollercoaster of jittery, nervous, scared, angry, jealous, sad,
grumpy, excited and proud feelings.
The journey begins with Jack wanting to sing a solo in the school
concert but during try outs he gets nervous and his best friend
Billy gets the solo instead of him. Jack has to deal with all the
emotions that arise because of this but then when the night of the
concert comes and Billy is hit with an attack of nervousness Jack
knows exactly how his friend is feeling and is able to help her out.
The main themes of this story are about being with a good friend and
recognising and dealing with emotions. I would like to think that
the Hey Jack series would appeal to both young boys and
girls, especially with girl fans of Billie B Brown already being
familiar with the lovable character of Jack.
Nicole Smith-Forrest
Foxly's Feast by Owen Davey
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2010. ISBN 9781921690594.
Foxly's tummy is rumbling and he needs to find something to eat.
Maybe he will find it in the barnyard or the duck pond. Perhaps even
in the duck pond. Are the farm animals in danger? Is Little Owl to
be the secret ingredient for his dinner? Or does this fox have a
funny fetish that makes this fantastic feast a little different?
Miss 5 loved the suspense built up in this story and laughed out
loud at the end. It gave us a great idea and we searched for
pictures in magazines and made piles of what Foxly would pick and
what he wouldn't. As a chef's daughter, she continued the
conversation with her dad and learned all sorts of new things and
new words like carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, carnivorous and
vegetarian. A talented teacher could take what we did and turn it
into an engaging set of lessons.
Loved it.
Barbara Braxton
