Penguin,
2009.
(Age
range: 14-18) Recommended.
As
a new school year begins Anna, a first year teacher and Luke, a senior
school
student are unaware of the events that will occur to see their lives
overlap.
Anna
is faced with the prospect of teaching students only a few years her
junior, a colleague
who insists on making her life difficult and a home life that is less
than
perfect. Luke is suffering panic attacks as his father's health
continues to
deteriorate, his brother moves out of home and his mother tries to act
as
though nothing is wrong. Both characters have a friend who tries to
make life
more bearable and help them see the brighter side of the situations
they find
themselves in. Luke's mate is Alex and Anna's friend is Jacqui. Through
the
interaction of the main characters and their friends we learn that Anna
has a
widowed brother whom she is helping raise a son and Luke has a
beautiful
girlfriend who he no longer feels able to involve in his life. When
Anna is
asked to take a special class for 'at risk' students she finds Luke
part of the
group and witnesses first hand one of his panic attacks. The situation
is
compounded when Anna discovers, over dinner one night, that Luke's
brother
Oliver is going out with Anna's sister Georgie. The events that follow
draw on
the reader's emotions and give an insight into challenges and hurdles
that
people face in their lives and the strength of character that sees them
overcome them.
This
is a story well worth taking the time to read.
Tracy
Glover
Sarah's heavy heart by Peter Carnavas
New
Frontier, 2009.
ISBN 9781921042058.
(All ages) Recommended. Sarah has a heavy heart that she carries all
the time,
on the bus, in the playground, at the park. Although she knows she will
always
carry it, she wishes it wasn't such a burden as it makes things like
sleeping
and having a bath very difficult. Then she sees a small boy clutching a
very
light heart, which makes him float away. She makes friends with him and
together they work out a solution to make their hearts behave.
Peter Carnavas' quirky characters are beautifully drawn,
using watercolours and black ink outlines. Sarah's little pet turtle, a
ground
bound animal, appears with her on every page, and the little boy has a
bird pet
which flies along with his light heart. Children will have fun finding
the
little animals and following the big red heart.
This is a unique story. It explores the different emotions
that people carry around with them. I
found the idea of finding a friend to share a heavy heart with, hence
bringing
balance into life very thought provoking
and complex, one to think about and ponder on. However, small children
will
enjoy Sarah's heavy heart as a read aloud and will love the gentle
characters.
Many discussions could be had about the meaning of friendship and love
and what
could give a person a heavy heart or a light heart. Better readers will
be able
to explore the gentle ideas themselves. Teacher's
notes are available.
Pat Pledger
The duck in the gun by Joy Cowley
The Duck in the Gun by Joy Cowley, Walker Books, 2009. IBSN 9781921150838.
(Ages:5-7) Joy Cowley first wrote this book at the height of the Vietnam War, promoting an idea of peace in those distressing times. First published in 1969, this is a timely reprinting of a timeless book.
The General has marched with his men to the outskirts of the town they are to besiege, but on bringing up the large cannon, find that a duck has built a nest and laid her eggs in it. Amazed, the General tries to startle the duck from the gun, calling to her, then deciding that he must call a truce with the Prime Minister of the nearby town. Polishing his boots and wearing his medals, he visits the Prime Minister and after some discussion, they agree to halt proceedings for three weeks to allow the duck to leave the gun.
During the ensuing time, the General visits the Prime Minister to have tea with him and his daughter while the soldiers, noticing that the town looks a little shabby, offer to paint the houses. When the duck begins to look out form the gun, the General helps her and the eight ducklings down to the ground, but the men grumble that they cannot fire upon the town that they have just painted, while the General agrees that he has become quite fond of the Prime Minister's daughter.
Robyn Belton's wonderful illustrations add another layer of charm to this anti war story, chosen as one of the top ten children's books around the world by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, to actively promote peace. Although aimed at junior primary, it could be used at any year level.
Fran Knight
Oliver Nocturne: Blood Ties by Kevin Emerson
Scholastic, 2009.
Sitting
in the principal's office with his parents on the last day of school,
Oliver is
not pleased to hear his teacher give him a load of extra maths work to
do over
the summer holidays before he goes to high school in the fall. They are
all off
to Morosia, the underworld vampire city where some of his relatives
live, and
he cannot get there soon enough. Meanwhile he visits his friends, Dean
and
Emalie, and they are on a quest to find Selene, who may be able to help
them find
out about Emalie's mother, who has disappeared.
A
trawl through all the spirits and wraiths surrounding vampire lore,
Oliver Nocturne is a series about Oliver
and his life as a vampire, and what is expected of him in the future.
Bringing
in all the stories at once is a bit overwhelming, and the number of
characters
sometimes confusing, and some of the stories within the novel are quite
scary.
I was often reminded of The Munsters
(the 70's TV show) as the story shows the vampires at home, going about
their
daily routines, and there will be an audience for this series with the
predominance of vampires stories being published of late, but I think
there are
better books around to spend the limited library budget on.
Fran Knight,
Pieces of eight by John Drake
HarperCollins, 2009. ISBN9780007305971.
John Drake has given another installment of
the Treasure Island story. The
pirate characters are all there; Long John Silver, Flint, Black Dog,
Ben Gunn
and of course the parrot. This time however the Royal Navy becomes
involved as
well as an Indian tribe, the Patanq. Naturally enough the tale has
everything
to do with buried treasure and takes place mainly on that very familiar
island.
Drake does introduce some changes however
that Robert Louis Stevenson didn't think to include. There are women!
There is Danny Bentham a pirate captain who
disguises herself as a man but has a preference for women and the
lovely Selena
with whom both Silver and Flint are in love. Naturally with the
inclusion of
women there is also much talk of 'rogering' and associated sexual
escapades.
The language which Drake includes also goes beyond 'shiver me timbers'
to
include some very earthy (or perhaps salty) swearing.
The reader is given some insight into Joseph
Flint's boyhood which goes some way to explain his very nasty sadistic
tendencies. The main characters are clever, single minded, and although
very
different, are still single minded in their determination to grab the
enormous
fortune that is Flint's treasure. On the other hand the majority of the
rest
are portrayed as simple folk, if not dim witted, with exception of the
Indian
leader, Dreamer.
Drake has written a rollicking tale that
moves along, for the most part, at a spanking pace. There is action
aplenty
both on board ship and on land. However I'm curious just as to whom the
book is
aimed, since it rules out a younger audience and I'm not sure if the
Treasure Island story will attract a
large adult readership.
Mark Knight
My Secret War Diary by Flossie Albright
Walker Books, 2009.
(Ages Middle school) A
beautifully bound and presented hard cover
book in the form of a diary, this tactile volume is sub titled, My
History of the Second World War,
1939-1945, and is a child's perspective of what happened to her and
her
family in Dorchester. It has all the trimmings of a young girl's diary
during
the middle of last century, with drawings and paintings on most pages,
little
cards and cut outs pasted in, warnings to any trespasser, highlighted
headings
and events of the war, all making this a singular account of the events
of
those turbulent years.
Flossie is 9, and first remarks that her
father has enlisted and is off to fight Germany. She outlines the
family tree
showing the reader where she fits into the family, and then recounts
the
efforts each household must make to lessen the amount of damage that
could be
done to them during raids. Each page is
littered with entries, observations, tales of friendships and woes, all
done in
a clear handwriting which may cause some of our students some problems.
Behind the stories of school and home life,
her dog and her family, we see the events of the war: Dunkirk, air
raids,
rationing, the Blitz, then VE Day.
Sometimes
the pages reminded me of things I had forgotten, the folded square of
paper
stuck into the book, the coin rubbings, drawing little maps and
sticking them
into a diary, adding small cut outs from the newspaper: all done by
children
during the war and for some years after, a past time now long
forgotten. This
would be an inviting and informative book for middle school readers,
those
interested in the background of WW2, or how children coped during war,
those
viewing childhood, or those simply interested in a book beautifully
presented
and designed. This book will satisfy a range of interests and I can
imagine
students poring over some of the pages as they come to understand that
Flossie
had a happy childhood despite what was happening around her.
Fran Knight
Mr Chicken goes to Paris by Leigh Hobbs
Allen
and Unwin, 2009. ISBN 9781741757699.
(Ages: Junior primary)
Hobbs has developed another unusual main
character in Mr Chicken, a rather single minded, taciturn chook with a
mouth
that is always down at the ends. Invited by his friend Yvette to visit
her in
Paris, Mr Chicken is eager to go, consulting maps before boarding the
plane,
economy class, to Paris. There, he and Yvette tour the main features of
Paris:
Arc de Triomphe, Musee du Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the
Palace
of Versailles.
At each place Mr Chicken has a comment to
pass, sometimes in French, as he asks people to take his photo,
observes what
is around him or is served a meal. His bright yellow physique stands
out
amongst the crowds, and the reader can see that it is the chicken that
the
other tourists are watching, not the scenery they have come to see.
A wry look at tourism and its allied
industries, Leigh Hobbs has created a likeable monster, which will
charm the
readers as they view Paris through his eyes and see Mr Chicken through
the eyes
of other tourists. Full of colour and Hobbs' easily identifiable
drawings, Mr. Chicken goes to Paris will be
wonderful read aloud to a class and just as joyous read alone, but the
reader
will want to share.
Fran Knight
Maisy's Street: A Maisy Concertina Book by Lucy Cousins
Walker
Books, 2009. ISBN 9781406321982.
(Age 2+) A wonderful concertina book which also has the added
fascination of flaps that open up, Maisy's Street is sure to
delight
the very
young. The book opens with an instruction
to walk down the street with Maisy to Eddie's birthday party. On the
way Maisy
collects friends and the reader meets the doctor, the postman
and goes past the bank, the library and the
ice-cream van.
Each page is numbered and the young reader will have lots of
fun following the concertina and turning over the right page as well as
lifting
up the flaps to see what is underneath. There are two metres of
two-sided pages,
so that's a lot of fun and a lot to see in Maisy's Street!
The book is made out of sturdy cardboard and brightly
illustrated with simple text. It is sure to please readers who are
familiar
with Maisy and will be a great introduction for children who are
unfamiliar with
other Maisy books.
Pat Pledger
LA Candy by Lauren Conrad
Harper Collins Children's Books. ISBN 9780061905674.
(Age 15+) A disappointing novel, espousing all that older Australian
parents abhor in the American style. Jane, from a small town American
city, comes to LA with her more
stable
friend Scarlett (who thinks a quick night of fun is okay) to find
excitement and
love. The book follows many American TV
themes. It's so disappointing to read of flaky young people who seem
intent on
having a good time regardless of anything and who think that finding a
boyfriend is the
ultimate success. Jane appears innocent about the people who
frequent her
world. I just hope young people in
Australia look a little more carefully at potentially unhappy outcomes.
Why write about situations to be avoided?
Young people may find the book similar to
their dreams, but it's potentially a very sad scene.
Sue Nosworthy
Island girl by Lolo Houbein
Hybrid Publishers,
2009. ISBN
9781876462888.
(Age 13+) Set on a remote island off the South Australian
coast, Island
girl
takes the reader on a tour of what it is like to live in a small
farming
community and the challenges that face young people as they look to
their
futures. Bianka has just left school,
and undecided about where her future lies, stays at home on the family
farm to
help her mother who is recovering from breast cancer. As
Bianka ponders what she will do with her
life, she uncovers a mystery about Flora, her great grandmother, a
brilliant
artist who left the island in mysterious circumstances.The
discovery of Flora's diary will lead Bianka to do much thinking about the directions that
a young woman can take.
Houbein paints a warm picture of family life, where each member is
valued for
their different talents, and hard work is appreciated. The gossip that
goes on
in small communities, as well as the secrets that families often hide,
are
examined in depth. The theme of self sufficiency is also strong. Bianka
grows vegetables;
collects seed from the bush and can build mud brick houses.
Set in the first person and narrated by Bianka, the language often
seems old
fashioned - she calls a boy that she
likes her 'romantic friend' - but the vivid descriptions paint a
memorable
picture of the beautiful island with its sandy beaches and seal
communities. I
found this book a refreshing change to the many books written by US
authors in
the first person. Bianka is not rich or selfish. She is a considerate
person who
is interested in the environment and who analyses what she really wants
to do
with her life on her path to independence.
The romance is gentle and caring. After encounters with Simon, a summer
visitor
to the farm, and Patrick, an island boy who prowls around, Bianka
discovers
what she wants in a relationship.
A thought provoking book, Island girl will have readers
thinking about
self
sufficiency, meaningful relationships and life in remote areas.
Pat Pledger
The ask and the answer by Patrick Ness
Walker
Books, 2009.
ISBN 9781406310269.
(Age 12+) Highly recommended. After the relentless suspense and an
incredible
cliff hanger ending in The knife
of letting go, I wasn't sure if the
sequel
could live up to that Guardian Children's Fiction Prize winning book.
However I
was not disappointed! Ness has written another wonderful book full of
action
and issues that made me think long after I finished the book. Todd has
taken the
dying Viola into Haven but it has been made into the stronghold of his
enemy
Mayor Prentiss. Imprisoned, Todd is forced to fit into the new order
and
carries out Prentiss' awful orders. Not knowing what has happened to
Viola, he
follows directions, putting bands on the Spackle who are herded into a
labour camp.
He also bands the women. There are secrets, resistance movements and
dire times
for Todd and Viola, who are separated but still care for each other.
I can't reveal too much except to say that the action is nonstop, the
dialogue
is as fabulous as the first book and the theme of what people will do
in times
of war and how they act under duress will stay with me. The
manipulation over
people's minds by Mayor Prentiss is described so vividly that I
finished the
book with a clearer understanding of how a powerful personality can
sway all
before him. Chaos Walking is an engrossing series and I can't wait for the
next
instalment,
after another cliff hanger ending.
Pat Pledger
I like books by Anthony Browne
Walker Books,
2003. ISBN 9780744598575
(0+) A colourful picture book featuring Browne's signature
chimp, this is a celebration of what books have to offer. The little
chimp
likes all sorts of books, funny books and scary books, and
books about pirates and space and
dinosaurs.
Each page has text about a different type of book with an
amusing illustration to match. There is Little Red Riding Hood carrying
a
basket of books on the page about fairy tales and a scary ghost behind
the
little chimp reading on the page about
scary books. The expressions on the faces are wonderful, and children
will have
lots of fun examining them.
I like books lends itself to discussions about the types and
names of books that children like, and would be a lovely books to read
at
bedtime.
Pat Pledger
Pink by Lili Wilkinson
Allen and Unwin,
2009. ISBN 9781741758344.
(Age 14+) Recommended. Lili Wilkinson is a favourite author of mine and
Pink
didn't disappoint. Ava thinks that she finally will be able to find
herself
when she goes to the Billy Hughes School for Academic Excellence.
Dressed in
her new pink cashmere sweater, she is determined to discover her true
self.
Filled with doubts about her sexuality, her relationship with her
girlfriend Chloe
and with a burning desire to fit in, Ava makes friends with the popular
Pastels,
led by Alexis, who are all bright, intelligent and with leading roles
in the
school musical. Then she joins the Screws, the stage crew who do all
the
background sets and lighting, and meets another type of person - the
school
outcasts.
But Ava has secrets. Even though she is now wearing pink, and has
washed the
dye out of her hair, she has problems working out who her friends are
and how
to act in this new setting. The theme
that you don't always know about your sexual orientation at the age of
16 will
be of great interest to teenagers, as they follow Ava's often
disastrous
attempts to decide between Chloe and Sam. Wilkinson
leavens her story with lots of laugh
out loud humour and situations that teenagers often find themselves in.
Her
characters are outstanding: believable, funny and intelligent. Pink is a clever, brilliantly written story that doesn't talk
down to
its
audience. It tackles big themes, not just sexuality, but loyalty,
honesty, knowing
yourself, finding friends and becoming independent, in an engrossing
novel.
Pat Pledger
Gotta B by Claire Carmichael
Random House Australia, 2009. ISBN
9781741662986.
(Age 12+) Recommended. Set in the near future, Carmichael
explores a society where every young person is online constantly, so
much so
that Dr Carter Renfrew believes that this generation is the next step
in evolution,
Homo electronicus. When Rick Lawrence is suddenly disconnected, his
iZod dead, he
discovers that he can no longer communicate with his friends, the Five,
who
have been together since Kindergarten; he can't play games or even get
his
homework. He feels like he doesn't exist
and begins to get depressed. Communications companies, always keen to
keep
ahead of trends, are pushing for research into the teenage brain but
how far is
Renfrew and his colleague Dr Howard Unwin
prepared to go in their quest for
knowledge and power? And what are they prepared to do to Rick to get
their
data?
Carmichael has created a credible world where teenagers can
cope only if they have their iZod and are constantly online. The main
characters are well developed and engrossing. I became involved with
Rick's wobbly
mental state and cheered Tal when he decided that enough was enough and
he and
the Five would go to his rescue. The
cyberbully Marianne was brilliantly described as was George the
topnotch
computer student.
There is plenty of action and suspense as Tal and his
friends launch a cyber attack on a corporate bully and the
evil researchers. It was fascinating to
follow them as they mounted a campaign to stop the computer
disconnections and
research.
Themes of cyberbullying, unethical scientific experimentation
and media manipulation weave through the story and would
create lots of discussion points if used
as a class novel.
I found this to be a riveting book which I couldn't put
down. I finished it in the early hours in one sitting. What more can
you ask of
a book than that it totally engrosses the reader?
Pat Pledger
The disreputable history of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Hyperion, 2009. ISBN 978-0786838196
(Age 14+) Recommended. Frankie Landau-Banks
suddenly finds
herself in the limelight at her exclusive boarding school. She manages
to
attract the attention of a popular boy Matthew and as his girlfriend
finds that
she has been elevated from obscurity and now belongs to the 'in' group.
However
she discovers that girls are not treated the same way as boys are in
the group
and in particular they are excluded from the secret society, the Loyal
Order of
the Basset Hounds. When she finds The
Disreputable History, the long lost manual of the club, she decides
that
she will grab some of the power that has previously belonged just to
the boys.
Using a fake e-mail address, she directs the activities of the club,
getting
the members to do audacious pranks until her plotting is discovered.
Frankie is a girl who is determined not to be
ignored, and
refuses to be relegated into doing
'female' activities. She thinks that coming up with wonderful practical
jokes
and getting the old boys' club to carry out her instructions will give
her
power and gain respect, but finds to her dismay that discrimination is
deeply
embedded in society. Whilst determined to prove herself an equal with
the boys,
she doesn't realise that she herself is fitting into a mould by waiting
around
for Matthew when he dumps her for Basset meetings, and still hoping
that after
everything goes haywire, he will be there for her.
A feature of the book that stood out for me was
the humorous
wordplays and the literary allusions to Wodehouse. Frankie had lots of
fun
making up words and meanings and this added a richness to the story
telling and
gave insights into Frankie's intelligence and personality.
Lockhart explores feminism, discrimination, peer
pressure
and the networks that give power in this complex, funny and witty
exploration
of one girl's attempt to be in the right group with the right cute
boyfriend.
Pat Pledger
