Translated from the French by George Miller, Bloomsbury, 2010.ISBN
9780747599838.
(Ages 12+) Recommended. Promoted into higher grade because of her high
intelligence and abilities, Lou has one firm friend in her class, the
older and much wiser Lucas, whose wit and knowhow steers her away from
any trouble. But she is quiet and mouselike, sitting at the back,
afraid to participate less she look foolish to the older students. On
her way home one night she notices a homeless girl begging in the
subway, and intrigued talks to her and becomes more involved in her
life. Asked by her teacher to nominate a topic that she will
investigate for her class she agrees to look more closely at homeless
people and so takes steps to interview the girl she knows as No.
When she finds that No has been forced out of any accommodation, she
asks her parents if she can live with them, and surprisingly they
agree. So begins a melding of the two groups, the reticent No, and the
even odder trio that makes up Lou's family. Lou's parents lost a child
and this has had an incredible impact upon all their lives. Mother has
become a recluse, rarely acknowledging the other two, while Lou's
father can sometimes be heard crying in the room which was her sister's
room. Slowly the foursome becomes more of a family, Lou's parents
become more responsive, Lou comes from behind the mouse like veneer she
has built for herself, and No goes out to work. Each person changes,
develops, grows as a result of No's entering the family. But No always
warns Lou that this cannot last, and unsurprisingly No returns to the
world she has left, drinking and taking drugs. She is asked to leave
the apartment but one day she turns up at Lucas's home and so stays
there instead. The future for all the protagonists is profoundly
changed by No's being part of their lives, but in the end she cannot
survive the change herself and the open ended completion to the novel
opens the way for many classroom discussions.
Fran Knight
Raven's Mountain by Wendy Orr
Allen and Unwin, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-74237-465-9.
(Age 11+)The story is set in the present time in northern
America. A family consisting of Mum, Stepdad and two sisters is the
focus. Raven, the younger of the two girls, is approaching her
teens and is missing her natural father (whom she has never met). The
family set out on a holiday. Newly-wed Mum stays back while
Raven's new stepdad, Scott, her sister, Lily and Raven begin their hike
into the mountains. Raven sees a family of bears (especially the
cubs) and a raven in the wild among various other wildlife but keeps
this discovery her secret. While they continue their hike, Raven
occasionally sees this family of bears and feels a bonding with
them. As Raven runs ahead, she accidently causes a
landfall. Rocks and boulders trap Scott and Lily and it is up to
Raven to rescue them. She embarks on a journey back to their
starting point, with the occasional presence of the bear family, and
has adventures along the way. Needless to say, everything turns
out alright.
This is a story about self-discovery and being able to extraordinary
things in extraordinary situations where inner strengths come to the
fore.
Janet Cassidy
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Bloomsbury, 2011. ISBN 9780747583813.
(Age 14+) Highly recommended. Briony blames herself for the troubles
that beset her family. She has the face of an angel but believes that
she is wicked and deserves to be hanged. She can talk to the Old Ones,
but only witches can see them and witches are hanged in her village.
With her stepmother dead, she must look after her strange twin sister
Rose. When Eldric, a handsome blonde stranger, comes to visit the
vicarage, things are turned upside down and she begins to find out
things that have been secret for too long.
The words on the back cover of Chime describe the themes in this book
perfectly: 'Briony witch Electric Eldric handsome stranger Midnight
Flood Fire Poison Passion'. I became engrossed in Briony's story from
the very first line: 'I've confessed to everything and I'd like to be
hanged'. Billingsley really built up the tension about whether Briony
was a witch and would be hung and this kept me reading to the end in
virtually one sitting.
The setting of a village in the early 20th century was quite
fascinating. It seemed to be a parallel world that still believes in
witchcraft and evil women who deserve to drown, but it could also have
been a village so isolated from the world that beliefs haven't changed.
With the advent of the motor car and the train line the modern world is
encroaching, but old ways and customs are deeply embedded. And what is
the role of the person who is called the Chime?
Exceptional dialogue and clever word building by Billingsley made this
a standout novel. The humour and witty exchanges between Briony and
Eldric gave me many a smiling moment and helped to alleviate the fear
and angst that surrounded Briony. The wordplay also fleshed out the
character traits of both Briony and Eldric so that you felt that you
knew them really well. The pitfalls surrounding the romance between
Briony and Eldric were also handled with a deft hand.
I loved this book and can recommend it highly. I will certainly seek
out her earlier book, The folk keeper, which won the Notable
Children's
Book Award and the Boston-Globe Horn Book Award.
Pat Pledger
That's not a daffodil by Elizabeth Honey
Allen and Unwin, 2011. ISBN 9781742372488
(Age 3-6) Recommended. When Tom sees the bulb that Mr Yilmaz, his
gardening neighbour gives him, he is convinced that it is not a
daffodil. It looks like an onion to him. But Mr Yilmaz convinces him to
plant it and wait and see what grows.
Tom is an imaginative child and as the plant grows he visualises many
different things. The bare soil is a desert, a single stork is a beak
and as the five leaves of the daffodil grow, he thinks that it is
Grandpa's hairs blowing in the wind. Children, too, will have fun
imagining different things as they watch the emergence of the daffodil.
Adults who enjoy gardening will love reading this book to children. Mr
Yilmaz is obviously such a wonderful gardener and each time he comes in
he brings another delicious vegetable or fruit for the family to
consume. The story would stimulate children and adults to plant a bulb
or some other flower or vegetable and watch it grow. Children can also
learn very easily the basics of how to grow and look after plants. I
can imagine using this book as the basis for a classroom activity and
reading it again and again to stimulate children's imagination and
knowledge of plants.
Most of all, though, it is a beautifully written and illustrated book
that is a joy to read.
Pat Pledger
Girls at Sea by Sue Lawson
Black Dog Books, 2011. ISBN 9781742031729. Girls at Sea is part 6 of an 8 book series. It does mention events from
past books but readers don't need to
have read them to understand this as it is independent. We meet
fun-loving Mickey and Skye and snooty Coco who are hosts of Girl's
Stuff T.V. They are filming their show from a resort and Skye is
excited as they head out on a whale watching trip as part of their
filming. Readers will learn interesting facts about whales and will
love it when Coco is highly embarrassed - everyone loves it when the
'evil' character gets what they deserve!
This is a short novel and while the text is mainly told through
conversation, it is easy to read and follow.
Girls aged 7-11 will enjoy this story and I'm sure they will want to
read the set and check out the adventures the girls get up to.
Kylie Kempster
A rose for the ANZAC boys by Jackie French
Harper Collins, 2008. ISBN: 9780732285401.
This novel is simply stunning. I first read A rose for the ANZAC
boys
in year eight for The Readers' Cup and since then it has kept a special
place in my mind and heart. It is a perfect example of brilliant
teenage fiction. A story inside a story. The prologue and the epilogue
tell us about Lachie and his ancestry of war heroes and their tribute
to the Anzac Boys.
The main story is set though 1915 to 1920 and follows the journey
Margery McPherson takes to find her twin brother Tim. She and her
friends Anne and Ethel, desperate to help, go to France to set up a
canteen for the poor soldiers going home. They tend to the desperate
men some nursing fatal injuries as they wait for the train to take them
to be treated properly. As the years pass Midge sees for herself the
true horrors of war. She serves as an ambulance driver for the
duchesses for a brief time before going on to work in Casualty Station
number fifteen as an unofficial nurse with her Aunt Lalie. Each chapter
begins with the inspirational piece, a letter either received or sent
by Midge. The letters show us a wider view of the trauma of WW1 and the
types of things soldiers would have thought and felt during that time
of crisis.
This story is stunning, the text creates a feast of authentic images
that will stay with you long after you've finished. I recommend this
novel as it is written spectacularly and is in most cases it tells of
what war in 1915 was really like in a much more condensed version than
is common. Jackie French conducted years of research before she started
working on this novel - and sometimes even she didn't know whether she
could finish it but I'm glad she did complete it as I'm sure that
anyone could both benefit and enjoy this story no matter your
age.
Kayla Gaskell, 15
Hattie and the fox by Mem Fox and Patricia Mullins
Scholastic, 2011. ISBN 978 1 74169 8206.
(Ages 4+) Highly recommended. A reprint of this classic story will have
toenails curling all over Australia as a new generation of children
follow Hattie's attempts to warn her fellow barnyard creatures of the
impending attack by a fox. Each page is wonderful as the group of
animals respond in the same way to Hattie's fears, pulling the reader
into predicting what will happen on each subsequent page and eventually
singing along with the refrains.
The humour in the story of the disinterested farmyard animals is
reflected in the stunning illustrations, in which Mullins has used torn
paper to create a visual splash of colour and line. A lovely touch to
watch out for is the change in pace of the illustrations from the
dreamy animals at the start to the frightened animals moving quickly to
escape on the last few pages as the fox attacks. And I loved Hattie's
concern for her fellow animals, despite their disdain, with her looking
around and warning them, until finally she is resting in her
chookhouse, her lookout work completed.
I heard Mem Fox read this aloud to an audience of children and adults
at a Premier's Reading Challenge reception, and was thrilled to see the
adults so engrossed. This makes a wonderful read-a-loud book.
Fran Knight
Guardian of the dead by Karen Healey
Allen and Unwin 2010. ISBN:978-1-74175-880-1
A fantastic first novel! Karen Healy has employed several classic
concepts to create a work of pure fantasy. The story follows Ellie
Spencer, an overweight year thirteen Mansfield College student who is
completely 'normal' - or so it was until she ran into mystery boy Mark
Nolan. Between falling in love and stressing about the coming exams
something bigger is taking place around her and occupying her thoughts;
the fate of New Zealand's North Island. Maori Faeries are plotting to
regain their immortality from Hine-nui-tepō, the guardian of the dead.
Enlisted in a war she didn't know existed, armed with nothing but her
new found powers and a magical mask, does this ordinary girl stand a
chance?
I have to say, The Guardian of the Dead is one of the most mythology-
rich fantasy book I've read to this day. I confess I'm not familiar
with Maori mythology but this book has inspired my interest in their
legends. I loved how Greek and Maori legends were compared in this book
if only in scraps. The comparisons are in perfect alignment with the
plot. I highly recommend that any fantasy lover who has a thirst for
legend join the characters in this dark adventure to save the North
Island; just don't let the mask fool you!
Kayla Gaskell (Student, 15)
Poisoned House by Michael Thomas Ford
Bloomsbury, 2010. ISBN: 978-14088044506.
(Ages: 10 +) Set in 19th Century England, Poisoned House
follows a
young servant girl's quest to solve the unexplained death of her
mother. Abigail Tamper works to overcome her draconian master and
housekeeper Mrs Cotton to get in touch with the spirit of her late
mother
who has been haunting Greave Hall since her death. Along the way
Abigail has familiar teenage relationship issues with her close friend
Lizzy, who is mourning the break-up with her boyfriend. After the visit
from an exorcist Dr Reinhardt, Abigail establishes a communication
method with the spirit of her late mother using a Ouija Board, which
she keeps secretly hidden in the basement. Abigail's suspicion that her
mother was murdered becomes clearer when the hierarchy of Greave Hall
changes when the son and heir of Greave Hall Samuel Greaves returns
injured from war and Abigail is required to nurse him. In the theme of
murder mystery, Poisoned House has some unexpected twists that
occur at
the end right at the end of the book. It would be recommended for
students in upper primary to lower secondary with these students being
attracted to themes of overcoming authority.
Adam Fitzgerald
Ember and Ash by Pamela Freeman
Orbit, 2011. ISBN 9780733624223.
(Age 15+) Recommended. A fantasy set in the Last Domain of the Eleven
Domains, Ember and Ash is a companion volume to the Castings
Trilogy
and is set some twenty years later. Ember is going to marry a young
lord to join two warring lands and hopefully bring peace. At her
wedding, the ceremonial fire changes into the elemental Fire God,
roaring into huge flames and murdering her husband to be. Ember vows
revenge and refuses to accept the Fire King's act of putting out every
fire over the land. Instead she enlists the aid of Ash and a group of
young people, and sets off on a quest of retribution to find a spark
that will light the fires again. Their task is monumental and will
involve more than tracking down the Fire King. They will also
have to struggle against the Ice King who is determined to take over
the world.
This was an engrossing story of a young girl coming of age. Ember
demonstrates great strength and courage as she tracks the elusive fire
spark that she needs to save her people. She is prepared to put
everything on the line in the name of duty. Ash is a worthy companion
who champions her and their bittersweet love for each other is slow and
gradual. All the secondary characters were vividly described and also
came alive, battling the elements and domestic problems, in the case of
Arvid and Martine, the rulers of the Last Domain and Ember's parents. I
was thrilled to learn about the original Ash, beloved by Water, and see
a younger Ash, brave and determined set his own course. In fact I
became so immersed in some of the stories of the minor characters that
I wished that Freeman had written several books instead of one with
these people in it!
A wonderful world and atmospheric setting make this novel come alive.
The idea of warring elements, Fire, Ice, Water and Wind, is not new but
here was given a depth and originality that kept my interest. I became
engrossed in the cold, harsh environs of the North and the customs that
the people had developed to survive the climate. The supernatural
nature of the link between the gods and humans and rituals like stone
casting were fascinating.
These books written for adults by Freeman are also perfect ones for the
older teen, and will be enjoyed by both boys and girls. Readers who
like these could move onto adult books by Juliet Marillier, Kate
Forsyth and Trudi Caravan.
Pat Pledger
Diamond Spirit by Karen Wood
Allen and Unwin, 2011. ISBN 9781742373157. Diamond spirit by Karen Wood is a well written novel about a girl and
her horse, Diamond. When Diamond bolts through a cattle grid she breaks
both of her front legs and is failing to recover, Jess comes to a hard
decision, painful life or death. Jess wants to know how and why Diamond
was down by the cattle grid that day when the horse's yard was way
further up river. Only one person can tell her and give her half of the
answer to the mystery, Shara, Jess's best friend, the same best friend
who is moving to an agricultural school far, far away. Nothing can heal
Jess's broken heart except a beautiful filly, born where Diamond lay,
could there be a spiritual connection to the two? Jess wants to own
such an important foal but she's in a race for the bid, will she
succeed in getting the one horse made for her? Diamond spirit was such an exciting novel, I couldn't stop reading. It
opened my eyes to new events and I would recommend this book to anyone
who likes animals. I could relate to all the characters perfectly well
and this book was easy to understand. The age rating for this book
would be from twelve year-old onwards but I would say roughly anyone
would enjoy this book.
Sarah Filkin (Yr 9)
Two bad teddies by Kilmeny Niland
Little Hare, 2010. ISBN 978-1921541865.
(Age 2-5) Recommended. 'Gruffy Ted and Tilly Ted loved Mollie-Sue. And
Mollie-Sue loved her teddies.' But one day Grandma sent Mollie-Sue a
new toy to play with. Bendy Bill has long stretchy arms and a silly
grin. Mollie-Sue loved this new toy and even tucked him into her bed.
Gruffy Ted and Tilly Ted were extremely jealous and did lots of bad
things to try and get rid of Bendy Bill. One day, though, Bendy Bill
uses his long arms to rescue Gruffy Ted and they all become good
friends.
Niland explores a familiar theme of jealousy when a newcomer becomes
the centre of attention and old loves seem to be forgotten. Through the
humorous actions of the teddies, she is able to show that doing bad
things is not the best way to get the attention of those we love and
that cooperation is much the best thing.
Niland's illustrations are delightful. Vivid greens, reds and purples
abound and little details like a blue bowtie for Gruffie and a red bow
for Tilly make the illustrations stand out. I loved the grumpy
expressions on the two bad teddies as they watch Bendy Bill become the
centre of attention for their beloved Mollie-Sue. Other emotions,
bewilderment, determination and finally happiness, came alive with each
episode of the bears trying to oust Bendy Bill.
This is a perfect story to read when there is a new addition to the
family. Best of all read it out loud to a toddler and enjoy the fun!
Pat Pledger
That Dirty Dog and Other Naughty Stories for Girls and Boys by Christopher Milne
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2011.
Short, quick and funny are the three words that best describe the
stories in That Dirty Dog and Other Naughty Stories for Girls and
Boys. There are 6 short stories that use descriptive language and
black and white illustrations to help engage the reader. Boys and girls
aged 9+ will enjoy the humour.
One of the characters wishes his dad was nicer and gets a great
surprise. Another character has lost his dad and the author handles the
topic with tact and humour. What kid doesn't like talking (and reading)
about bad smells? Meet Stinky Adams, the king of smell making! Lots of
giggles for all and the quick moving stories make it easy and enjoyable.
Kylie Kempster
Remember Me Volume 1 by Christopher Pike
Hodder Children's Books, 2010. ISBN 9781444901269.
(Age: 13+) When Shari Cooper went out onto the balcony for some fresh
air, she didn't expect to die. But now she is dead, and a spirit in
between worlds. Still on Earth, but invisible to humans, she discovers
that her family and friends believe she committed suicide. But Shari
knows otherwise. She knows that she was pushed that night, and now she
has to find her murderer, before they strike again.
This story is well-written and imaginative. I loved it because it was
very original. I've read plenty of ghost stories and this was one of
the most unique so far. It manages to combine fantasy, murder, mystery,
and humour into one fantastic book.
At times this book turns from a dark, brooding atmosphere to bright
humour. This is a great example of how good a writer Christopher Pike
is. With some authors this type of abrupt change would be disjointed,
but here the book continues smoothly and enjoyably throughout.
I love the description and the imagination in this book. Description is
a big factor in how good a book is, and in Remember Me it was
fantastic. Christopher Pike always painted a very clear picture of the
scene in my mind. As for imagination, I always love it when
authors attempt to stretch you.
This is a great book for anyone who enjoys the fantasy/paranormal
genre. It is clever, unique, and a thoroughly engaging book.
I highly recommend this book.
Rebecca Adams (Student)
Chill by Carol Thompson
Little Hare Books, 2011. ISBN 9781921541735.
Picture book. Dolly the pig and Jack the rabbit are best of friends.
They do everything together, playing in the playground, listening to
music together, climbing trees, exercising and just laughing. But one
day when painting together, they decide to draw each other, and neither
likes the other's portrayal. They argue, and leave each other. But each
on their own place gets mad, then realises that without their friend
they are lonely and sad.
They each return to the tree they climbed and tell each other how much
they missed them, and so resolve their differences and become friends
once again.
A charming story of resolution and friendship, this book is a great
read a loud, and be most useful in the classroom when discussing
friendship and how to resolve differences.
Fran Knight
