Wombat Books, 2010. ISBN 9781921633126
Recommended. Not only has Lorin Nicholson told an inspiring story of an
amazing achievement but he is sending a message to all young people,
that success can be achieved despite any disability, if you want it
badly enough. The dream of riding a bike from his home in the
country to the coast was met with scepticism by his school mates. His
parents however supported him and his father planned the three hundred
kilometre trip and drove along with him. Each page relates the
frustrations and exhilaration Lorin felt each at each turn of the
pedal. David Emerson illustrates this courageous story with colourful
graphics that will appeal to ten to twelve year olds.
Vicki Nunn
The Indonesia Book by Sadriani Wayan Kerta
Cultures of the World Series. Black dog books, 2010. ISBN 978 174203093
7.
(Ages 7+) Non fiction. Recommended. In 30 bright and enthralling pages,
this book gives a sound and fascinating introduction to our nearest
neighbour, Indonesia. Each double page spread introduces the reader to
a new topic; Jakarta, Bali, School, Papua, Transport and Etiquette to
name a few. Each page is jam-packed with bright full colour, recent and
clear pictures, snippets of information relevant to the theme of the
page and in some pages are boxes with one of the many myths of the
region.
At the start of the book is an excellent contents page, giving a sub
heading under each heading, further helping the young researcher, at
the end is a brief glossary and index supporting the development of
research skills amongst our younger library users. A large colourful
map signals the beginning of the book and on the same page is a fact
box containing snippets of information which will give students some
quick basis on which to start their research. Subtitled, 'A people, a
place, a culture' this book is a page turning treat, and so The
Indonesia Book will be a happy addition to all libraries.
Fran Knight
Look out Leon by Jez Alborough
Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 9781406319927.
(Ages 4+) Picture book. Subtitled A magic changing picture book,
this
large
format book has a sturdy pull tab on each page which changes the
picture on the page. The chameleon, Leon, goes exploring in the forest,
but must change his appearance to blend in so avoiding being another
animal's dinner. He must avoid the snake, the crocodile, the hippo
(aren't these vegetarians?), the eyes in the deep forest. Each time,
the tab can be pulled for Leon to blend in with the forest.
This book will thrill younger readers, particularly when read to by an
older person who might pull the tabs for the younger readers. The
discussion will revolve around the animals in a forest, where they
might be found, the qualities of a chameleon and why an animal may need
to be camouflaged. This then could lead to other discussion about other
animals which change their appearance to be safe. The book has a
tactile quality which will bring pleasure to its readers.
Fran Knight
There are no cats in this book by Viviane Schwarz
Walker, 2010. ISBN 9781406316896.
(Age 3-8) Highly recommended. Picture book. Following on from her award
winning book There are cats in this book, Viviane Schwarz has put her
cats, Tiny, Moonpie, and Andre into another book but this time they are
determined to leave the book and explore the world. They are all
packed and ready to go and see the world, but they have some trouble
getting out of the book. They push and jump but can't leave until Andre
gets a brilliant idea. He decides to wish them out of the book and Tiny
asks everyone to close their eyes and wish for them. Will they get out?
This fabulous interactive book begins on the cover. From the moment
that the book is first opened, the reader is engaged with the story.
The cats speak directly to the reader from the dustjacket flap, asking
if she/he has 'come to play with the cats in this book?' The cats say
that they have gone out to see the world - or have they? The reader is
then led on an adventure with the cats asking questions and making
statements. I was so involved with the story that I found myself
following the cats' instructions and closing my eyes to wish them out
of the book.
The illustrations are in bold colours, with black outlines and each cat
has a distinct character. The desperation of the cats to leave the book
is graphically portrayed when Moonpie really stretches his body and
Andre makes a huge leap trying to get out. Fold out tabs and a
wonderful pop-up, as well as engaging dialogue, make this a wonderful
book to explore.
Pat Pledger
Jealousy by Lili St. Crow
A Strange Angels novel. Razorbill, 2010. ISBN 9781921518874.
(Age 14+) Recommended. The third in the Strange Angels series sees Dru
at the Schola Prima, the main school where the djamphir are trained.
After having her father turn into a zombie, meeting the charismatic
Christophe, finding her friend Graves is a werewolf prince and fighting
off the evil Sergie, she is hoping that she will be safe. However there
is another svetocha at the school, Anna, a beautiful redheaded woman
who wants Christophe and who is determined to get rid of Dru and things
begin to get really dangerous once again.
Lili St Crow has created a believable world peopled with vampires,
wulven and bloodthirsty nosferat. At the school Dru, and the reader,
learn more about this fascinating society and how it operates. Dru is a
strong, tough girl who is intelligent and her two sidekicks and
romantic interests, Christophe and Graves are well developed. St Crow
leaves reader wondering about the romance and who Dru will eventually
chose, and this adds to the interest as well as ensuring that the
reader will pick up the next book in the series! Christophe remains an
enigma, but Graves continues to develop, his loyalty to Dru
unquestionable and his feelings for her a mystery.
As with the two previous books in the series, I had to finish this one
very quickly because of its action packed plot and the development of
the characters and am really looking forward to the next in the series.
A must read of those who like the paranormal.
Pat Pledger
Dragonblood series by Michael Dahl
Ill. by Tou Vue. Raintree, 2010.
(Age 10+) Suitable for reluctant readers. Each book in this series
starts with the words: 'A new Age of dragons is about to begin. The
powerful creatures will return to rule the world once more, but this
time it will be different. This time, they will have allies who will
help them. Around the world some young humans are making a strange
discovery. They are learning that they were born with dragon blood -
blood that gives them amazing powers.'
In fiction the traditional scenario would be to expect humans to fight
the dragons, not have young people helping them rise to power. Dahl has
turned this stereotype around and produced an exciting series where the
boys who have dragon blood can perform amazing things and have
wonderful powers.
I liked this series and found the stories quite compelling. There is
not much print on the page and it is larger than usual, the
illustrations are dark and compelling and the story themes are
demanding enough to make the reader think through events and issues.
Fascinating facts about reptiles are printed at the back of each book
and there is a glossary and a set of discussion questions.
Books that I read are:
Claws in the Snow ISBN: 978 1 40621 526 7
Dragon in the Desert ISBN: 978 1 40621 530 4
Dragon Theft Auto ISBN: 978 1 40621 527 4
It Screams at Night ISBN: 978 1 40621 531 1
Stowaway Monster ISBN: 978 1 40621 528 1
Terror Beach ISBN: 978 1 40621 529 8
Pat Pledger
Shades of grey: The road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde
Hodder and Stoughton, 2010. ISBN 978 0340963043.
Recommended reading level 16 onwards. Highly recommended. Whilst it
sounds
contradictory, this first book in the Shades of grey series is
nothing
short of brilliant. Impossible to put down, the futuristic story
bombarded me with notions of Fahrenheit 451, Catch 22, 1984,
The
Handmaid's tale, Soylent Green, and curiously, A
clockwork orange for
the made up but understandable language. Fforde has imitated nothing
however and delivers a wonderfully new description of future society
where one's lot in life is determined by which divisions of the colour
spectrum can be seen. Far from being just another obscured reflection
of contemporary racial discrimination via analogy and not-so subtle
substitution, this narrative is thought provoking and clever without
being palpably moralizing. Fforde has created a marvelous new society
with amusing quirks, gross injustices, ridiculous controls and
enthusiastic rule breaking. The characters are very human in the sense
that they are clearly people as we are, not aliens or evolved
humanoids. They are also human in that the reader likes them, loathes
them, feels pain with or wishes come-uppance for them. Writers of
future fiction often succumb to the expectation that savage punishment
and violence is experienced by those who break rules or rebel against
oppressive regimes. Not so in this story where a multitude of rules
control every aspect of life and whilst there is a sliding scale of
demerits, the whole system has the appearance of a dreary, inefficient
but benign British civil service. The setting is obviously English and
a post cataclysmic Reformation or perhaps deformation has occurred many
centuries prior to the story's setting in which most technology is
retrograde by our standards. Amusing references to contemporary life
are obvious, such as characters being obsessed with collecting positive
feedback, Ebay style and formally negotiating to be friends as in
Facebook.
I highly recommend this book and suggest that it will appeal
to readers of all tastes, not just science or future fiction fans. This
would be an ideal text for a special study by senior students as a
myriad themes leap out, however I hasten to add that it contains
nothing which I would be uncomfortable with my thirteen year old
reading.
Rob Welsh
Rogue by Mark Walden
H.I.V.E. Book 5. Bloomsbury, 2010. ISBN: 9781400800157.
Recommended for ages 11 and above. This entire series is built around
evil, with H.I.V.E., the Higher Institute of Villainous Education,
being the training section for G.L.O.V.E., Global League of Villainous
Enterprises. It is effectively a school for the training of young
people in the use of villainy and evil. As the death toll mounts, with
the leaders of the forces of evil being the targets, Dr Nero and his
cronies discover that Otto has gone rogue and appears to be behind
certain events and killings. Otto's friends come to the fore and
endeavour to find him and save him from another evil group, H.O.P.E.,
(the Hostile Operative Prosecution Executive) with which he has become
involved.
Having a son who has eagerly devoured each of the books in this series
but not having read the other titles myself, I felt at a definite
disadvantage trying to begin with the fifth book. As much as it
survived as a stand-alone title, I would prefer to have had the
background of all of the previous books before embarking on Rogue.
Walden has created a large cast of characters and endowed them with
some interesting traits and abilities to add to their evil intent.
Despite the theme of the series being evil, issues of friendship,
family and loyalty are not ignored. Humour is used to underpin the
story, along with liberal amounts of witty banter, action, adventure,
wanton killing and the broad variety of gadgets used. Rogue
ends with
the reader being given the next piece of the puzzle yet with sufficient
pieces missing to ensure that the following title will not be
predictable.
Jo Schenkel, Pilgrim School
The truth about penguins by Meg McKinlay and illustrated by Mark Jackson
Walker Books Australia, 2010. ISBN 9781 921150 48 7.
(Ages 5+) Picture book. The zoo is agog with excitement, as the
animals have heard that the penguins are coming. The story does the
rounds, going through the zoo from the meercats, to the giraffe, to the
otters, the owl, the bats, the anteaters and so on, each adding their
own bit of information about what penguins are like and what they
do. All the while, illustrator Mark Jackson draws the penguins to
reflect what the animals say about them, adding gaudy beach outfits,
suitcases, party hats, all causing laughter from the audience, whether
it being read alone or in a group.
The penguins are said to fly south for winter, love pizzas, love
wearing jazzy beach wear but don't like putting their feet into the
cold water. When the animals start telling stories about the penguins'
parenting skills, the zoo keeper calls a halt to all the misinformation
and tells them the truth about penguins. But in the background we can
see the penguins arriving, and guess who is right?
A very funny look at truths and half truths, this book will cause great
delight amongst the audience as kids will giggle about the half truths,
calling out what they know, they will giggle with the beautiful
drawings of the animals in the zoo, look out for their favourites,
marvel at the correct information at the end and then laugh all over
again at the last page. What a treat.
Fran Knight
The Great Space Race by Joshua Mowll
Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 9781406309379.
(Age 11-14) Although this book reminds me of a Morris Gleitzman or Andy
Griffith
book with its tale of family life, comedy characters, excitement and
drama, it is slower moving and has a more involved plot line. It is
enjoyable to read the antics of the whole Crankshaw family who are
hopelessly in debt, and the things they attempt to solve the problem
while being chased by debt collectors. Eventually they all get involved
in the great space race which means everyone must cooperate in order to
meet the race deadline and land a rocket on the moon. They battle evil
robots and evil business men and an evil plot to destroy the world but
our hero Eric 'Ace' Crankshaw must foil them all before it is too
late. Josh Mowll, who also wrote the Guild Trilogy books, also provided
the illustrations which at times are complicated and which I found a
little tedious. I recommend this one for upper primary, early secondary.
Vicki Nunn
Five parts dead by Tim Pegler
Text Publishing, 2010. ISBN 9781921656286.
(Age 14+) Highly recommended. Dan is dragged off for a family holiday
on a remote island. It's the last thing that he wants to do. He is
still grieving the loss of three of his mates in a devastating car
accident that has left him on crutches and another friend brain
damaged. While staying in the old cottage once belonging to the
lighthouse keeper, he feels the presence of a mysterious girl and
begins to delve into her tragic past with the aid of the lighthouse
keeper's log and his twin sister's friend, Pip.
There are two mysteries in this book, how the tragic drink driving
accident occurred and what happened to the girl who lived on the island
many years ago. Each is completely engrossing.
Pegler explores in depth the consequences of teenage drink
driving. In a cleverly crafted exposition, the reader gradually
learns the events leading up to the tragic accident for which Dan is
blamed by the parents and relatives of the boys who were killed. The
themes of partying, peer pressure, not dobbing your mates in and
underage drinking are examined in a situation that many teens would be
familiar with. Dan's luck in dodging the Grim Reaper after a series of
almost lethal accidents is also explored as he tries to comes to grips
with what has happened.
Running parallel to the mystery of the accident is the puzzle of the
young Miss Wilton, who has been left without a family and resources
when her father died. I was fascinated to follow the historical events
described in the lighthouse keeper's log - the death of her father, the
petty quarrels among the three families looking after the lighthouse, a
shipwreck and the arrival of a sailor. Dan's quest to find out what has
happened helps him face life again.
Pegler's strong characterisation, his authentic dialogue and a touch of
romance make this a great read.
Pat Pledger
Into the deep by Dr Mark Norman and David Paul
Black dog books, 2010. ISBN 978 174203151 4.
(Age 8+) Non Fiction. Highly recommended. Another marvellous non
fiction title from black dog books will thrill primary students with
its ease of accessing information through its layout, brief but very
usable index, glossary and absolutely engrossing pictures. I loved it;
I loved trawling through the time line, only more a depth line of going
down and down into the ocean, being shown what animals live at each
level. Each double page spread, turned on its side, shows a left hand
side depth scale, with ever increasing ranges of colour from pale blue
at the top of the ocean going through all shades of darker blue until
16 metres when black takes over going down to the depth of 11
kilometres. Hard to imagine, but this handy scale combined with the
colour, makes it much easier to understand.
I was enthralled with the photographs. Dr Who's creators must have used
some of the images of these animals for their monsters! And kids will
love them. The rows of teeth on pages 18 and 19 will take their breath
away. Alongside the depth line are a series of snippets of information
about the fish, and interestingly, in yellow, to differentiate it form
the factual information, is a comparison of what else would be down
this deep. At 6 km, for example, the book tells us that this is the
deepest that a submarine with people on board can go. A must for all
school libraries and what a wonderful book to share with a class or
borrow to take home.
Fran Knight
Itsy-bitsy babies by Margaret Wild and Jan Ormerod
Little Hare, 2010. ISBN 9781921541896.
(Age 2+) A rhyming picture book, Itsy-bitsy babies, tells the story of
what babies and very young children can do. These itsy-bitsy babies
play peep-a-boo and they like to shampoo; they go to town and they all
fall down. Most of all they like to cuddle and kiss, kiss, kiss.
There is a variety of babies and toddlers, ranging from tiny babies to
energetic toddlers and from different ethnic backgrounds. The children
are all happy and having a wonderful time, playing music, dress-ups and
lots of enjoyable games.
The illustrations are gorgeous, with each child wearing colourful
clothes with stars and polka dots, painted in beautiful pastel shades.
The background wallpaper to each picture is in a soft colour with dots,
flowers and stripes.
A gentle, loving look at babies; this book would be ideal to read aloud
at bedtime, or to give to a toddler who has a new baby in the house.
Pat Pledger
Riding the black cockatoo by John Danalis
Read by Stephen Pease. Louis Braille Audio, 2009. ISBN 9781742123578.
Allen and Unwin, 2009. ISBN 9781741753776.
(Age 13+) Highly recommended. This is the inspiring story of John
Danalis' journey to reconciliation. He grew up with the skull of an
Aboriginal person, nicknamed Mary, on the mantelpiece of his home. He
never questioned why the skull adorned the fireplace until he was
studying a unit on Aboriginal Studies at university. In a tutorial he
blurted out the truth about his family's skull and from then he went on
a voyage of discovery, finding out where the skull came from and
eventually getting Mary restored to his rightful home place in Wamba
Wamba country.
Stephen Pease's emotive reading kept me on the edge of my seat as I
avidly followed Danalis' journey, stage by stage, as he came to grips
with the racism inherent in our society and which we often never
question. The rendering of the different voices made it easy for me to
keep track of the different characters, and Pease brought the
compassionate Aboriginal characters alive. As Danalis struggled to find
out where the skull had come from and how to return it home, I was
moved by the forgiveness that the Aboriginal people showed to a family
that had collected an Aboriginal skull.
I learnt a great about Aboriginal culture and reconciliation from this
reading. I won't easily forget the journey that Mary made back to Wamba
Wamba country, the humour that eased the telling of Danalis' story and
the wonderful people he met on the way.
The foreword by Boori Monty Pryor gives a good introduction to the
audio. I believe that a copy of the book or audio is essential
for every library.
Pat Pledger
Only the good spy young by Ally Carter
Gallagher Girls Series. Lothian, 2010.
(Age 12+) Another in the Gallagher Girls series, this is sure to please
girls who want a fast paced, interesting spy story. Cammie is
holidaying in England, having fun ice-skating, when she spies her
Covert Ops teacher, Mr Solomon, who tries to grab her. When MI-6 agents
chase him, he leaves her a cryptic message, 'Follow the pigeons' and
disappears. Cammie can't believe that he is part of 'The Circle'
that is out to get her, although the evidence seems to point that way.
And can she trust Zach, the mystery boy from the Blackthorne School,
who keeps appearing? Things have changed back at school, with security
being tightened. Townsend, the agent from London has come to teach
Covert Ops in the place of their beloved teacher Mr Solomon. The
tunnels under the school are blocked off, but Cammie and her friends
are determined to work out what the cryptic message means and stop the
evil Circle.
Carter provides non-stop action and a complicated plot that will keep
readers on the edge of their seats. The friendship of the four girls is
terrific, each supporting the other and using each other's talents to
work out the mystery. A growing romance with Zach and an ending that
leaves the reader up in the air is enticement enough to ensure that the
next book in the series is devoured.
I thoroughly enjoyed this light hearted entertaining spy story, the
second one I have read in the series. Although it would be an advantage
to read them in sequence, I have missed one, but found that Carter
provides enough background information to catch up on new characters
and developments.
Pat Pledger
