Penguin, 2011. ISBN 978 0141326108.
(Ages 14+) Speculative Fiction. Recommended. Tom and Lucy's lives are
shattered one day by two incidents that are linked, although neither
realise it at the time. The Crow Estate is a rough place to grow up.
The tower blocks are the homes of two rival gangs which operate as a
law unto themselves.
When an iphone is thrown from the 30th floor of a tower block and hits
Tom on the head it almost kills him. When Ben, Lucy's brother is beaten
up and Lucy gang raped in their flat, Lucy withdraws from life numbed
and taumatised by the experience. As Tom recovers weird things begin to
happen in his brain. He is able to link with electronic networks around
him; he can access the net, text, sent emails, hack into data bases and
listen in to mobile phone conversations at will.
Through this network he learns of Lucy's rape and discovers the
perpetrators through the video footage he can access. His anger and
desire for revenge lead him to take on a different persona: a kind of
super hero he labels iBoy. As his understanding and control of his new
power increases he understands how powerful he can be.
But there is also a moral dilemma. How should he use this power? If he
uses this power for revenge and payback isn't he acting in the same way
as a gang member? If he has this power exactly who and how should he
help and who should he exclude?
Kevin Brooks knows how to manipulate his readers. The story, even given
the outlandish premise, invites you to put yourself in Tom's place. The
moral outrage at what has been done and the inability of anyone to do
anything about it urges Tom to use his powers to crush the gangs, but
the consequences of such actions tend to be put at the back of your
mind.
A great read with plenty of violent action, information and food for
thought.
Mark Knight
Bartimaeus - The Ring of Solomon by Jonathon Stroud
Doubleday, 2010. ISBN 9780385619165.
Recommended for readers of 10 years or older. Bartimaeus - the djinni
with attitude is back in a fourth book of the series, a prequel, only
to be enslaved to King Solomon and kept in line by the awesome powers
Solomon's ring brings across the realm. That doesn't stop him trying
everything to be free of Solomon, and does nothing to curb his endless
insolence and wise cracking. When a girl assassin is sent to kill King
Solomon and take the ring for her queen, Bartimaeus manages to
interfere and things get interesting.
This is a great story well told, with twists and turns. Crackling one
liners keep the book at an energetic pace, and there's an unexpected
twist in the tale.
Highly entertaining and very un put-downable, the book stands by itself
and you don't need to have read the other books in the series to
thoroughly enjoy this one.
Dean K.
I kissed the baby by Mary Murphy
Walker, 2011 (c2003). ISBN 97814063299964.
(0-4) Recommended. A re-issue of an old favourite, I kissed the baby
tells of the joy that the farm animals have when a new baby arrives.
There is much excitement and talk about the new baby. 'Did you see the
baby?' asks one animal. 'Did you tickle the baby?' asks another, and so
on until finally the little mouse asks the duck if she has kissed the
baby, and the reader finally sees just what the baby looks like.
Perfect to read aloud to very young children or to siblings, who have a
new arrival in the house, this story captures beautifully the thrill
surrounding a new baby. Murphy gives the listener lots of opportunity
to have fun, singing, feeding, and tickling the baby until it finally
appears after getting a huge kiss. The rhythm in the story and the
repetitive nature of the text are sure to appeal to young children.
The simple illustrations are done primarily in black and white, which
is ideal for young eyes. However the book never appears to be dull, as
Murphy has used strips of vibrant colour on the edges of her pages as
well as on the print.
Large pictures combined with strong emotion make this a joy to read.
Pat Pledger
Room: A novel by Emma Donoghue
Picador, 2010. ISBN 9780330519014.
(Age 15-Adult) Recommended. Jack seems to be a typical 5 year-old. He
watches TV and plays games with his mother. He is bright and energetic,
curious and intelligent. But his life is far from ordinary. He is
enclosed in a room that measures 12 feet by 12 feet, seeing only his Ma
and a frightening night time visitor, Old Nick.
Initially the disturbing aspects of this book put me off. I didn't
really want to read about sexual abuse and the difficult life of a
young child. However when it was chosen by my book group and also
featured as one of the 10 books written for adults that have special
appeal to young adults in the ALA 2011 Alex
Awards, as well as being on the Man Booker Prize list, I
decided to try it . Right from the first page the voice of Jack, the
narrator, drew me in and I found that I couldn't put it down. His
descriptions of life in the Room, where he has given names to all the
objects like Bed and Wardrobe and Floor, because these are his world,
are fascinating and give a whole new perspective to everyday things. He
thinks that the things he sees on TV are imaginary and his naive
descriptions of the lengths that his mother goes to, to protect him
from Old Nick, are heart rending.
What I found particularly moving was Jack's description of Ma. She is a
survivor, determined that Jack grows up as creative and intelligent as
she can under horrific circumstances. She is such a young and
defenceless woman but somehow she manages to give her son a life that
is interesting and challenging even though they are both captives.
I can imagine that many teens would find this book fascinating. Those
who liked the child's voice in The boy in the striped pyjamas
by John
Boyne or the young girl's narration in The lovely bones by
Alice Sebold
will find this original story equally as compelling.
Pat Pledger
Matched by Ally Condie
Penguin, 2010. ISBN 9780141333052
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Cassia has just turned 17 and in her
society that means she is now ready to be matched, on her birthday. The
officials in her society decide everything that happens, who you love,
when you will get married, how many children you have and when, where
you will work for your whole life and when you die. When Cassia is
matched she believes that he truly is her perfect match, but then she
starts to fall in love with someone else.
I love this book! For anyone who loves a good romance novel this
is a
must read, it takes priority over Twilight for me, and I'm Twilight
obsessed.
A beautiful love story that truly captivates you, I guarantee that you
will get lost in this book. I was torn between the two male characters;
I wanted both of them to live happily with Cassia. I was hanging on
every word that Ally Condie wrote, mesmerized by the sentences that
were formed.
I really truly hope that you will love this book as much as I have.
Taylor Oxenham(Student,14)
A waltz for Matilda by Jackie French
HarperCollins, 2010. ISBN 9780732290214.
(Age 11+) Recommended. At the turn of the last century Australian women
lobbied for the right to vote, depression and drought caused widespread
unemployment and young men enlisted to fight in the Boer War. Trade
unions engaged in strikes, notably in the wool industry. Racism against
Chinese, Pacific Islander and indigenous people cast a shadow over the
colonies as they moved towards Federation.
Jackie French has woven these events into the story of Matilda
O'Halloran, who leaves the city after her mother's death to be reunited
briefly with her father before taking responsibility for his sheep
property. She develops from a determined 12 year-old factory worker
into a self-assured young woman.
The troubles and achievements of the era are an integral part of
Matilda's story. Her life is intertwined with those of a squatter,
striking shearers, indigenous and Chinese people and women campaigning
for female suffrage. She is directly linked to the creation of the song
'Waltzing Matilda'. At a deeper level, Matilda wonders about the
secrets in her family history and we discover, with her, that some of
these secrets are also part of our nation's history.
Behind the apparently effortless integration of narrative and character
development, there is evidence of considerable research and an
intuitive understanding of daily life in the past. The personal
journeys of all the characters, men and women, contribute to the
storyline, ensuring that the novel will have wide appeal.
The narrative is told in the third person but we hear Matilda's voice
in her letters. Some of her attitudes are unconventional for the time
but she is good-hearted and her independent thinking is convincing. The
author has prefaced the book with an apology for the use of racist
terms no longer in common use and provided endnotes which explain the
controversies of the era. A waltz for Matilda is an engaging, well-crafted work of
historical
fiction. It is also an insight into a formative period in Australian
history and into the way in which history is revealed to us.
Elizabeth Bor
Dog boy by Eva Hornung
Read by Bruce Kerr. Louis Braille Audio, 2010. 9 CD's, 10 hours. Text
Publishing Company, 2009.
Highly recommended. Abandoned by his mother
and uncle, Romochka eats everything he finds
in the apartment, until spurred on by hunger and loneliness he
ventures outside, a place his mother warned him never to go alone.
Avoiding strangers, another of his mother's rules, he is taken by a
dog to her lair, and in so doing becomes one of the cubs, suckled,
protected and trained by her. This extraordinary story of the dog's
life lived by this small boy is absorbing, as Horning details how the
boy becomes one of the pack, living in the basement of an old church,
hunting in a pack at night, fending off strangers and developing the
skills to stay alive. He cannot emulate their sight, smell and
hearing skills, but he can use his hands, fashion tools and weapons
and so be of assistance in a different way. And they protect him in
their stead, seeing him as a member of the pack, fighting together,
sharing their food and protecting each other in time of need. At
times he is caught, once by authorities and another by a group of
boys intent on torture and death. His pack comes to his rescue. The
puppy, another boy brought to the lair by the female dog, is caught
by the authorities and in trying to find out if he is alright,
Romochka is taken to a children's home, and eventually comes into
direct contact with its director. Here is a different sort of
nurture, one which is clinical, watchful, with a mind to publish the
results for the further funding of the impoverished home.
Hornung has vastly added to the literature about children raised
with animals, the story is one that has always captured people's
interest and this tale is riveting. Engrossing, intelligent and
informative, the story makes the reader think about ideas; ideas
about our basic needs, about survival and what it is to be human.
Along the way she delights the reader with insights into the
behaviour of animals and what makes them take in a boy to nurture and
defend. And humour abounds in the clinical observations of the
psychiatrists trying to twist new meanings into what they are seeing,
finding a new area of research or twisting known ideas around the
boy's behaviour.
Set in Moscow after Perestroika, the background feels like war, but
is set in an area of Moscow built up and then abandoned; redolent of
hunger and lack of civilisation, while the all encompassing cold
during winter is keenly felt. The vivid setting impels the reader to
sympathise with the boy and
his pack as they roam the streets, scavenging food from all sorts of
places, sometimes grabbing shopping from strangers, sometimes given
food by a sympathetic cook, often crawling over the mountain of
rubbish.
The reader, Bruce Kerr tells this story with a deliberately paced
strong voice, reminiscent of early ABC TV news readers. His steady
thrum is just right, betraying no idea of where the book is set,
focusing our attention on the events surrounding the child's
survival. He varies his voice for the boy's words, and of those he
meets along his journey, but in the main this calm steady voice
underscores the brutality of what is going on.
(The book has deservedly won accolades: Winner, Fiction category,
Prime Minister's Literary Awards, 2010: Shortlisted, Vance Palmer
Prize for Fiction, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2009:
Shortlisted, ASL Gold Medal, 2010: Shortlisted, Literary Fiction Book
of the Year, ABIA, 2010.)
Fran Knight
Samantha Seagull's sandals by Gordon Winch
Ill. by Tony
Oliver.
New Frontier Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978 19210425091.
(Ages 4+) Recommended. First published in 1985, and republished most
years since then, this
new edition will be a treat for teachers and librarians now able to
replace the tattered old copies in their schools. A marvelous book to
use when talking to children about competition, difference, fashion,
growing up and friendship, this story of Samantha has resonance with
all children.
Samantha desperately wants to be different, and so buys shoes to
wear on the beach. But each pair of shoes she buys causes problems
for her going about her everyday activities, and so she must exchange
them. The high heels sink in the sand, the rubber boots fill with
water, the slipper's pompoms get soaked and lose their oomph. Each
time, her legs and face become redder with shame and embarrassment,
but all the while, her best friend, Simon comes to her rescue.
The repetitive nature of the lines will encourage younger readers as
they predict what the other seagulls will say and the humour of the
situation will cause much laughter amongst all who read the book. The
resolution is a neat resolve to the situation, informing the readers
of the difference between younger and older silver gulls. A
delightful book, with luminous shimmering illustrations, redolent of
a day at the beach, this story will have wide appeal.
Fran Knight
Drawn from the heart, a memoir by Ron Brooks
Allen and Unwin, 2010. ISBN 978 1 742371559.
All ages. Autobiography. Highly recommended. Some books are impossible
to put down. This is one. The frank and lucid telling of events in his
life as an illustrator is mesmerizing, as Brooks makes the slog of
finding a niche for himself in the publishing industry a fascinating
insight into the unseen backdrop to the books we read. Having always
loved John Brown Rose and the midnight cat, I was fascinated to see the
first drawings and read of the places which gave Brooks his inspiration
for the setting. Living with his grandparents when he went to a local
school to study art, the sense of that house comes through many of the
stories, John Brown being just one.
The struggles Brooks made to study art are fascinating in themselves,
as art was seen as a Cinderella subject and so he had to fight to be
able to study on his chosen field. Going on to college meant, as for
many people in the 60's and 70's, doing a teaching course to be able to
study art, and so parallel teaching with freelance art work. Picking up
work where he could, Brooks was in the right place meeting several
people who would mentor him through the early years while establishing
himself. Haworth Bartram of Childerset, Jenny Wagner, Pat Thomas of
Macmillan, Albert Ullin of The Little Bookroom, Peter Pavey amongst
many others were members of his network.
Not only are we lucky enough to get snippets of each story, thus
rekindling time spent with old friends, but Brooks goes into details
about his choices for his illustrative techniques and reprises the
absolutely engrossing reasons behind each decision made. It impels the
reader to grab hold of one of the finished books and relish it all over
again, but this time with greater insight from Brooks' writing. Some
first draft illustrations too are reproduced showing not only the range
of this man's abilities but the thought processes her went through in
illustrating a new book. Some of the criticisms of his work are also
included, showing that not all was rosy in the work that he did, and I
laughed out loud at the reviews reproduced from English, American and
German reviewers about John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat.
A treat for all, this will not only inform those in the field, and
endear those already in love with his work, but will create a new
audience eager to search out his illustrations for themselves. The only
thing I missed was an index.
Fran Knight
Rabbit's year by Melissa Keil
Ill. by Jedda Robaard. Black dog books, 2011. ISBN 978 1742031750.
Feeling sad and alone, Rabbit plays a tune on his cello. He would love
a friend but is too shy to join the other animals as they play their
instruments. But he loves music; he is creative and loves doing
creative things, but in playing his cello, he finds that other animals
join him, finding that they are drawn to the beautiful sounds. First
Dog finds the player, then Sheep follows the sound, then Pig wants to
join the trio, and on and on until all the animals of the Chinese
Zodiac join together to make beautiful music together.
A simple tale of friendship and working together, of music and its
power, form the subtext of this book outlining the 12 animals that
make up the Zodiac.
At the end is a double page spread containing an outline of the 12
animals, with a brief description and a list of the years in which
those animals take centre stage.
The main character will please younger readers and introduce them to
the 2011 Year of the Rabbit, as well as informing them of the Chinese
Zodiac and what it means. The line and water colour drawings are most
appealing to younger readers.
Fran Knight
Smuggler's Cave by Sonya Spreen Bates
(Orca Echoes). Orca, 2010. ISBN: 9781554693085.
When cousins Jake and Lexie race and Jake loses, it is impossible for
Jake not to take up the challenge of a second event. This time,
however, the race is to be by boat to Smuggler's Cave and back. Because
Jake can't leave his younger brother, Tommy alone, the two participate
together. Things go wrong and the boat ends up in the cave with the
water level rising. Stories about the cave make the children uneasy and
add to the adventure.
As a simple adventure tale, Smuggler's Cave will probably
appeal most
to the emergent reader or the middle primary reluctant reader. With
only minimal pages in the book and fourteen of those being
illustrations, this is an easy and quick read, accessible to both male
and female readers as the protagonists are also of both sexes. These
illustrations are useful to the reader as they support the text without
being so busy that they would detract from the child's concentration
levels. The theme of competition between boys and girls in the story
would be familiar to the young readers, possibly adding to the interest
level.
Jo Schenkel
The Messenger by Yannick Haenel
Translated by Ian Monk. Text Publishing, 2011. ISBN 9781921758003.
(Age17+ years) The Polish ghettos and the death camps established by
the Nazis during
World War 2 for the elimination of the Jews were hidden from the eyes
of the world. This book tells the story of one man, Jan Karski, who,
although not a Jew, did visit both the Warsaw ghetto and one of the
death camps so that he could take first hand knowledge to the allies
about the fate of those incarcerated. As a young Polish officer at the
start of the war Jan Karski escaped both the invading Germans and
Soviets to become a runner for the Polish underground. In 1942 he was
smuggled into the Warsaw ghetto by two Jewish leaders and asked to
inform the 'civilized' world about what he saw, to carry a message to
open the eyes of the allies to what was happening to the Jewish people.
It is an understatement to write that he was shocked by the suffering,
there in the ghetto and in the camp he succeeded in visiting. Through
contacts in the Polish government in exile he took his terrible message
to England and the United States. His appeals to the allies were met
with disbelief and even, he suspected, boredom. His message rejected,
he had to live with both the horror of what was happening and the
belief that the allies were compliant. The book is tripartite; the
first section describes Karski's appearance in the Claude Lanzmann
movie Shoah, the second is a summary of Karski's own book Story
of a
secret state (1944), and the third is a fictionalized version of
Karski's attitudes/philosophy many years later. In the first section we
see on camera how Karski resisted his memories, and then the horror of
the images that he gradually offers. The second section describes his
life as an agent, his difficulties, being captured and tortured, and
finally reaching the 'land of the free'. The final section is an
imaginative reconstruction of Karski's life in New York, his
sleeplessness, his attempts to escape the past by suppressing memories,
and his final embracing of the need to bear witness. This is the story
of a man who still believes that his message has not been heard, and
that he therefore still carries the message. So disgusted by the camp,
he believes that he died afterwards, but came back to life to carry a
pinpoint of light that he continues to try to shine on those terrible
events. The story is compelling, horrifying and challenging, and could
make an illuminating comparison with the movies The Pianist or
Schindler's List, or with the Jacobson novel The Finkler
question.
It is recommended for capable senior students.
Jenny Hamilton
The genius wars by Catherine Jinks
Allen and Unwin, 2009. ISBN 978 1741758542.
Recommended for 14+. Genius wars follows two previous titles in
the
series - Evil genius and Genius squad.
I imagine that readers familiar with these novels will enjoy
reacquainting themselves with familiar characters and discovering how
events from earlier plots lead to this finale. Newcomers should not
consider that reading the earlier tales is necessary however as Jinks
cleverly sets the scene and provides character narratives which
enlighten the uninitiated, allowing this story to stand solidly by
itself.
As a child, the central character Cadel had been exploited and
manipulated by adult criminals who engaged in high technology escapades
detailed in the first title. In the second book, Cadel and his friends
pool their knowledge and experience to assist authorities to locate and
prosecute criminals.
At the start of Genius wars, Cadel finds himself in a happier
place,
living with foster parents who love him and look out for his welfare
and best interests, in contrast with previous 'parental' figures whose
motivations were selfish and actions abusive. Fifteen year old Cadel
attends University with the intention of formalizing his considerable
I.T. skills and his few close friends are similarly gifted. Sonja, a
girl with multiple disabilities is rightly presented as a maths genius
and a vital team member, rather than a sundry character who happens to
be confined to a wheelchair. Similarly Cadel's hacker friend Hamish, an
annoying but likeable character drawn with realistic flaws and traits
is someone whom we might all know.
Cadel's foster father is a detective and his foster mother a social
worker. With their protection and support from his loyal friends, Cadel
engages in a virtual 'war' with Prosper English, a sinister father
figure from earlier times who seeks to harm him.
Cadel must pit himself against Prosper, testing his intelligence and
endurance and it is gratifying to read a story which celebrates
cerebral powers over physical violence.
It was pleasing to relate to characters which are boldly different from
those routinely employed by some authors to plod through their
sometimes hackneyed dramas depicting contemporary teenage life. Jinks'
idea is fresh and her topic challenging as wildly complex technology
features prominently amongst the action. The communications,
surveillance and security technology described is so advanced that one
is never sure if elements stray beyond current reality, however within
the framework of the tale, this is entirely acceptable.
Jinks has successfully created a story containing action and suspense
in a familiar Australian setting and whilst hyper technology is
involved, absolute understanding of every detail is not vital as the
reader is soon caught up and carried along with the pace.
Rob Welsh
The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
Random House, 2010. ISBN 978-186471864718270.
Donna Underwood is just your normal girl, that was until a horrific
attack in the Ironbridge Woods ten years ago, when she was only seven.
In this attack her father tells her to get behind him and grabbing the
axe, he goes off to get the Wood Monster. When the Wood Monster comes,
Donna's father tries to hold it off, but fails. In the fey attack she
almost lost both her arms, after they got bitten by the Wood Monster.
Maker saved them by binding her lower arms and skeleton in pure star
iron and silver and marking her with magic. Donna is not sure whether
it's because of her father's death or the fey attack, but her mother
has gone mad and only very rarely remembers who anyone is.
Ever since then she has been involved with the hidden world of magic,
as her parents both belonged to the Order of the Dragon, an
ancient alchemist society. Only when Donna's best friend Navin Sharma
is take by wood elves, the worst kind of fey there is, does Donna
accept who she really is. With the help of her new-found friend,
Alexander Grayson (Xan), she rushes head-long into the deepest and
darkest place there is.
Karen Mahoney has captured the prefect teenage novel, action, drama and
romance, in The Iron Witch. Being the first in a series it will
make
for a wonderful read. I highly recommend it to all teen readers. You
will enjoy!
Zoe Pfeiffer (aged 14)
Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead by Jacqueline Harvey
Random House, 2011. ISBN: 9781864718492.
Highly recommended for children ages 8 and up. Alice-Miranda is the
most kind, considerate, genuine seven and a half year old anybody could
wish to meet. On her return to boarding school, she is delighted to be
reunited with her friends, teachers and the staff of the school, each
of whom she appears to have changed in a positive way during the
previous terms. Even the arrival of the dreadfully rude new student,
Sloane Sykes, and her mother, September, has her trying to find the
best in people. Talk of a witch living in the woods causes the children
some concern, until Alice-Miranda gets left alone whilst out riding.
She then becomes involved in a mystery which she endeavours to solve
and bring things to rights.
With this having been my introduction to Alice-Miranda, I now wish to
go and read the two preceding titles. As much as this little girl is
too good to be true, she is an utterly loveable character, able to
endear herself to all with whom she comes in contact. She proves to be
totally unselfish, thoughtful and equally as engaging a character as
was Pollyanna in my childhood reading. This series could be used as a
class read aloud to even younger children, with a focus on giving
others the benefit of the doubt, generosity of spirit, sharing with and
over-looking the flaws in other people, thereby allowing them to be
themselves. This is a most engaging and entertaining tale of mystery,
friendship, loyalty and honesty.
Jo Schenkel
