Random House Australia, 2010. ISBN 978-1-74166-268-9. The Fiend and the Forge is the third book in The Tapestry
series, which
follows teenager Max McDaniels on his travels through the new world.
Here the world is now ruled by demons and Max has to confront them all,
without and within. Sometimes when all is quiet, Max blames himself for
this change in the world, some others do as well, seeing as it was Max
who handed the Book of Thoth, a mystical book that can create and
destroy anything in this world, over to the Demon Lord Astaroth.
With his home of Rowan Academy restored to its former glory after
Astaroth's Army invaded, Max decided to take a stand and do something
right against the darkness around him. Sailing head-first into the
enemy's territory Max must go it alone, with one of his friends shipped
off to the Demon's Land and David Menlo, Rowan's resident Sorcerer,
Max's best friend and his oath's objective, recovering from their
adventures in the Sidh. Before he can face the demons, Max must fight
the monsters within and without
To enjoy The Fiend and the Forge to its fullest, you must first
read
Henry H. Neff's first two books, The Hound of Rowan and The
Second
Siege. It is a book that will make you laugh and cry, smirk and be
frustrated, but that is what makes a good book, is it not? People who
would enjoy The Fiend and the Forge to the maximum would be
middle
aged teen boys, but girls who don't mind a bit of blood and gore would
also enjoy it. I sing high phrases to that group of people and to get
reading fast.
Zoe Pfeiffer (Student, aged 14)
Enormouse by Rebecca Gerlings
Egmont, 2011. ISBN 9781405248327.
Cue the circus music. 'Roll up for the world's most extraordinary
animal circus! Featuring leaping
lions, gymnastic giraffes, sensational squirrels and a teeny tiny
kitten with an
enormouse idea! '
Long, long ago and very high up, there lived a kitten, who, despite
being tiny,
had very big ideas. One day he finds himself falling out of that
high-up window
and down, down, down, into a circus caravan. And so begins his
life in the
circus. But he didn't quite fit into the squirrels' act and that
made him sad.
But then, he had an idea which grew and grew and grew until it was
enormouse - and filled the circus seats every night.
But to find out what that idea was, you'll need to read the book!
Barbara Braxton
The Maximus Black Files : Mole Hunt by Paul Collins
Ford Street Publishing. ISBN: 978-1921665264.
Out in a galaxy far from the Milky Way, Maximum Black is hard at work
in the
'Regis Imperium Mentatis (RIM),' the galactic law enforcement. Maximus
is
good at his job, really good, but some people are going to get between
Maximum
and his work. Maximum must find three sets of lost coordinates to
rediscover
the powerful squadron that had long ago been banished from the universe
but
it seems that someone is always one step ahead of him and ready to stop
him.
Anneke Longshadow, another RIM agent, knows there's a mole in the
organisation and will do anything to protect the RIM, even if that
means
putting her life on the line. Anneke must prepare herself to travel
great
distances to stop the mole from acting out his ultimate goal to replace
the
galaxy's gate keepers and take control of the whole galaxy. Mole Hunt is a science fiction novel set in a fictitious galaxy
outside
of
the Milky Way. Collins has created a novel in which the hero of the
story
is the villain and the villain is really the hero. I enjoyed reading a
novel
that is told from two different points of views but I felt like I
wasn't as
connected to the storyline as some other books I have read. This could
be
because Mole Hunt is the start of a new series and it took
awhile
establishing the plot. After being introduced to Maximus first, I found
myself liking Maximus more than Anneke even though I knew Maximus was
the
bad character and normally the hero is the likeable character.
I would recommend this novel to older readers due to the scientific
words
Collins has included. This would be a novel that I would reread and
still
enjoy reading and I can't wait for the next one in the series to be
released.
Lauren Pfeiffer (Student, year 12)
No more kisses! Margaret Wild and Nina Rycroft
Little Hare, 2011. ISBN 978 1 921714283.
(Ages: 5+) Picture book. The family is in the garden, happily
kissing the baby until he exclaims no more kisses and runs off behind
the hedge. There follows a game of kiss chasey as the animals run
around the garden in search of the baby. Up the steps, down a slide,
through a tunnel go all the animals, then each page offers an
additional place the animals go in search of the baby. The repetition
is infectious and would encourage participation and prediction by the
listeners and readers. Each activity is marked with a different noise
to make, encouraging the listeners to join in and predict which noise
to make as the story is read aloud. Enormous fun to read and perform,
this book will have wide appeal to those at home or in the classroom or
library. Kids will want to read it over and over again, to join in with
the noises and act out the places the little pig runs to avoid being
kissed. At the end the tables are turned, making a neat resolution,
which will appeal to younger readers.
Fran Knight
Surf's up by Chrissie Perry
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2011. Surf's Up is part of the Go Girls series and is recommended for
girls
aged 8-10 years. Readers won't need to have read other books in the
series to understand the characters or the story as it stands alone.
Girls will relate to the ups and downs of friendship and maybe even
learn how to solve the problems that can come with every friendship.
The main character is Lucy who is joining her best friend, Bonnie, for
a holiday to the beach. Lucy has finally received the surfboard she has
always wanted and can't wait to start surfing lessons while on holiday.
Lucy worries about feeling homesick so her big sister gives her a diary
where she can write about her feelings and holiday adventures. The
surfing lessons are everything Lucy thought they would be but she
struggles to stand on her board. On the other hand, Bonnie is a
natural. Lucy has feelings of jealousy and turns to her diary as an
outlet to talk about her feelings. What will happen when Bonnie steals
the diary?
Kylie Kempster
Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Allen and Unwin, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-74237.
Highly recommended. Lying can be magical: it's a chance to tell
stories, to use your imagination and fit it in with your life. Some
lies are for the better and some lies are definitely for the worse as
Micah discovers throughout her life. Seventeen years old Micah Wilkins
is a liar and she is ready to repent for her deceptions. From the time
she started in freshman year it has just been lie after lie after lie,
the lies are growing too numerous for her to manage and now the school
is there to witness when the lies unravel.
Micah has just found out her boyfriend is dead. But is he really her
boyfriend? Was she just some after hour's plaything he strung along?
Rumors fly about Zach being murdered and Micah, his after hours
girlfriend is the main suspect. Having been torn to pieces in Central
Park Micah wonders if it really was the savage dogs the media proclaim
it to be. How could a simple run turn out so horrible? Either way she
is determined to find out.
I found that Liar is such an irresistible book that I truly
could not
put it down for long. Justine Larbalestier has writing something that I
believe is incredibly powerful and thought provoking. This is one of
those rare stories which almost anyone would love, packed with all the
necessities such as romance, mystery, crime and fantasy. I would highly
recommend this book to almost everyone with a hunger for original tales
that make you think.
Kayla Gaskell, 15
Bobo, my superdog by Michael Salmon
Ford Street Publishing, 2011. ISBN 9781921665394.
(Ages 6+) Picture book, Humour. Seeing a dog peering from the pet shop
in anticipation of an owner, has the family falling to their son's
expectations of taking the little dog home. Once home, he worms his way
into their hearts, sitting at the table for meals, fighting with the
cats next door, sitting in dad's chair to watch his favourite movies.
But he has another life. Bobo becomes Super-Bo, donning his cape and
mask to avoid detection, he flies off into the sky to watch over the
township. He rescues maidens from dragons, saves the town from a
disastrous flood, saves a plane full of passengers, saves a family from
a group of snakes in the jungle, recuses treasure from a pirate ship
and so on. But when he appears worn out and listless the family takes
him to their vet who prescribes vitamins and lots of rest. So what is a
superdog expected to do? There are still people to save. And then when
the mayor of the city wants to present the dog with a medal, a further
dilemma occurs.
With funny illustrations giving a wider story than the words portray,
kids will delight in finding Bobo and his exploits in the drawings
accompanying the text. Michael Salmon is a well known author
illustrator with many books to his credit. Readers will recognise his
bold illustrations readily and search out for this book.
Fran Knight
The fly by Petr Horacek
Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 9781 406330731.
Picture book. When the fly lands inside he is horrified when a fly swat
lands near him with a great thwack. Someone is trying to kill him! Told
from the fly's point of view, this funny take on the life of a fly and
what drives him to do what he must do, will absorb readers and those
read to, alike.
In a few well chosen words Horacek tells his tale, following the fly as
it tries to keep away from the fly swat, eat some food (he doesn't mind
sharing), avoid the cow's tail, the frog an the bird both of whom see
him as their dinner, and then finally returning home for tea.
Each page is covered with wonderfully bold illustrations, some in
pastel, some watercolour, and some in pencil, but all detail the
exploits of the poor fly, simply trying to survive.
Children will have sympathy with the fly's attempts, and perhaps take a
closer look at this insect in our midst.
The humorous take at the end and the cut pages between will further
endear the readers to this book.
Fran Knight
One boy's war by Lynne Huggins Cooper
Ill. by Ian Benfold-Hayward, Frances Lincoln Children's Books,
2010. ISBN 9781847801265
(Ages 10+ ) Picture book. The evil of war is revealed through this
diary like tale of a young man, a 16 year old, who enlisted despite his
mother's protestations, to go to France in 1914. He expects, as many
did, to be home for Christmas, and cheerily tells his mother not to
worry. As the story progresses the tone of his tale becomes less and
less optimistic, more laden with words describing a hellish scene,
tales of men being sent back to England with wounds that will see them
never work again, or praying to get out, or possible doing themselves
harm. And the stunning illustrations parallel the words. All around the
images becomes more barbaric, with bodies lying across the page, barbed
wire litter each page with rats making their appearance.
A moving tribute to those who died, like the boy in the story, Sydney
Dobson, the tale is a harsh reminder that war does not solve anything,
that young men fight and die, while others stay at home waiting for
their return. This will make a terrific book to study when looking at
war as a theme. It would be particularly useful as one of the books
used in a literature circle.
Fran Knight
The Little Lie by Sally Rippin
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2011. ISBN 9781921848001.
Billie B. Brown has two colourful slings, three pink bandaids and a
bandage
around her head, a consequence of being trampled by a dinosaur while
out hunting
with her friend Jack. Unfortunately, Billie suffers a real injury and
before
long her arms is encased in a real plaster cast and a real sling. Like
most
kids, Billie sees this more as about getting attention at school than a
lesson
about climbing on the fence, but it is what happens when she tells a
little lie
that kind of grows about her accident that the story centres on.
Sometimes the
attention we seek is not the kind we want, and sometimes the harder we
try the
less we get.
This book is part of a new series about Billie B. Brown, and is
probably best
described by teachers as a 'beginning chapter book'. With its short
chapters,
large font and monochrome illustrations, it is a perfect bridge between
the
structure of the instructional reader and a novel, enabling independent
reading. The storylines are engaging and at the right level for the 6-8
year-old girl. They could imagine being in Billie's circle of friends
and empathise with her. In each book, the B. stands for something
different
and the story is built around this.
Aki Fukuoka has hit just the right note with her illustrations, with
that
big-eyed look that is so popular right now with this age group, and
clothing
that is of this time. There are many similarities between Billie and
Miss
Nearly 7.
Reading Matters (Ross, McKechnie and Rothbauer) demonstrates that
there are very
sound reasons why emerging readers need to read series and this one is
on the
money. It's almost an Australian answer to the very American Junie B.
Jones
widely regarded as the stepping stone to independence in the US.
There's a
website with
lots of activities and the
first chapters of the other titles in the series online to taste, tempt
and
tease.
A must-have series on your library shelves to cater appropriately for
those 6-8
year-old girls who are still little girls.
Barbara Braxton
Roman diary: journal of a young slave by Richard Platt
Ill. by David Parkins, Bloomsbury Books, 2011. ISBN 9781 4063 25478.
(Ages 10+) Recommended. Picture book. On their way to Egypt to see
their
holdings there, the Greek ship is attacked by pirates, and Iliona and
her brother, Oliver are sold as slaves to the Roman market. The time is
AD 107, with the Roman Empire at its height and the diary of Iliona's
life in Rome reveals a huge bustling city, easily comparable with
modern cities today. Sold to a family where she must look after a baby,
Iliona soon learns that her owners are kinder than others she could
have been sold to. Through her eyes we see the Roman city, its streets
and houses, baths and market places, clothing, hairstyles, water
system, and arenas. We see a triumph where the prisoners of a battle
are brought in to be slaughtered, a fight to the death with lions,
gladiators fighting, and a banquet. All flavours of the life of a Roman
citizen are shown through the slave's eyes. When her master
dies and she is unexpectedly freed, she opts to stay on with her
former mistress.
As with Pirate diary, pages at the end of the book reveal other
information, maps and a sound usable index.
Fran Knight
Against the odds by Marjolijn Hof
Allen and Unwin, 2011. ISBN 978 1742375083.
(Ages 9+) Recommended. When her dedicated father goes missing in
Africa, en route to a hospital that is in desperate need of a doctor,
Kiki plays out something she has heard. The odds are that he will
survive but in her child's eye she decides that other things dying will
increase the odds of him staying alive. So she asks the local pet shop
for a dying mouse to look after, and when it does die, she buries it
with much ceremony in her garden. She cannot ask her mother about her
father as she is too distraught to give her the time. When her
grandmother rings every day, often more than not wanting news, her
mother becomes even more fraught whenever the phone rings.
Asking the pet shop for an old dog to look after, the attendant becomes
suspicious and sends her away. So she takes their pet dog, the old dog
she does not like, to the freeway intending to throw it over the edge.
She is interrupted in her mission by a man who talks to her about what
she is doing and persuades her that this is not the way to go. Her
father's rescue and return home brings her to another quandary to sort
out, the loss of a limb.
A seemingly simple story, Against the odds underscores the
loneliness
of the child, caught up in an adult event over which she has no
control, and by merit of being young, is left out of the discussions
and decisions. It is a cry for a child to be involved to be told the
truth about what is happening, as her understanding becomes skewed with
the little knowledge that she has.
Fran Knight
The Folk keeper by Franny Billingsley
Bloomsbury, 2011, (c1999). ISBN 9781408813195.
(Age 11+) Recommended for those who love a retelling of a fairy tale,
The Folk keeper has happily been reissued after the success of
Chime
earlier this year. Corinna Stonewall is a Folk Keeper. She sits
in a cold, dark cellar feeding the Folk, drawing off their anger and
keeping ordinary people safe from having their crops damaged and
animals harmed. They are vicious, vengeful lot but Corinna is a
determined, powerful girl who keeps them under control. One day she is
summoned by Lord Merton to come to his vast holdings by the sea as Folk
Keeper and unanswered questions rise to the surface. Who were her
parents? Why does the sea call to her? How can she live in her own skin?
Billingsley writes fabulous, original prose with unforgettable
characters and an understated romance.
Written as a diary, the reader is transported into the world of
Corinna, as she struggles with who she is and her amazing powers. The
idea of keeping evil, in the form of the Folk, at bay is intriguing but
Corinna is undaunted. She is strong willed and determined, brave in the
face of unknown danger but fair in her dealings with others. Finian,
determined to build boats and not interested in estate management, is
an excellent foil for Corinna, and gradually helps her to ease into a
world of light.
I loved the challenging ideas, beautiful descriptions and memorable
story in The Folk Keeper and know readers will experience
delicious
shudders at the scary moments while delighting in the plight of Corinna.
Pat Pledger
I love my baby sister by Anna Walker
Scholastic Press, 2011. ISBN 9781741698947
Ollie, like Miss Nearly 5, has a new baby sister. After all the
waiting and anticipation, she is finally here. But is having a baby
sister worth all the fuss? It's hard to be patient, especially when
everyone keeps telling you you are going to be a big sister and then,
when the big day comes, it's all about her and not a lot about
you. And where's this playmate you were promised? 'She
always sleeps and her ears are small. I say 'hello' but she says
nothing at all.' But, quickly Baby Sister, like Miss 10 weeks,
grows, and when Ollie, like Miss Nearly 5, pulls a face she starts to
giggle, and sing, and play in the bath and play peek-a-boo. And, at
last, having a little sister is fun.
This is a simple rhyming book just right for the preschooler who is
awaiting this momentous event and the perfect conversation starter to
prepare Big Sister to expect a tiny, helpless bundle rather than a
ready-made, just-like-you girlfriend.
Barbara Braxton
Cloud tea monkeys by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham
Illus. by Juan Wijngard, Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 978 1406300925.
(Ages 9+) Folk tale. Highly recommended. Tashi and her mother live in
the village by the plantation. Each morning Tashi wakes to familiar
noises, and goes with her mother to the tea plantation where she and
many of the village women work. The overseer, a bossy man, tells them
the same instruction each morning, to gather only the most tender of
shoots. One morning the familiar noises are replaced by mother's harsh
cough, and too poor to afford a doctor, Tashi resolves to take her
mother's basket and gather the leaves herself. Being small her efforts
are derided by the overseer, and she cries in the nearby woods. Here
her friends the monkeys try to placate her, and the males and older
monkeys take her basket and rush away up the mountain side. An official
tea taster comes to the plantation, and of all the teas gathered,
Tashi's tea is the best. It is called Cloud Tea and for her basket of
tea, she is given a purse of gold coins, enough to fetch a doctor and
for her mother to retire. Each year the tea taster returns with another
gold purse in return for Tashi's basket of Cloud Tea.
A beautiful retelling of an old Indian folk tale, sumptuously
illustrated with paintings of the women and the tea plantations, along
with Tashi and the monkeys, students will revel in this story of a
child wanting to help her mother and then the animals helping her.
What, for most of us is an ordinary cup of tea, is given extra
background with this story showing how it is collected and the
importance of this work to the village women. Near to the end of the
book is an illustration which stood out for me. It is of Tashi and her
mother, with an umbrella, walking along the road to the plantation.
There is so much to talk about with just this one illustration, and the
whole of the book will entertain and inform students, encouraging them
to think about their cup of tea and where the tea came from and who
picked it.
Fran Knight
