Grim and grimmer series. Omnibus, 2010. ISBN 9781862918580.
The first in the series, The headless highwayman, is a gripping
if
unusual tale of thieves and highwaymen caught in a different world, in
which our hero, Ike, finds himself. Orphaned and alone, he is bullied
at school, not least by his teacher, the odious Mister Flogger.
Expelled for stealing Flogger's pen, he returns to his guardian's farm
where the pen draws a door on the wall, and Ike goes through, with
fascinating results. He finds himself in a world where things are not
what they seem, and instead of rescuing the princess, as he believes he
is doing, he puts her into even more peril, and her supporters want to
kill him. He is saved in the nick of time, by the most unbelievable of
rescuers, a headless horseman. Plunged into a world where thievery is
lauded, unless you are caught, Ike has trouble working out just who are
on his side, and mayhem results.
Boys particularly will thrill with this new series, as it twists and
turns around the incredible place. The strangest protagonists and
enemies appear, giving the author an outlet for his odd humour, with
funny turns of language which will cause mirth amongst its readers. The
pace, setting, characters and language are enticing and will hold the
interest of upper primary people.
Fran Knight
The Twisted heart by Rebecca Gowers
Cannongate Books, 2010. ISBN 9781847671554.
(Age 16 - adult) Recommended. In this quirky look at life in Oxford
today, Kit, the main character, takes up ballroom dancing as a
distraction from her research, which tends to be obsessive. She is
researching death in Victorian England and in particular is connecting
the death of the fictional Nancy in Dickens Oliver Twist with
the real
murder of a woman, Eliza Grimwood, at that time. There are interesting
coincidences between the two deaths or are they parallels? Was Dickens'
description of the murder of Nancy written before or after the murder
of Eliza? Was he influenced by the press descriptions of the crime, or
did his fictional murder influence the perpetrator? Kit's research
becomes so absorbing that her everyday life seems tedious. However,
Joe, who she meets at the dancing class and with whom she forms a
tentative relationship, distrusts her fascination with gore and blood;
he has experience of violence as his own damaged brother is a victim of
crime. He attempts to show her that life is about real rather than
researched relationships, and ultimately Kit happily embraces this
concept.
Rebecca Gowers has written non-fiction about crime in Victorian
England, and she writes convincingly about this period and the thrill
of research discoveries. The information about Dickens and his life is
biographically accurate as is the discussion of the police
investigation of the murder. The contemporary plot perhaps rings less
true, as there are some convenient and too easily resolved
difficulties, but the novel is nonetheless an enjoyable read.
Jenny Hamilton
Kaitangata Twitch by Margaret Mahy
Allen and Unwin, 2010. ISBN 9781742373966.
(Age 11+) Recommended. A dark island, which calls, 'Feed. Need',
a property developer determined to take over the hillsides overlooking
the bay and a young girl who sleepwalks and dreams of a powerful
enchantress, all combine to make a powerful story. When Sebastian
Cardwell comes back to town and gets elected to the council, it looks
as if the peaceful life that Meredith's family has enjoyed will end.
What is worse, he wants to build a holiday house on Kaitangata Island,
which has been her special refuge. As the protests grow, so do
Meredith's dreams of a brooding being on the island. Kaitangata Twitch is a gripping story which looks at the theme
of
conservation, the power of wealth versus the individual and whether the
land has a voice of its own. Mahy manages to give both viewpoints about
land development. Mr Gallagher and his daughter Kate are vocal
opponents of any change coming to their New Zealand bay, which is only
35 minutes from the city. Mrs Gallagher is more tolerant, pointing out
that they were intruders not that long ago and that perhaps others have
the right to a beautiful setting.
Mahy has a deft hand with language. She describes the island with
memorable imagery, painting a frightening picture of an entity with a
wide mouth that wants to feed. Mahy had me on the edge of my seat
whenever the island called to Meredith with the word 'Flick!' and she
responded by sleepwalking. There are plenty of plot twists, uncertainty
about what is dream and what is real and a surprise denouement.
A very welcome re-issue to coincide with the television program
Kaitangata twitch (2005) is a compelling story with elements of
the
supernatural that will appeal especially to girls. Because of its
examination of issues like conservation, wealth and passive and
aggressive protests it would be an interesting discussion text for
lower secondary students.
Pat Pledger
No way out by Gene Kemp
Faber, 2010. 2010. ISBN 9780571244553.
(Ages 9-11) Recommended. Kemp, winner of the Carnegie medal for The
turbulent term of Tyke Tiler, has written a scary story for young
readers who like horror. Alex and Adam are twins who are telepathic. On
their way to a farm for a family holiday, their father swerves to avoid
an old woman in the middle of the road and crashes the car. The family
goes off to the nearest town to get help. It is a strange place with
weird inhabitants, all of whom focus on Emmy their little sister. Just
what is going on in this town?
Kemp uses the device of telepathy between the twins to infuse a
leavening of humour to the story. Adam tells the story and relates many
of the twins' secret conversations where they say what they really
think about people and events. Children will delight in the criticisms
of the parents, the constant bickering and the amusing comments about
the zombie-like villagers.
Alex comes across as a disagreeable, negative character. He is
especially jealous of Emmy, who is in a wheelchair and resents the fact
that everyone loves her. Adam, on the other hand, is depicted as the
kind twin, who spends time reading Emmy stories and is determined that
the villagers won't harm her.
The suspense in the story is built up skilfully, and the descriptions
of the zombie like people and the mystery are not too frightening for a
young reader.The brevity of the book, only 108
pages, makes this ideal for the young independent reader or one
who wants something short but interesting.
Pat Pledger
Creforce: the Anzacs and the Battle of Crete by Stella Tzobanakis
Black dog books, 2010.ISBN 9781742030821
Middle school. Non Fiction. The story of the German occupation of Crete and the evacuation of
thousands of Australian, New Zealand and British troops, leaving many
behind, is recreated in this easily digested book from a Greek
Australia, who visiting Crete, was enthralled when she saw cemeteries
with English names. Asking questions and then researching, Stella
Tzobanakis discovered the little known history of the links between
Crete and Australia and New Zealand, forged when the people of Crete
supported those troops left on the island, and they in turn, helped the
resistance movement undermine the German occupying force.
The details with which the author tells the story of the German
invasion of Crete in May, 1941, is intoxicating, as we hear of the
paratroopers dropping from the sky, the lack of armaments of the Anzac
forces repatriated to Crete, the incredible bravery of small groups of
men, the sacrifice of some of the people of Crete in trying to save
their homeland. With staggering lists of numbers killed, wounded,
evacuated, left on the island, in the battalions and so on, the story
is lifted from the straight historical record to an exciting account of
the dangers each group faced. The story of the evacuation of the allied
troops is a story in itself, with a Dunkirk like flotilla of ships
taking the men from Crete to Egypt. Submarines were loaded beyond
capacity to get the men off, and the ones left behind fled to the
hills, where they were helped by local people, or were captured by the
Germans. Some allied soldiers captured were taken to the POW camps in
Germany and Czechoslovakia, while others remained incarcerated in
Crete. Those left on the hills harried the German occupiers, and
with help from MI9, supplies were dropped to give assistance to them
and the guerilla forces.
Ably supported with maps, statistics, personal stories and pictures,
this book, part of black dog book's excellent series, The Drum,
will
find a readership amongst those students looking at the Anzacs, or
Australia's involvement in war, or at the relationship between Crete
and Australia. After the war several Cretan brides came to
Australia to join their husbands and the post war migration boom saw
160,000 Greece-born people arrive in Australia, nearly half taking up
residence in Melbourne. These included many from Crete.
Fran Knight
Noah's garden by Mo Johnson
Ill. by Annabelle Josse. Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 9781921150159.
(Age 3-7) Recommended. Noah has a wonderful time playing in the garden.
He flies in silver seaplanes, bathes with soapy tigers, and rides on
clumsy camels. Just one thing is missing. When will Jessica be able to
come and play with him in the garden?
This is based on the true story of Jessica Titmus,
who was born with a congenital heart condition known as Hypoplastic
Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS).Mo Johnson vividly brings to life the
inner world that Noah has created while he impatiently waits for his
baby sister to come into the hospital garden. His imagination runs riot
as he plays in the fountain, swings on the swing and digs in the
sandpit.
With beautiful language full of imagery, Johnson shows the love and
resilience of his parents and grandparents and how they encourage Noah
to use his imagination to help him over a difficult time.
Annabelle Josse's illustrations complement the text beautifully. On the
left hand side of the page she has drawn an illustration showing what
is happening in the real garden and on the right hand side is a full
page drawing of Noah's imaginative adventure. The plants in the garden
are gorgeous and the people are brought to life with warm expressions.
This is a book that deserves a place in all libraries. All royalties
earned by Mo Johnson for the sale of the Australian edition of Noah's
Garden are being donated to the Royal Children's Hospital
Foundation in
Melbourne.
Pat Pledger
Happy as Larry by Scot Gardner
Allen and Unwin, 2010. ISBN 9781741754810.
(12-16 yrs) Happy as Larry sets the life of Laurence Augustine Rainbow,
born to parents Malcolm, a postman, and Denise against the backdrop of
the cataclysmic world events of the 1990s and the 2000s. Despite the
turmoil in the rest of the world Larry and his parents live happy and
simple lives, protected by their love for each other, until a
destructive friend causes Larry to be distrusted by both family and
friends. His parents lose some respect for him, and doubt each other,
Denise finding solace in movies, Malcolm in alcohol. Both have to come
to an understanding about their own childhoods, while Larry struggles
on with his relationships with them and with friends.
This is a
well-intentioned novel that deals with many issues, what holds a family
together, bullying and how to deal with it, amongst others. It makes
some valid points about family dynamics, but the backdrop of world
events seems to be a gimmick rather than to inform the action or the
characters' motives. It is simply though awkwardly written, and could
be useful in social education classes. Unfortunately it is just not
believable, it being hard, for example, to imagine an 11 year-old boy
who still believes in Santa, and the denouement is both violent and
unrealistic.
Jenny Hamilton
One funky monkey by Stacey McCleary
Ill. by Sue DeGennaro. Walker Books Australia, 2010. ISBN 9781921150456.
(All Ages) Recommended. What a fun counting book! Can you imagine one
funky monkey swinging his torchlight onto a menagerie of animals, all
dancing and grooving their way through the night? There are hip-hopping
hippos, jungle-jiving giraffes, line dancing lions, eagle-rocking
eagles and my favourite, disco dragons, having a wonderful time. The
story culminates in a wonderful conga line as they all move in time,
dancing off the shelves and count backwards.
I loved the rhythm in this book. The alliteration and internal rhymes
make it a wonderful story to read aloud and young children will learn
lots of new words as well as how to count in a very imaginative way.
The language and sly humour will also appeal to the adult who is
reading the story.
Sue DeGennaro's illustrations at first glance seem rather sombre, but
on examination, the reader realises that it is night time and that the
groovy monkey is putting on a show using his torch to spot light the
performers who are moving and grooving all in their own animal ways.
Children will enjoy the whimsical expressions on the animals' faces.
The endpapers show the toy animals stacked on the shelves and provide
children
with opportunities to count them to make sure that each group arrived
home
safely. One funky monkey is a clever, imaginative counting book to delight all
ages.
Pat Pledger
Fury by Shirley Marr
Black dog books, 2010. ISBN 9781742031323.
(Ages 14+) With Lizzie in custody for murder, and the interviewer, a
social anthropologist making deals with her to retell some of her
story; I found it hard to keep reading. Here was the cliched 'poor
little rich girl' playing with the interviewer, telling him and
therefore us of her very odd life, relating events at her very
expensive and posh private school, surrounded with luxury and ease, and
making outrageous comments about other people, particularly those at
her school. Here was a character that I loathed, but the intrigue of
the murder and her reticence at revealing anything about the incident,
kept me reading for a while longer.
To keep myself attuned to the story, I listened to the author, Shirley
Marr tell of the background
to writing the book, and I found this was enough to entice
me back to the printed page. But the girl still did not thrill me. She
and her two friends, Marianne and Lexie, grudgingly accept a new girl,
Ella, into their tight friendship group. The ups and downs of school
life are revealed, with jostling for position with the cool stakes high
on the agenda. Some hints are given of lust triangles developing
between parties and hints are also given of past friendships and
rivalries, while glimpses into the girls' motives are slowly revealed.
The families of these indolent girls are facsimiles of cliched
uncaring wealthy parents, leaving their children at the drop of a hat
while they pursue their own interests. The absent parents, combined
with unsympathetic teachers, allow the reader to develop some sympathy
for the girls.
As time passes, the interviewer gets Ella to reveal more and more,
until finally we hear of the events at Jane's party, which initiate the
murder. But still, Ella is coy about what she reveals, and the last few
chapters must be read carefully as they are fast paced. Despite their
efforts to get help from family, teachers and friends, the events over
the next two weeks shows them taking things into their own hands, with
disastrous consequences. Middle secondary girls will lap up the
background of the private school and the vacuous lives of these very
rich girls, initially picking up the book because of its stunning
cover. That it is a murder will be enough to entice many readers, and I
loved the play on names from Austen and the Brontes.
Fran Knight
The great bear by Libby Gleeson and Armin Greder
Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 9781921529696.
(Ages 5+) Highly recommended. First published in 1999, this classic
picture book is wonderful and deserves the awards it has won: Winner of
the Bologna Ragazzi, 2000, Fiction for Infants Category, and
short-listed CBC Picture Book of the Year 2000. The circus bear spends
her miserable days in a cage with a cold stone floor, and at night she
performs for the crowd, some of which cheer for her while others throw
stones and jeer as she dances for them. One day she seizes a pole
and soars to the stars.
Beautifully crafted by Libby Gleeson, the story of the bear's plight
totally engrossed me as I read the story. I was kept on the edge of my
seat wondering how the bear could possibly escape its horrible
captivity and the image of it reaching for the stars is very memorable.
Greder's illustrations are superb and bring an extraordinary depth to
the narrative. Some, like the beautiful starry night, pay tribute to
the masters, while others bring all the greed and obsessiveness of
human nature to life.
I was fortunate to listen to Libby Gleeson and Armin Greder speak about
the creation of this heart-rending tale. Details at the back of the
book give details about the author and illustrator. Libby's dream about
the story, which she writes about at the back of the book, is
explained, and Greder's explanation of the conclusion of the book is
fascinating.
Pat Pledger
Max Your Marks by Rowena Austin and Annie Hastwell
Allen and Unwin, 2010. ISBN 9781741758795.
Target: senior secondary students. Each year about 200,000
students around Australia sit Year 12 exams.
Probably all experience stress to some degree or another and wonder
just how they will survive to the end.
Max Your Marks was created for this niche market of senior secondary
students after the authors experienced their own children going through
'the dreaded Year 12'. Fifty students who scored over 95 in
the
tertiary admission rank from throughout Australia were interviewed to
find out the strategies they used not only to survive but to be very
successful in year 12. The introduction states: 'they're been
where
you are about to go. The stories they have to tell will help
demystify
what's ahead, and inspire you to shine'.
The book is divided into 6 parts including Looking After Yourself,
Getting the Balance Right and Study Tips and Tricks. The 23
chapters
are on specific topics, such as goal setting; dealing with stress; to
party or not to party and sisters, brothers and boarding house mates.
Each chapter includes a summary page and then advice and anecdotes from
the recent graduates in paragraph form. At the rear of the
book a
'meet the students' section gives the first name, summary and photo of
each contributor.
The informal nature and presentation of Max your Marks will
appeal to
teenagers and the capacity to just read certain chapters and gain some
useful insights is a real plus. I'm sure that all readers will
find
something of use from this self help guide.
Kay Haarsma
No and Me by Delphine De Vigan
Bloomsbury, 2010. ISBN:
9780747599838.
Target audience: secondary students of any age. This engaging story is
narrated through the eyes Lou Bertignac, a 13 year girl with an IQ of
160 who has been accelerated into year 11. As with many academically
gifted teenagers Lou struggles to fit in. On the first page there is a
situation at school where "Brains has been caught out", and she admits
that she loathes talking in front of the class. Later on she states,
"all my life I've felt on the outside wherever I am".At home Lou
feels that her mother doesn't love her anymore, since the death of her
baby sister Chloe. Lou sees violence in silence. In reality the
mother is suffering severe depression and rarely leaves the house.
Lou often goes to Austerlitz railway station in Paris just to sit and
watch the emotions of the arriving and departing passengers, as she is
bereft of emotion at home. There she meets 18 year No, a frail
homeless girl who asked for a smoke.They develop a friendship
and Lou incorporates No into her school assignment, with her
permission, on homelessness. Later on Lou asks her parents
whether No can live with them and they surprisingly say yes, and this
has ramifications on the family.
The other main character in the story is Lucas, a 17 year old classmate
who supports Lou at school and meets and helps No as well. The
plot largely revolves around these three characters and their
relationships. The simple narrative makes the book easy to read.
It incorporates contemporary issues of grief, mental illness,
friendship, troubled teens, neglect, family life and the nature of
homelessness. It is thought provoking, disheartening and hopeful
in equal measures. No and Me was originally a best seller in
France and a feature film is being produced in 2010.
Kay Haarsma
Short and Scary, edited by Karen Tayleur
Black Dog Books, 2010. ISBN 9781742031330.
Middle school. A short story collection sub titled, 'a whole lot of
creepy stories and other chilling stuff' is sure to be a draw card with
upper primary people looking for a good scare and teachers looking for
a collection of diverse short stories to read with their classes. The
stories range in this collection will be attractive to both sets of
readers. Each of the stories and poems are short enough to use as a
template for students' own stories. With poems, very short stories,
longer stories and several drawings, and a graphic story by Andy
Griffiths, this is a short story collection that will be borrowed from
every school library. From its cute size and the scary fingers creeping
around the door, the book begs to be picked up.
Amongst the nearly 50 stories are several by younger authors, Kelsey
Murphy and Ella Sexton, for example, and students will enjoy seeing
something from people their own age. Some are by well known authors,
including James Roy, Lili Wilkinson, Sally Odgers and Gabrielle Wang,
while many are by people with minor publications to their credit. A
list at the end of the book outlines the credentials of each of the
contributors.
A companion piece to black dog book's earlier short story collection,
Short, these books have been published with mentorship in mind.
Published authors have mentored newer and or younger writers to produce
a book where the profits are returned to a mentoring programme.
Outstanding stories include, The Hunt (Heather Gallagher), The
Moth-er
(Lili Wilkinson) and Tooth Fairy (Dianne Touchell).
Fran Knight
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel
Text Publishing, 2010.ISBN 9781921656255.
(Ages 16+) Recommended. Henry, the protagonist in this novel by Yann
Martel, author of The Life of Pi, has written a novel about the
Holocaust. When it is rejected by his publisher, he stops writing,
except to answer his readers' letters. He thus comes into contact with
an elderly taxidermist who seeks Henry's advice about his own writing.
The taxidermist's play concerns two animals, Beatrice, a donkey, and
Virgil, a howler monkey, which in a Becket-like dialogue reveal their
friendship and suffering. Juxtaposed to the play is the Flaubert short
story 'The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitator', in which Julian is
described cruelly slaughtering thousands of animals until he
kills his own parents, an event predicted by one of his animal victims.
At first the taxidermist's play seems to be about the suffering
inflicted on animals by humans, but eventually it becomes clear to
Henry and the reader that the play is an allegory about the Holocaust
and the two animals, which always speak intelligently and with great
dignity, represent its many victims. It becomes clear too that the
taxidermist bears a burden of guilt when he himself appears in the play
as the boy who finally brutally kills both animals. Henry realizes that
the taxidermist is seeking redemption but rejects him, and unlike Saint
Julian who is elevated to heaven after atoning for his crimes against
humans, the taxidermist is immolated in a holocaust of his own making.
Though simply written, the novel draws on many classical and literary
texts to illuminate its meaning. Beatrice and Virgil were Dante's
guides through Hell in L'Inferno and the taxidermist means his
animals/characters to be understood as such for him. While they exist
as stuffed animals in his shop in his play they do not act like
animals, unlike the animals in The Life of Pi. They have the
same kind
of helpless companionship in the face of suffering that Vladimir and
Estragon have inWaiting for Godot. Destruction is a theme of the
novel
but it is also in part about the act of creation, and the difficulty of
using words to create meaning. Henry is forced to think about his own
writing when his novel is rejected. He helps the taxidermist with
suggestions, until he sees this as an act of complicity. The
taxidermist describes both his own attempts to write and the art of
taxidermy, which consists of taking the 'real' dead animal apart and
building a 'new' one that is not subject to the constraints of
time. Henry's experience with the taxidermist lead to his first
writing for some years, the story of Beatrice and Virgil that is a
celebration of life despite the tragedy.
While Beatrice and Virgil does not have the appeal of The
Life of Pi
senior students and teachers will find much to discuss, and to compare
with other recent writing about the Holocaust.
Jenny Hamilton
When courage came to call by L.M. Fuge
Random House ISBN 9871741664447.
Early Secondary. Recommended. As Henry Kissinger said 'Power corrupts:
absolute power corrupts absolutely'. This theme pervades this first
novel. Imm and his twin Saxon experience the horror of invasion,
especially when it is quite unexpected. The graphic death scenes
are a little too realistic.
The story revolves around a country
with many people and poor resources who invade Zamascus. Imm and
Saxon survive the bombings and gather young people along the way. Their
lives change drastically when they meet Knight, who impresses them with
his powerful image and talk. Issues of trust and loyalty are
challenged and Knight is able to convince the whole group to follow him
and his rules! Life is not as it seems at first and very tough
and tragic situations ensue.
This is a disturbing novel even
though it challenges the reader to think about the consequences of war,
its effects on ordinary people and how situations can be manipulated
when people have no options. Not for the faint hearted!
Sue Nosworthy
