Maudie and Bear by Jan Ormerod and Freya Blackwood
Little Hare, 2010. ISBN 9781921541407.
(Age 5-7) Highly recommended. In a wonderful collaboration Jan Ormerod,
who is an outstanding illustrator in her own right, has joined with
award winning illustrator Freya Blackwood, to produce a stunning
picture book that could well become a classic of the future.
Maudie and Bear are best of friends. Bear cooks and cleans and is
always there when Maudie needs him. The book is divided in very short
illustrated chapters, each showing the personality of exuberant and
demanding Maudie and patient, loving Bear. Each chapter is humorous and
illustrates the themes of love and friendship. In chapter one the pair
go for a bike ride after Maudie decides she needs some exercise. After
taking an age to get her sunglasses, scarf, sunscreen, and bug spray,
Maudie gets into the basket and Bear pedals away, with Maudie remarking
that 'exercise is good for you.' Chapter 2 is a funny retelling of The
three bears while Chapter 3, The snack, sees Bear labouring over food
preparation while Maudie stands by idly and gives instructions.
Making up shows the nature of true friendship, even if Maudie is very
offended when Bear laughs at her dancing. The final chapter,
Telling stories, is a heart-warming look at staying awake when a story
is being told.
I adored the character of the stalwart Bear, who is like the most
patient of parents or carers. He is warm and untiring in his love for
Maudie. Maudie on the other hand, is a typical demanding child,
self-centred and troublesome but loving as well.
The illustrations are just fabulous. The imaginative details that
Blackwood has conjured up are amazing. I loved the scarf that was a
fox, the little frilled bloomers that peeped out from under Maudie's
dress, and the drawings of little toys and household utensils.
It is an unusual picture book in that it contains five chapters, each
with a different story. Beginning readers who are almost ready to move
onto chapter books will enjoy the easy vocabulary and beautiful layout
of the story and will feel comfortable with the picture book structure.
This book is a keeper and deserves a place on all library shelves.
Pat Pledger
Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
Ill. by Tony Fucile. Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 9781406329681.
(Age 6-8) Recommended. Bink, short and exuberant and Gollie, tall and
thin, are the best of friends, although they like different things.
Bink loves goldfish and brightly coloured socks, and Gollie likes to
use long words like 'bonanza' and 'compromise' and to dream about
travel. She hates Bink's new socks. They do have one thing in common -
they both love to roller-skate.
Told in three chapters where they share different adventures, the story
of the Bink and Gollie's friendship evolves. The humour of the story
stands out as Bink insists on wearing her outrageously bright socks and
Gollie ventures out to conquer the Andes Mountains. The
vocabulary may be demanding for a beginning reader,
who would however relish new words after the story was read
aloud.
Tony Fucile's cartoon-like characters are a delight and add to the
humour and depth of the story. Bink's hair stands on end and she is so
full of life. Her little pleated skirt is gorgeous, as is the little
tongue that hangs out when she is concentrating. Golli's more reserved
character also comes alive as she plans adventures and saves the life
of Fred the goldfish. The expressions on the faces of both girls are
exquisite and really show how they are feeling.
The themes of friendship, compromise, adventure and imagination, are
all wrapped up in a story that is entertaining and thought-provoking.
Pat Pledger
Editor's note: Bink and Gollie was a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book
for 2010 and won The
Geisel
Award for the most distinguished American book for
beginning readers published in English in the United States during
the preceding year
Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin
Bloomsbury, 2010. ISBN 9781599906188.
(Age 13+) Avery Hood is an
orphan. Her parents were brutally murdered and she is the only witness.
But she is so traumatised by it that she can barely remember what
happened, except that she saw 'silver, deadly silver, moving inhumanly
fast'. Then she meets the new boy at school, Ben, who she finds out is
a werewolf. They fall in love and she trusts him, at first. Then she
sees his eyes sometimes flash silver, and she isn't the only one who
can't remember the night her parents died.
This story is how she tries to find out what really happened, part
murder-mystery, part grief-narrative, and part headlong romance.
I loved this book for many reasons. It is original in one sense, but
sometimes it echoes faintly of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. The
language is evocative and rich and the plot and characters really pull
you along on a breathtaking ride of murder and romance. The characters
are mostly realistic, but, like most books, they still manage to have a
few small flaws. The little things that Avery remembers are well
thought out by the author, because although they seem to be meaningless
to start with, they all tie together to reveal who the killer really
is. And who the killer is found out to be, is a great twist at the end
of the story.
The book isn't as long as I would have liked, because it didn't seem to
build enough suspense. It is also surprisingly violent; during Avery's
flashbacks there is
often a lot of blood and gore. One thing I really liked about Low
Red
Moon was that whenever the word
'moon' is written in the book, it is printed in red, which added to the
spooky atmosphere. Low Red Moon stands out from all other supernatural romances
because it
has an element of murder in it. It is original, scary, beautifully
crafted, gripping and it kept me on the edge of my seat.
Rebecca Adams (Student)
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
Viking, 2010. ISBN 978 067907394.
(Ages 11+) Recommended. Pursued by the German ironclads, the beastie
powered Leviathan's captain must make some brave decisions to avoid
capture. He knows that Alek is more than he seems, and although
Austrian, has saved them twice, despite his pre Darwinian philosophy.
Unbeknownst to the British captain and crew, Alek is indeed the son of
the assassinated archduke and his wife, and their murders have set in
train a series of events which will spiral the world into World War 1.
But this is an imagined past, Westerfeld has taken a significant time
in history and given it a Steampunk twist, with animal powered
airships, the Darwinians and their knowledge of evolutionary change set
against the Clankers, those who hold on to the past, abhorring the
evolution of animal powered machines. (Check out the message lizards on
page 82 or the Clanker walkers on page110! Wow!)
Sumptuously illustrated with adventure piled on adventure, Behemoth is
fascinating reading with its array of mesmerising machines with animal
behaviours, and the continued sparring between the Clanker Alek and the
Darwinist Deryn, a commoner he meets on the ship who is more than he
seems. Alek and, Derryn must fight for their lives against the German
foe intent on killing Alek even though they are not on the same side.
One night Alek and his entourage escape from the Leviathan, but in so
doing, Alek takes one of the newly hatched beasties, because it has
bonded with him and will not be quiet if Alek leaves it. The boffin, Dr
Barlow will not be pleased, or will she?
Now in Istanbul, the group is aware that the Germans are exerting a
hold over the Ottomans, and so the stage is set for Alek and his men,
along with the Darwinists and Deryn to cause some significant damage to
their designs.
Sub plot and counter plot, subterfuge and strategies impel the reader's
brain to work enjoyably overtime following the deeds and misdeeds of
all the protagonists. The groundwork of history makes for an ultra
exciting read with its overlay of fantasy drawing the reader into this
mind-boggling but wholly credible world, so well written and
illustrated that you feel you can step into it at any time. This
is the second in this new series by Westerfeld, following on from
Leviathan.
Fran Knight
The Secret of the Lonely Isles by Joanne Van Os
Random House, 2011. ISBN: 978 1741662528.
Recommended for ages 9+. The Isherwood family is experiencing tough
times with Dad having been injured at work and Neenie, their Gran,
suffering from dementia. Siblings Jem, Tyler and Maddy are affected by
the daily conflicts arising within the family when Great-aunt Ella
arrives and suggests they accompany her on a sea-faring trip. An
invitation is also extended to their friend, Zac, and the not entirely
enthusiastic bunch begins their preparations. Only when Ella explains a
little of the mystery she hopes to solve, do the children become more
excited and involved. As they journey across the seas and more clues
are uncovered, they meet various characters along the way and need to
consider whose motives can be trusted.
The Northern Territory setting adds its own special dimension to the
story as do the different backgrounds of the characters and their
varying voices. Showing some similarities to the books of Michael
Morpurgo, this could be paired with adventure stories from other
countries and used to compare both style and content. With its
distinctly Australian writing, and the themes of overcoming one's
fears, insecurities and self absorption to assist the family, this
engaging adventure/mystery would make an entertaining class read aloud
for middle primary children.
Jo Schenkel
Fierce fighters series by Charlotte Guillain
Raintree, 2010.
(Age 7-10) This is a well researched and interesting series that
provides excellent easy to read information about fierce fighters. Each
book is beautifully illustrated with both line drawings and quality
photographs of sculptures, artefacts and costumes that belong to the
period. Large text on the left of each double spread eases the way for
newly independent readers, while a Did You Know section on the
right
hand side, contains a fascinating bit of history that will keep the
reluctant reader interested. An easy to use Table of Contents and index
make the information accessible for children who are doing research and
the glossary is a helpful aid to understanding new words. A
bibliography contains both books and websites to encourage further
reading and investigation from the young reader. There are also
instructions for a creative activity at the back of the book.
Children will be fascinated by the subject matter, which will appeal to
both boys and girls.
Books include: Read Me! Greek warriors by Charlotte Guillain. Raintree, 2010.
ISBN 9781406216158.
This contains information about the ancient Greeks, how they became
warriors and fought in wars. It also looks at famous Greek warriors and
Greek women. Read Me! Gladiators and Roman soldiers by Charlotte Guillain.
Raintree, 2010. ISBN: 9781406216110.
Topics include Who were the Romans?, Roman soldiers, gladiators and
weapons. There is a section on Roman women and the end of the Romans. Read Me! Samurai by Charlotte Guillain. Raintree, 2010. ISBN
9781406216141
Information is given about the Samurai, their rules and weapons
as well as famous Samurai warriors and Samurai women.
Pat Pledger
Samuel's kisses by Karen Collum
Ill. by Serena Geddes. New Frontier, 2010. ISBN 9781921042157.
(Age 3-5) Recommended. When Samuel goes shopping with his mother he
sees lots of people who are looking miserable. He loves shopping and
wants other people to be as happy as he is, so he sends them a kiss,
which brightens up their day and affects those around him. Soon the
people in the Post Office, the supermarket, the bank, and indeed, the
whole shopping centre all have smiles on their faces as Samuel's kisses
trail under and over furniture, fruit and people.
Karen Collum has written a heart-warming story about how a simple kiss
can change the feelings of tired and sad people. The power of love and
a smile can make people feel better about themselves and what they are
doing. This is a beautiful message to bring to young children and their
carers, and children might want to test out the impact of a smile in
their own lives. The author also portrays a warm bond of family love
between the Samuel and his mother, with his mother blowing him a gentle
kiss in the final pages.
The rhythm in the story makes it a very satisfying book to read
aloud. Serena Geddes' bright watercolour illustrations complement
the story. Children are sure to enjoy the emotions on the faces of the
people and the trail of kisses that leads from one page to the next is
delightful.
Pat Pledger
Vampyre Labyrinth : RedEye by G.P. Taylor
Faber and Faber, 2010. ISBN 9780571226948.
(Age: 12+) Jago Harker lives in London during the Second World War. The
blitz has forced many children from London to evacuate to smaller
country towns, and Jago is to be evacuated to a town called Whitby, but
he believes he is too old to be evacuated and does not want to leave
his mother alone. Jago eventually relents and leaves for Whitby, but
before he even made it to the train there was a bombing raid and his
mother was killed. Jago only survived because a mysterious man saved
his life, but Whitby is not safer at all. Jago lives in a manor with
many other kids and when he defends one of the people who is bullied he
makes an enemy of the bullies. At night Jago has very realistic dreams.
This book is very good. It was not over the top. It was gripping and
very well written, although I found it a bit difficult to get into at
first. I highly recommend this book to everyone who likes supernatural
books.
Gareth Peer (Student)
Captain Mack and the Monstrous Moonmites by John Lomas-Bullivant
Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 978 1406323665
Captain Mack will appeal to any child who loves the idea of space
exploration and astronauts. It is a comic style book, using speech
bubbles to tell the story which is great for reluctant readers as the
bright comics help tell the story. The stories have simple plots and
are aimed at young children but they will still need to be confident
readers to read independently.
The book has two short stories and follows the adventures of Captain
Mack as he helps to solve problems on the moon - a space shuttle with a
leaking fuel tank - and back on his home planet - a missing weather
machine. There are other books in the series as well as a UK
based children's show so children may already have heard of Captain
Mack and his adventures. Highly recommended for fans of the show as
well as independent readers who may not enjoy reading large texts.
Kylie Kempster
Donut Days by Lara Zeilen
Speak, 2010. ISBN 9780142417218.
(Age 12+) Emma's life is a mess. Her best friend isn't talking to her
and the boy she's known forever and dismissed has suddenly become a
hottie. Her parents are both preachers and are refusing to pay for
college unless she goes to a Christian school, something she absolutely
does not want to do. Her only chance is the Crispy Dream, a new donut
franchise in town. People are camping out to be the first ever served
and the local paper is awarding a scholarship to the person who writes
the best story about the donut camp. But can Emma rely just on donuts
for her salvation?
In this story there are great characters. Emma is a struggling teen
trying to deal with overly Christian parents. Emma's mum is struggling
to keep her preaching position in the church after someone has a
'prophecy' and demands women should not be able to preach. Emma also
meets a Harley bikie gang at the camp who are avid Christians and are
quite harmless, especially the leader, a massive man named Bear who
likes knitting.
The characters were realistic and easy to relate to. I found
myself laughing at the sarcasm that Emma uses to tell her story. It
wasn't a very serious book or plot, just something to read casually. I
enjoyed how easy it was to read and how much fun it was to read,
because the story is great. It kept me reading because the language was
very good as well.
The way all the characters deal with their own problems is realistic
and clever. It demonstrated some good values in life, like helping
those around you, staying true to your beliefs and sticking by your
friends when they're in need. Donut Days was exceptional in its genre, because it is a funny,
original, heartfelt, and lovely book to read.
Rebecca Adams (Student)
Cyroburn by Lois McMaster Bujold
Baen Books, 2010. ISBN 9781439133941.
(Age 15+) Recommended. The latest in the award winning Vorkosigan
series has Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan travelling to Kibou-daini,
a planet obsessed with cheating death. There he attends a conference on
cryo-freezing people while investigating a cryocorp that is trying to
establish itself in the Barrayaran Empire. On Kibou-daini, Miles faces
an attempted kidnapping, drags himself through tunnels full of frozen
bodies and is rescued by a young boy whose mother has been frozen
because of the secrets about the big corporation that she has
uncovered. As usual, Miles embraces the danger whole-heartedly and
strives to weave his way through the conspiracy that unfolds.
Fans of the Vorkosigan series and Lois McMaster Bujold will welcome the
return of Miles. Bujold has created a world in outer space that feels
very credible and Miles flings himself straight into adventures and
situations that are always fascinating. The concept of people hoping to
foil the finality of death by freezing is explored as well as the
prospect of delaying old age.
In depth characterisation is a hallmark of Bujold's writing, and this
book sees Miles several years on with children of his own. He is still
the old impetuous Miles, whose brilliance helps him overcome all sorts
of odds and come up with plans that bewilder those around him. The
young boy Jin, with his love of animals and his sister Mina, are
attractive protagonists; their youth and vulnerability adds to the
attraction of this series for teen readers.
Bujold has the knack of writing witty repartee and funny scenes and I
was dragged along with Miles as he goes from one chaotic adventure to
the next. An unexpected ending could mean a whole new series of
different adventures for Miles and I for one would welcome them.
A bonus to the book is the free CD that comes with it. Not only does it
have interviews and speeches with the author, but you can download
the whole series of books to your e-reader device or computer.
Pat Pledger
Anastasia's secret by Susanne Dunlap
Penguin, 2010. ISBN 9780143203704.
(Age: 14+)Being a Grand Duchess of Russia has left Anastasia
with strict rules about how to behave and even those she is allowed to
talk to. Since she was twelve, Anastasia has had a secret, her friend
Sasha. Sasha shows Anastasia a life outside of the imperial palace she
has grown to known.
Life is good for Anastasia and her family until one day Sasha brings
bad news. Their life is about to be turned upside down.
Based on the mysteries that have surrounded the last days of the
Romanov family, Susanne has done a wonderful job creating this novel
with the use of fiction and factual events. I really like the fact
Susanne has done research into the mystery of the Russia's last
princesses and prince and have put it into her novel as I have learnt
more about the story of Anastasia. I would highly recommend this
book.
Lauren Pfeiffer(Aged 16)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Tom Skinner
New Frontier Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978 1 921042096 The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a modern twist on a classic German
poem which inspired a piece of classical music also called The
Sorcerer's Apprentice. It is also reminiscent of Walt Disney's
Fantasia. It is set in a car and camel wash where we meet Rizwan, the
sorcerer's apprentice, who just wants to cast spells and be noticed by
girls. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a great story to read aloud as it uses
rhyme to weave the spells as well as words like 'uppity', 'lurched' and
'mysterious' (words that may be tricky for young readers). Independent
and young readers will enjoy its colourful and detailed pictures,
showing the antics the young apprentice gets up to as he tries
different spells to impress a girl.
Of course, just like Fantasia, Rizwan gets into all sorts of bother as
he tries to act a little more grown up than he really is and chaos
occurs - brooms do as they please, the soap suds grow and grow.
Highly recommended for teachers to read to their class, it could be
compared to the original poem or Fantasia, and used as a lesson on rhyming
words and writing poems and spells. It could also be used to
introduce classical music as it comes with a CD that has a narration of
the story, background information on the composer, Paul Abraham Dukas,
and a copy of the original piece of music.
Parents will also enjoy reading this story to their children as they
giggle at the pictures together and cast their own magical spells.
Kylie Kempster
Emily's surprising voyage by Sue Purkiss
Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 9781496321821.
(Age 6-10) Recommended. Emily doesn't want to leave England, her home
and her beloved grandmother to sail across the world in the new
iron-hulled steam powered ship SS Great Britain. Her father
insists
however, as he wants to look at Australia for possibilities of
importing wool, or even having his own sheep farm, to supply the needs
of his mill. On board Emily meets Thomas Drew a passenger from
steerage, who has an intriguing pet, and unearths a ghostly secret in
the hold of the huge ship.
Sue Purkiss is a master at threading history with fiction, writing a
captivating story with engaging characters and an engrossing storyline.
The people in the story come alive with the black and white line
drawings by James La Rue, who captures perfectly their characteristics
and mannerisms as well as the difference on board for the first class
travellers and those in steerage. The hardships that poverty-stricken
people face in the workhouses in Great Britain at the time are also
touched on.
Historical information about Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the famous
engineer who designed the ship and the voyage that SS Great Britain
took can be found at the end of the story, which would be a perfect
companion for children looking at Victorian inventions.
On the CILIP Carnegie Medal longlist 2011, Emily's surprising voyage is
an entertaining and thoughtful historical story for newly independent
readers wanting a chapter book .
Pat Pledger
Plain truth by Jodi Picoult
Allen and Unwin, 2010. YA edition. ISBN 9781742375038.
(Age 14+) Plain truth is a good book, and I can definitely see
why it's an international bestseller.
It is a thrilling tale of how a defense attorney (Ellie Hathaway) turns
the life of her client (Katie Fisher) around after she is a suspect of
murder. According to medics a two-hour old baby boy found on the
Fisher's farm had been breathing and then been suffocated. The dead
child had been hidden in some horse blankets.
A spine-tingling mystery is unfolding and it's up to Ellie Hathaway to
save this poor Amish girl a life in jail but it's hard to prove
anything when Katie says she can't remember anything from that night.
The dialogue in this book is great and you can understand each
character easily. I loved this book. The age group for this book would
probably be for young adults to adults.
It's a good book that anyone over 14 would enjoy, but it's a better
book for mature readers.
I loved this book to the end.
Sarah Filkin, Yr 8
