Scholastic, 2009. ISBN 9781862918115.
(Ages 7+) One of a series published by
Omnibus, called Mates,
Chook Shed Snake has broad appeal,
as Phil Cummings, once again, draws upon his wonderful childhood
memories to
relate a story about dad and the snake in the chook shed. Filled with
warm,
endearing characters, families everyone dreams of, and augmented with
Greg
Holdfeld's illustrations, this book, one of four in the series will be
well
used in junior primary classes, where the print size and short chapters
make it
instantly appealing.
Dad, sent by mum to mend the chook house, a
task he had been promising to do for years, is squeamish after Harry
spies a
snake heading towards the little building. He gingerly uses the rake to
pull
away the straw to see where the creature could be hiding, but is pecked
by one
of the chooks, and decides to leave the task to another day. Full of
gentle
humour, the details about life on a farm remind us all of childhoods in
the
past with love and affection.
Others in this fine series, include Thorpey
by Ruth Starke, The Wombat and the Giant Poojam by
Jackie French, and The Smartest Dog of
All by Ian Horrocks.
Fran Knight
Boy on a Wire by Jon Doust
Fremantle Press, 2009. ISBN
9781921361456
(Ages:15 - adult) Highly
recommended. Boarding
at one of Perth's private schools from his farm in SW Western
Australia, Jack
learns that the life of a student is far from the happy and carefree
life he
knew at his local primary school. Hit by teachers and prefects, bullied
by
other students, the brutality of the boarding school is one which
affects him
for many years after he leaves.
But
he is no victim; Jack asks questions, enraging staff and students
alike, making
him the recipient of the slipper, the cane and the sandshoe, his words
cutting
the cornerstone of their privileges and customs. It is accepted at home
that
this will happen to him, and a code of silence ensures that it
continues. Jack
supports one other new boy, a quiet, solitary figure who has come to
this
school from the now, well known school to the north of Perth, where
abuse was
exposed. Jack is religious and it is this part of his life which gives
him some
comfort, although the questions he constantly asks of god are never
answered,
and the chasm between his religion and the practice at this school is
overwhelmingly deep.
At
times very funny, many times scarcely credible, but often moving and
sometimes
sad, this semi autobiographical story of a boy's life, growing up to be
a man,
will enrage, endear and instruct its readers, as they follow the boy
balancing
on the wire. The models of manhood he sees about him everyday in no way
reflect
what is expected of him as he grows to manhood, and the behavior of
those paid
to care for him is dreadful indeed.
This
highly original story will be picked up eagerly by senior students.
Comparisons
with Catcher in the Rye, and Lord of the Flies, amongst
others spring
to mind as a boy
struggles
to survive in an alien environment, and search for some meaning in his
life as
he approaches adult hood.
Fran Knight
Frannie in pieces by Delia Ephron
Harper Teen, 2009.
ISBN 9780060747183.
(Ages 12+) Recommended. Frannie is fifteen and angry about her artistic
father's
premature death. Her mother has
remarried Mel and Frannie finds them both boring and distasteful. Everything about her father is important to
her and when she finds a beautifully carved box with 'FRANCES ANNE
2000' on it
she assumes it's for her birthday. As
the mystery of the contents of the box gradually unravels, Frannie
learns about
life, a boy and her Mother and Mel. Cleverly constructed, the plot engages the reader who, with
Frannie, is
fascinated with the time changes and the assumptions that aren't
necessarily
what they appear. It's an engaging read
as Frannie learns about love, friendship and her caring family.
Sue Nosworthy
The book of a thousand days by Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury,
2009. ISBN 9780747597810.
(Ages 10+) Highly recommended. Award winning author Shannon
Hale has written another memorable heart wrenching tale of heroism
and
courage.
Based on the Grimm Brothers' story, Maid Maleen, Hale has set
her tale
in
Asia. Lady Saren refuses to marry Lord Khasar, the man her father has
chosen
for her because not only is she is terrified of him, but she is in love
with
Khan Tegus. Her father is furious and locks her in a tower with her
maid, Dashti,
until she comes to her senses. But even the tower doesn't keep them
safe from
the evil Khasar, who arrival brings great danger, while Khan Tegus's
appearance
brings hope.
Told from the point of view of Dashti, in the form of a
diary, the reader is swept into the lives of Saren and Dashti as they
struggle
to survive in the tower. Even though they have been left enough food
and
firewood to survive for seven years, the tower has been completely
walled up so
they live in darkness except for the meagre light that comes from the
fire and
candles. Rats attack their food and the guards outside desert them.
Dashti's
diary descriptions are compelling and the reader will never be able to
think of
being shut in a tower without shuddering.
Hale doesn't follow the usual rules for a fairy story. Her
heroine is not a beautiful princess, but the lady's maid, a Mucker girl
who has
been raised on the steppes and who has a disfiguring birthmark on her
face.
However it is Dashti's indomitable spirit that keeps them from falling
into
deep depression and it is her perseverance that eventually gets them
out of the
tower. She is the brave one, who records their story and who is
prepared to die
for the love of her life. Saren is weak and whiny and would never have
survived
without Dashti.
This is an exciting read, with a wonderful heroine,
adventure, courage, plot twists, romance and heartbreak. Rich in vivid
descriptions, some charming illustrations and a very exciting and
satisfying
conclusion, this book is a keeper for fantasy and fairy tale readers.
It would
also be a powerful read aloud.
Pat Pledger
Naked Mole rat gets dressed by Mo Willems
Walker Books, 2009.
(Ages
3-7) Recommended. Naked mole rats are a little bit rat, a little bit
mole and
are all naked, except for Wilbur the naked mole rat who likes to get
dressed.
All the other moles think that he is very peculiar and go to Grand-pah
complaining about his lack of nudity. Grand-pah is very wise and after
much
thinking makes a proclamation. But his response is a big surprise.
Award
winning author Willems has created a funny and appealing race of
creatures with
his little naked mole rats. Young children will find them irresistible.
The
illustrations are a delight with each naked mole rat looking individual
- just
by changing the shape of the ears and eyes in the illustrations!
It is
a great story about being prepared to be an individual and sticking to
your
beliefs even when everyone else thinks that you are wrong. The message
of being
prepared to look at things in a different way and answering the
question 'Why
not?' is never didactic but rather couched in gentle good humour. A
memorable
book for all the family.
Pat
Pledger
Malcolm and Juliet by Bernard Beckett
Text Publishing, 2009. ISBN
9781921520327
(Ages 14+)Recommended. A group of 16 year olds in various schools,
all with some connection, each with their own idiosyncrasies, are mixed
up with
Malcolm, intent on winning this year's science prize with his research
into the
first sexual experiences of his peers. What you get is rather wry, but
very
funny novel about teens and their activities. Beckett hits just the
right note
of humour in this look at teenage conduct and his mix of a range of
adolescents
is masterful, as the climax swings into view.
Kevin lusts after Brian who lusts after
Charlotte who lusts after Malcolm, who thinks he has no show of seeing
Charlotte, but his friend Juliet who is being blackmailed, tries to
setup a sex
talk line and lands Brian, who finding out who the voice on the end of
the line
belongs to, is chasing her. Complicated? No the novel glides along
smoothly and
wittily, making me laugh out loud as Malcolm asks the oddest of people
to be
interviewed. At one stage his mum consents to be interviewed and we
hear of her
first sexual experience, and Charlotte, who is a virgin, details what
she hopes
to be her first experience, and Malcolm, knowing he could never match
her
description, gives up on her. Very funny, lots of witty looks at
teenage
culture, hits at education, principals, predatory males, and culture.
So Romeo, sorry Malcolm, must avoid all the
pitfalls of blighted love to reach his goal. His inexperience, combined
with
his goal of winning the science prize, makes him an amiable
protagonist, one we
all want to succeed. A marvelous novel for teens of all ages to read
and share.
Fran Knight
Sharp Shot by Jack Higgins and Justin Richards
Harper Collins, 2009. (Series: Danger runs in the family)
(Ages 12+) John Chance on a dangerous mission in Iraq in
1990, sets the scene for an equally danger filled operation today as
his two
children are kidnapped by an old enemy, blackmailing him to return a
statue
left in the desert all those years go. The stage is set for a
thrilling, fast
paced adventure as the twins, Jade and Rich must make some fast and
decisive
decisions while their father is away.
Escaping a group of highly armed and
dangerous killers, Jade and Rich throw in their lot with the stranger
who came
to their door asking for help. They realise that he is not what he
seems when
Rich is taken by the pursuers, and Jade, left with McCain, comes to
understand
that she is being held. Their father, in an effort to free Jade,
complies with
McCain's requests, and in coming to the desert to swap the statue for
the girl,
is left with his small party alone and bereft of anything which may
save their
lives. But in the manner of all good thrillers, they are rescued, and
can then
fight back.
A credible, page turning adventure, this
story, one in a series about the Chance twins, will please high
spirited upper
primary and lower secondary readers, wanting something closer than
World War
Two, and complete with descriptions of the weaponry and technology now
used in
war and peace.
Fran Knight
The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Anderson Press, 2008. ISBN 9781842708445
Highly
Recommended. Humour
belies the undercurrent of poverty and despair tugging at the heels of
the
diarist, Arnold, as he tries to alter the accepted path for boys like
him. He
enrolls at a more academic school, twenty miles from his homeland. That
the
school is a white middle class institution in a town where Arnold and
his
people from the nearby Spokane Indian Reservation are not wanted makes
for some
cutting and deft observations about racism. Drawing heavily on his
background,
Sherman Alexie is able to nimbly circumvent political correctness and
tell it
like it is.
Arnold's
teacher gives out the geometry books on the first day of high school.
Arnold is
keen to get stuck into this new subject, and when he opens the book to
find it
was used by his mother, 30 years before, he knows that he will never
break out
of the mold. Opportunities given to Indigenous kids are just not there.
At the
nearby white school, he finds himself the only Indian student in a sea
of white
faces. The customs at his last school must be unlearned, his culture
put behind
him and his loyalties divided between the two worlds he inhabits. Some
people
on the 'rez' avoid him, his best friend deserts him, but some are
proud, and
his uncle calls him a warrior for doing something so brave.
In
different hands this book could have been cheesy and even insulting,
but
Alexie's intimate knowledge of the reservation makes this a uniquely
powerful
read. The story cries out for recognition of the Indian plight. Moved
to
reservations with little opportunity for employment or activities, poor
education and blighted by racism, Arnold speaks for his generation. The
path he
chooses is burdened with pitfalls however, in having to live a divided
life,
being seen as a traitor on one hand, and a curiosity on the other.
The
debate over indigenous people writing their own stories flourishes,
none more
vocal than the website hosted by Debbie Reese in USA. She applauds the
writing of indigenous
people, particularly American Indians, and deplores the writing of non
indigenous writers using an indigenous point of view. Her views are
widely used
and her website
often quoted. The
recent issue of Fiction Focus, an
adolescent fiction journal from the Western
Australia Education Department, outlines some of the current debate
about
indigenous writers writing their own stories, in an article called
Whose
Story? Indigenous Peoples in Fiction, and gives
information
about some
of the books written by indigenous writers, including the excellent,
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time
Indian by Sherman Alexie.To
find out more about Sherman Alexie's background, go to http://www.fallsapart.com/. And
to find out about the
reservation he
grew up on, visit, the
official
website for
the Spokane Tribe in Washington.
Studying
this novel in the classroom would be a knockout for lower secondary
kids. It
will turn their faces to the reality of living in an indigenous
community
whether in Australia or USA or New Zealand. Stories written by other
indigenous
authors could be studied, and some written by non indigenous authors
could be
looked at to compare the tone. As part of a unit of study about racism
or
prejudice or specifically North American Indians, this novel has all
points
covered. I would expect that many schools will buy this as a class set.
Fran Knight
Nina of the dark by Ken Catran
HarperCollins, 2009. ISBN 9781869506650
(Age 11+) Recommended.
A gripping fantasy called Nina's Saga is told by Bard the
Restless. A slave called Nina is the
heroine. She is the one who must
overcome the darkness and the multitude of evil creatures which
threaten to
kill her and her companions, a thief and a giant, for she is a thumb
hurter. The plot is dense with unusual
creatures and the Rut army wanting to outwit Nina and her allies. The
plot moves swiftly for Catran uses
imagery beautifully and the poetry foretells the coming battles. Nina
becomes an awe inspiring leader who
rejects the treasure and finds Lightskin, a costume of silver chain
mail which
fits her perfectly and Brightsong, a sword with a red-braided hilt and
ruby set
scabbard, damaged but with no pommel stone. The minor characters are
strong and believable and add to the
intensity
as the drama unfolds. There is scope for
a sequel.
Sue Nosworthy
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. Retold by Robert Swindells
A & C Black, 2009. ISBN 9781408104361
Swindells has taken on a task which would
daunt many people: retelling Shakespeare's stories for a young audience
in the
twenty first century. Using contemporary language, but with a
sprinkling of the
Bard's words still intact, Swindells captures the essence of this funny
play
with ease.
Divided into the same five acts, the story of love and
desire meets
the play within the play, as Oberon, playing a trick on his love,
Titania, has
a potion poured onto her eyelid so that she will love the first person
she sees
on waking. He has the same thing done to Demetrius, in the hope that the first person he sees is Helena,
who
loves him passionately. But his scheme fails, and both Lysander and
Demetrius
spy Helena, and follow her blindly, leaving poor Hermia to wonder where
her
love, Lysander has got to.
In the meantime, Titania has woken and spies
Bottom, one of the characters from the play within the play, dressed as
an ass.
She falls hopelessly in love with the ass and they wind flowers through
their
hair in her bower. Oberon must turn around the night's fun to regain
Titania's
love and put the lovers together again.
Within the 70 pages the story of one of
Shakespeare's best loved comedies is presented, along with a list of
characters, and drawings by Tomislav Tomic. Middle to upper primary
readers
will love this easy to digest introduction to the 400 year old story,
or have
just a great tale to read for themselves. Swindells has rewritten a
number of
other plays as well in this series for A & C Black of London. For
those
classrooms tackling Shakespeare, then this series will be a great
introduction
to the storylines of these plays, and help acquaint the students with
settings
and characters.
Fran Knight
The sea-wreck stranger by Anna Mackenzie
Text Publishing, 2009. ISBN 9781921520361.
(Ages: 11+) Recommended. A
half drowned, battered man washes up on the shore of a closed island
community,
one where its inhabitants risk death if they walk near the sea. The
community
turned its back on the sea years before after many of its people died
after
eating fish. Nes, more spirited than most, feels drawn to the sea and
so
finding
Dev amongst the seaweed, patches his wounds and hides him in the cave
she often
visits.
Her life however is unsettled, only vaguely linked to the
people she
lives with, she is closest to a woman who lives alone close by, but who
falls
under suspicion for possibly breaking the taboos of her village. This
dystopian
world, a small remnant of a civilization now decimated by environmental
pollution, has become closed and male dominated, suspicious and wary.
The
claustrophobic feeling when reading this book is overwhelming, as you
read of
this young girl, trying to capture something of the outside through the
man she
rescues. She is intrigued by what is there, a place her father visited
before
he died, and resents the ominous presence of the next door neighbours,
especially after being told that marriage between she and his son would
unite
the two farms.When
other members of the village become aware of the man's presence, the
search is
on, and Ness must try to rescue him before he is discovered and her
part in his
survival known.
A breathtaking, very scary story, which I hope will
have a
sequel.
Fran Knight
The Soul Trade by E. E. Richardson
Corgi Books, 2009.
Searching
desperately for a gift for his stepmother, Nick stumbles upon a shop in
a
unfrequented alleyway, called Bargains. Here he is intrigued with the
array of
glass orbs, and knows his step mother will like one. The sinister
shopkeeper
asks Nick for one of his drawings as payment for the orb, and Nick,
without
much thought, tears out a page in his sketch book and gives it to the
man. Next
day when at school in his favourite lesson, Art, he is despondent to
find
that he can no longer draw. His passion for art was leading him to find
a place
at an art school, and so devastated at the loss of his kills, seeks out
the
shop again to resolve what it happening to him.
But
here he makes another bargain with the shop keeper: he will do some
debt
collecting work for him in exchange for his drawing and his skills. So
Nick
sets out on a perilous mission, one fraught with an ever present
feeling of
danger and fear. What he finds in recalling debts owed to the
shopkeeper unsettles him even further as he is drawn into the world of
Bargains.
A
scary story sure to thrill those horror readers in your school: it will
make
them rethink the consequences of bargains.
Fran Knight
By Royal Command by Charlie Higson
Puffin, 2009.
(Ages 11+) Recommended. The fifth in
the series, Young James Bond, sees
James rescue one of
his
schoolmates from certain death on the slopes of the Austrian Alps,
where Miles,
an arrogant and disliked young man, falls after drinking before skiing.
James
puts himself at incredible risk to rescue him, and when the two are
hospitalized, James sees something he perhaps shouldn't have, a raving
von
Schlick prior to surgery. It is a few years before World War 2, and
Higson
includes the future king of England, Edward and Wallis Simpson along
with some nasty
Communist spies and Nazis to mix together an amazingly readable plot.
James
sees
von Schlik again in Miles' home, when his parents thank James for
rescuing
their son. Following him amongst the hallways, he stumbles upon Edward
and Mrs
Simpson, who are then joined by von Schlik and several other men. The
conversation turns to the sympathy shown by Edward towards Hitler, and
the
downturn of Britain's fortunes. James leaves and taking his aunt on a
tour of
the school for King George's birthday, realises that the huge load of
garden
fertilizer delivered to the school the day before, could be used as a
bomb to
kill the king, Edward's brother. Sure
to be a
hit with middle school readers By Royal
Command has all the elements of a gripping read. James is involved
in a
life and death plot, one which could change the course of history. His
cunning
and skills save the day of course, and along the way the brutes from
his school
get their just deserts. The episodes where James is abused at the hand
of the
older boy at school are tough to read, and recall Tom
Brown's Schooldays
and others in exposing the stupidity of the class system, and the
lessons he
learns from his experiences there certainly underpin the morality of
the spy,
James Bond in Ian Fleming's stories.
Fran Knight
Far from home by K.M. Peyton
Usborne, 2009. ISBN 9780746090886
(Ages 10+) Minna has followed Theo, her childhood friend, now captain
of a Roman cohort in central Britain, on his march to destroy the
Celtic barbarian, Kimbelinus and his ragged army of savages. She has
her friends, Dracos and Benoc to keep her cheerful, as she is seen as a
camp follower by the other women trudging behind the cohort. Her brief
conversations with Theo, centre on their horses, and what will happen
when they meet the opposing forces. Minna is mortified to think that
she will be sent back with the women, out of harm's way, and talks Theo
into allowing her to spy with Draco.
She feels proud that she is helping, but when the battle finally
begins, she is overcome with grief at the death and dying around her.
She finds that her brother is one of the dead, and learns that the
taciturn Draco has deserted to the other side, but when her horse,
Silva is captured by some of the fleeing Celts, she takes action.
An exciting and informative sequel to Minna's Quest, any reader
will
easily further their knowledge of Roman Britain reading this adventure.
Minna is headstrong, and often blurts things out without thinking,
landing herself in trouble. Her love for Theo holds strong, despite the
death which surrounds her at the end of the battle, and she forlornly
remains with Benoc, when Theo takes his cohort on further skirmishes,
keeping the Celts at bay. A third novel, No Turning Back
completes the
trilogy. A stirring trilogy of historical novels from a fine writer.
Fran Knight
The forest of hands and teeth by Carrie Ryan
Orion, 2009. ISBN
9780575090859
(Age 14+) Mary's life is confined to the village where she lives. In
her constricted post apocalypse world the Sisterhood control all
knowledge and lay down confining rules. The Guardians protect everyone
from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. The village is surrounded by a
fence to keep out the Unconsecrated, zombies who relentlessly push
against it, trying to get in. One bite from them is enough to turn a
normal person into a walking undead. As the Unconsecrated crowd in,
Mary has difficult choices to make. Should she chance the forest path
and hope to find the sea her mother has spoken about, or should she
stay and fight the undead?
Told in the first person, this is a coming of age story. Mary is on the
verge of becoming an adult and is a strong determined character who
holds onto her dreams of a bigger world beyond the fence. She is in
love with Travis, who is betrothed to her best friend, Cass. The
Sisterhood command her to marry Harry, but she is torn with doing what
she has been told to do or trying to follow her heart. When the
Unconsecrated take over her village, she sets out with Travis, Harry,
Cass and an orphaned boy Jacob, to try and escape. The love triangle
will appeal to romance fans who like their love interest entwined with
some horror.
There is plenty of action for fans of horror with the Unconsecrated
determined to kill everything in sight, and both Mary and her brother
being forced to kill people they love or else see them turn. The
suspense is quite rivetting after the first 100 pages or so with the
zombies in hot pursuit of the little group. Although there is a
satisfying conclusion there are enough unresolved issues to ensure that
the reader will want to read the sequel.
Pat Pledger
