Reviews

The 10pm question by Kate De Goldi

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Allen and Unwin, 2009. ISBN 978174175 735 4
(Age 11-14) Recommended. A cleverly written book ideal for adolescents, especially boys. Twelve year old Frankie is constantly afraid about the 'Ifs' of his life. He has a continuing internal dialogue with himself, made humorous by De Goldi's ability to paint a vivid and lively account of his family and friends who have wonderfully diverse and eccentric characteristics, especially the aunts. Frankie and his best friend Gigs speak chilun, an invented language, where they engage in hilarious conversations about other people while in their presence! Life changes for Frankie when Sydney joins the class. She, unlike all the other girls in his class and indeed in his school, has dreadlocks, can bowl well and has a way of asking Frankie unavoidable questions, which leads him to better understand himself and in turn his family understanding him. A perfect complementary book is Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli. The fascinating title entices the reader to begin.
Sue Nosworthy

Dream land by Lily Hyde

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Walker Books,London, 2008.
(Age: 12+)Cover blurb:'One girl's struggle to find her true home'. It is the story of the return of a Crimean Tatar family from exile in Uzbekistan to the Crimea, told through the eyes of a young girl.
This beautifully written story is based on real events and is sponsored by Amnesty International.It deals with the Crimean Tatars who survived exile by Stalin after the war and who returned to their homeland under perestroika. They find their old homes possessed by Russians who were moved in and many of their old villages destroyed, in much the same way as surviving Jews did when they returned to Poland after the war. This little known story is vividly captured here. Safi, about 12 or 13, arrives with her extended family to build a house by themselves in face of hostility from the locals who see them as unwanted intruders.
Lily Hyde conveys well the beauty of the Crimea, the fierce love of homeland which survives exile and opposition, the strength of a united loving family, the power of numbers against government might and the pros and cons of risking all for a dream.The eye-catching colourful cover has a Tatar embroidery of a house key growing out of a heart from which sprout tendrils producing hearts, flowers and coffee pots. The keys and coffee pots were kept by the exiles through years of travail, as powerful symbols of what they loved and had lost, and served to sustain their dream in the face of overwhelming odds. The wonderful power of oral story telling of ethnic and family history is captured here by Safi listening to grandfather's stories.
Safi's voice is that of a normal, very likeable girl trying to make sense of what is happening to her family. She unwittingly becomes a heroine in a dramatic ending, and her realistic portrayal by Lily Hyde makes it possible for students to relate to her.Unfortunately, girls who are Safi's age may be too young to be attracted to, or fully appreciate this book, as readable as it is.
It is sad that this book is unlikely to get the wide readership it deserves.Better, curious students will enjoy and learn from it, but it does not have enough across the board appeal to become a class text. Modern history students would gain a real feel for the human impact of dictatorship. One for the library.
Kevyna Gardner

A world away by Pauline Francis

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Usborne, 2009.
(Ages 14+) Somewhere between an historical novel and a romance, A World Away will suit well with girls of a romantic disposition, immersed in the contact between the old and new worlds, through the eyes of an apprentice blacksmith from Portsmouth and an Indian girl. Nadie, the Indian girl is captured by a group of settlers in New England, and taken back to England as a curiosity. There she remains with a family and meets Tom, the son of a blacksmith. Together they work out the idiosyncratic behaviour of each of their tribes, and Nadie, anxious to return to her home, is taken aboard a settlers ship bound for New England.Tom is persuaded that if he wishes to return the girl to her family, and marry her, he must travel to the colony as well.
Here they encounter huge difficulties. The relationship between the new settlers and the Indians is going from bad to worse and our two heroes find that they are trusted by neither side. Amongst the long story, told in alternate chapters by our two protagonists, is a look at the conflict between the English settlers and the American Indians. At first helpful, the Indians soon realised that the new settlers were here to stay, and trouble ensued. An easy to read, if overlong but pacy novel about the meeting of two cultures with an outcome seen the world over when the two collide.
Fran Knight

Break of day by Tony Palmer

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(Age 11+) Recommended. A thoughtful look at the nature of courage and how people cope in the aftermath of war, Break of day is a memorable book that deepens the reader's understanding of how people react to difficult situations. Told in the first person by Murray Bennett, the story starts off in the jungles of Papua New Guinea where he is fighting on the Kokoda Trail. It then goes back in time to his life as a farm boy, where it traces the path that lead him, his brother Will and enemy Sid to their actions as soldiers.

Murray's pacifist nature, his fear about being thought a coward when he was young and his inability to kill the farm dog, are vividly bought to life. Images of war, fear and hiding from the enemy on the Kokoda Trail are ones that remain in my memory, as do the feelings of empathy and compassion that this reading engenders.

A very useful book for teachers who are planning a unit of work on war, Break of day not only celebrates family and love, but gives a balanced view of how war affects combatants and how difficult it is for many of them to fit in after the war. Its exploration of the meaning of courage will also engender thoughtful discussion.
Pat Pledger

The Paris enigma by Pablo De Santis (translated from Spanish by Mara Lethem)

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HarperCollins, 2009.
(Ages 14+) When the world's twelve greatest detectives converge on Paris to discuss their most famous cases, prior to the Paris World Fair of 1889, problems are sure to arise as their jealousies, paranoia and general mistrust of each other boil to the surface. When one of their number is killed, Viktor Arzarky takes the case, sending out his new assistant, Sigmundo Salvarto to follow up some of the clues he has unearthed. Sigmundo, however is not all that he seems. He is the assistant to the world renowned Argentinean detective, Renato Craig, who on becoming ill has sent Sigmundo to Paris in his place. He has never left Buenos Aires before, let alone travel to a new country. His position as Craig's assistant was beyond anything he dreamt and when in Paris he finds himself assisting the renowned Arzacky, he is overwhelmed.
With the constant attacks on the building of the Eiffel Tower, suspicion points to the attackers, a crypto Christian organisation who do not want change, and so the detectives pursue a circuitous route in solving this crime. Just when they are about to bring all the clues together, there is another murder. The twists and turns taken in this novel will suit the most hardened crime fiction reader, and the setting is intoxicating, especially so when the time is 1889. With overtures of Sherlock Homes, and the continuing philosophical discussions about what is behind detection, this is a most unusual crime story. For those readers wanting an involving and very different story to read, then this may fit the bill.
Fran Knight

Into the dark by Peter Abrahams

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Walker, 2008.
(Age 10 -13) The third book in the Echo Falls Mystery series, featuring 13 year old sleuth, Ingrid Levin-Hill, Into the dark is a fast paced mystery with enough clues and red herrings strewn about to keep the reader interested in solving the mystery. While snowshoeing with her friend Joey Strade, the couple stumbles on a body lying in the snow. Ingrid is appalled when she hears that her grandfather has been accused of the murder and is about to put in a plea for manslaughter. Why would he do that? Ingrid is convinced that Grampy is innocent. He is a war hero and she knows he would never shoot someone in the back. Evidence piles up and as Ingrid sorts through it, she discovers some dark secrets about people in Echo Falls.
Able to be read as a stand-alone, there is plenty of suspense in this story. The astute reader will probably be able to work out who dunnit as there are certainly enough pointers in that direction, but the additional mystery of what Grampy did in the war and the traumas about to hit Ingrid's family add further interest and depth to the story. Other features are the allusions to Sherlock Holmes and the often-humorous episodes while Ingrid is rehearsing for the play Hansel and Gretel at the local theatre.
Ingrid is an intrepid girl, who faces some frightening situations in her quest to save her grandfather, a grumpy old man. She discovers that bravery is sometimes just making an effort to control fear and she certainly has to learn to do that as she gathers evidence to try and prove that Grampy wasn't around at the time of the murder.
Abrahams is an Edgar Award nominated author, and he sets up an engrossing mystery which would be very useful as an introduction to the genre.
Pat Pledger

Shrapnel by Robert Swindells

cover image Corgi Books 2009.
(Ages 9+) A gripping wartime drama which restored my faith in Robert Swindells after it was severely tested by his previous novel, The Shade of Hettie Daynes!, Shrapnel has all the hallmarks of

Swindells at his best; a fast moving story that pulsates with action, short and gripping chapters, a believable setting and an exciting denouement.

Gordon's older brother Raymond is rather an enigma - when most lads his age want to join the RAF and fight for king and country, Raymond somehow avoids joining up and leaves home in mysterious circumstances. Soon after Raymond's departure Gordon discovers a pistol hidden in his older brother's bedroom. When he eventually tracks his brother down, he discovers that Raymond is a secret agent doing highly dangerous war work for the government. Thrilled and excited, Gordon finds himself recruited to help in this essential work. Is he about to become a spy and help defeat Hitler, or is Raymond not quite everything that he claims to be?
Swindells brings the era of World War Two to life in this exciting boy-friendly story. It may lack the impact of Once and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, but readers will learn plenty about daily life during World War Two including rationing, air-raids and schoolboy shrapnel collections. A useful addition to upper junior class libraries and well worth directing towards confident but reluctant readers.
Claire Larson

Granny by Anthony Horowitz

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Walker Books ISBN 978140630570 8
(Age 8 -10) A 'tongue in cheek' tale of a very unkind and rare Granny (I hope; although the novel is based on his own Granny!). Horowitz uses descriptive words and wild exaggerations to ensure the reader knows how horrible Granny really is. Joe the grandson, is the butt of Granny's manipulative schemes. Based on his own family, I'd like to think that Horrowitz has caricatured this Granny for fun. The plot thickens with a highly imagined series of incidents, resulting in life becoming easier for Joe and his parents, except for the worry that Granny might discover where they were. She never did!
Boys particularly enjoy Horrowitz, and may well enjoy this one too.
Sue Nosworthy

How to drink from a frog and other things you need to know about food by Michael Cox

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A ; C Black, 2009.
(Ages: 10-12) Laugh out loud at this hilarious take on food, how we eat it and why we eat as well as what we should eat, with the author taking us on a seriously bizarre meander through facts, stories and myths about food. From the first chapter which outlines lots of facts about food (did you know that during the siege of Leningrad in 1942, people boiled up their shoes to make a sort of soup, and other information which you must read for yourself!!) while chapter three tells us about overindulgence (did you know that Elvis Presley in his last years, ate 94,000 calories a day!) or that we will eat up to 60,000 kilos of food in our lifetime (chapter four) Entitled From spearing to rearing, chapter five is not quite what I expected. The pages devoted to the Chicago Meat Works are most enlightening, almost enough to make me a vegetarian on the spot. And on it goes, with delicious snippets of information, details on what we should eat, and how we should eat it.
It's recent enough to talk about food miles, food labeling, and trans fat, so kids reading this will have the latest information to absorb. Teachers could have great fun with students reading a little to them just before recess or lunch, or doing some of the experiments detailed in the book, or using the quiz at the end. The book is multi purpose, readily offering lots of things for teachers and students to do in their pursuit of the truth behind advertising, fast food, and in particular what they really should eat for good health. Bites of information loom large in this appealing book, which gives primary school readers lots to think about as they talk about health, diet, food and nutrition in class. Its alluring cover and loads of little illustrations scattered throughout the book will aid in its instant appeal.
Fran Knight

Love without hope by Rodney Hall

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(Age 16-Adult) Highly recommended. Imagine if you were sane and committed to a mental institution where no one will listen to you and there is no hope of leaving? A powerful story of an aging eccentric, Lorna Shoddy, who after a devastating bushfire killed some of her beloved horses, becomes depressed and to outsiders appears as if she cannot properly look after herself. After an altercation with some of the townswomen, Mrs Shoddy is committed to a mental institution where she is treated appallingly by a sadistic orderly called Vernon and disregarded by the Master of Lunacy because she has no close relatives to stand up for her. A corrupt dealer sells her farm on the pretext of taxes not paid. Eventually Mrs Shoddy manages to escape with the help of the local alcoholic doctor and finally reaches her farm for a devastating finale to her story.
This is such a well-paced story by a twice-winner of the Miles Franklin Award, exploring eccentricity and the fear that difference engenders in very conventional people, the nature of love and ageing and the pull that the land has for some people.
I will never forget the opening chapters of this book, the powerful impact of the reading and the way that I empathised with the sane but depressed Lorna Shoddy. The fear that this reading engendered about how easy it was to be institutionalised and the horrors of being powerless will remain in the back of my mind for a long time.
Intelligent senior students could use it in a study of mental illness and individualism, as well as what being institutionalised means.
Pat Pledger

Before wings by Beth Goobie

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Faber 2008.
(Age 14+) 15 year old Adrien is obsessed with death. She has barely recovered from a brain aneurysm two years before, and knows that another one could happen at any time. When she arrives at her Aunt Erin's camp, she sees the spirits of five young women who died tragically long ago. What message are they trying to give her? She also meets Paul who also is thinking about death and a close bond forms between the two.
Gradually Adrien becomes used to the routine of the camp and begins to notice things rather than spending all her time thinking of her possible death. She is prepared to stand up to the camp bully, a counsellor who wants to be the leader of the camp staff and expects her to join in with rituals and drinking after hours. She is also aware of the tension that surrounds her aunt, and begins to understand the significance of the spirits who haunt her.
Adrien starts out as a thoroughly depressed character, who refuses to communicate with her parents, doesn't want to make friends and is always looking inwards. However she is an intelligent, independent young woman and gradually opens herself up to the idea that life may be worth living after all and that she does need to grow up.
The romance between Adrien and Paul is strong and tension grows with the mystery surrounding Paul's belief that he will die on his birthday.
This is a story that grows on reflection. The themes of accepting life rather than death, of standing up for what is right and good and the redeeming power of love are all wrapped up in beautiful writing and magic realism.
Pat Pledger

The boy from Bowral: the story of Sir Donald Bradman by Robert Ingpen

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Walker Books, 2008.
(Age 8+) For cricket enthusiasts, 2008 marked the centenary of Don Bradman's birth. Robert Ingpen celebrated the event by partnering his trademark illustrations with an account of the cricketer's career and achievements. The text concentrates on his development as a sportsman, revealing how he refined his batting technique and providing detailed accounts of some of his matches, complete with scores. Excursions into Bradman's life outside cricket are brief but mention of the encouragement of cricket-playing relatives helps to explain his motivation and commitment.
The prose is unadorned and easy to read, in a style reminiscent of sports journalism. Anyone not familiar with the game will search in vain for an explanation of the rules and a glossary of cricketing terms.
The sepia tones of the illustrations are evocative of a bygone era. They are particularly effective in sympathetic portraits of Bradman and nostalgic scenes of the Bowral schoolyard and cricket pitches. However some players will not warm to muted pictures of a game they love for its speed and precision. Despite well-defined chapters, there is no table of contents but a limited index guides readers to career highlights, matches and statistics. References to letters, newspaper articles and photographs offer an introduction to the use of primary sources in research. The text has been printed in a three column format. Any discomfort this may cause is offset by the relatively large font. The book is a quality hardcover picture book with a striking study of Don Bradman in action on the cover.
'The boy from Bowral' is not so much a biography as an attempt to explain a legend. It will appeal to readers already dedicated to the game played by 'The Don' with such consummate skill.
Elizabeth Bor

Maralinga by Christobel Mattingley

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Allen and Unwin, 2012
(Ages 10 to adult) When the British planned and executed a series of bomb tests in South Australia in the 1950's, both the Australian and British governments had little time for the people who occupied that land, the Anangu. With this book, both the Anangu people and Christobel Mattingley, South Australia's award winning author, tell the story of the Anangu, from their relationship with the land, their stories and customs, the taking of their lands for the bomb tests, to its being handed back, and onto their lives today. It is a riveting story, one which evokes sympathy for a group of people alienated form their land and so their stories and history.
Maralinga is full of unexpected pieces of information. Maralinga, which means loud and thunderous, is not even an Anangu word, but one used from the languages of the people near Darwin, to describe the land in western South Australia. That fact alone tells volumes about how the bureaucrats saw the people who lived there.
The book, written by the Anangu people, relates the history of European explorers traversing their land, the coming of the missionaries, who derided and undermined their culture, imposing a white god, to the rations and handouts, making these people dependent upon a government organisation, all resulting in their alienation and dispossession. The final straw, the bomb tests, tore the land from their grasp, making it uninhabitable.
This beautifully illustrated book will be well used in classes where indigenous stories are told, where the issues of land rights are discussed and the alienation of a minority group of people by a government organisation is looked at in detail. Teacher notes are available on Allen and Unwin website.
Fran Knight

The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow by A. J. McKinnon

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(Ages 12+ to adult) Warmly recommended.Your cheeks will ache, because of the wide, companionable smile that stays on your face while reading of the singular adventures of A J McKinnon, on a Mirror dinghy, as he sails from his erstwhile school in North Wales, to the Black Sea. Armed with a pith helmet and the most unsquashable and determined optimism, McKinnon writes this very funny tale of his sailing adventure.
McKinnon's curiosity, his innocence, his unstinting belief in himself and the humour with which he tells his story makes any listener a willing accomplice in the journey he embarks upon. He meets all sorts of people, and as he often says, his meetings are full of support, food and generosity. People willingly help him, whether it be by towing him along a stretch of water, or giving him a meal and warm bath or offering him a bed for the night, people are gracious in their hospitality to this rather odd man in his red sailed boat. At first he set out to sail from his old school at Ellesmere to the Severn River, a parting gesture to his six years at Ellesmere School, but he became so entranced with the journey he went on to Bristol. The lure of the voyage along the Bristol Channel proved too much and so on he went, sailing the Thames to London, then across the English Channel, and across Europe to the Black Sea.
Within the story are numerous nods to poets and writers who have written of anything to do with the sea and sailing, boats and adventures, rivers and canals, as quote after quote is used to augment McKinnon's tale. Each chapter begins with a quote that sent me scurrying to my poetry books, often a quote or nod to Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Graham or Lewis Carol, brought back memories of other books and readings, and all of this added an extra depth to an already engrossing read. McKinnon's story has just the right amount of whimsy to make the listener laugh out loud at his antics and daring.
Fran Knight

Ape by Martin Jenkins and Vicky White

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Walker Books, 2009.
(Ages : Lower Primary) Recommended. A beautifully illustrated and informative picture book for younger readers, Ape will enthrall, delight and inform those who open its pages. The opening lines draw the reader into reading further to find out about the four rare apes around the world. Each; Orag-utan, Chimp, Bonobo and Gorilla is given between 6 and 8 pages in which basic details are given about their lives. The reader learns bout their habitat, eating habits, family groups and where they sleep. All is told in spare sentences, in large print, with no unnecessary words or embellishment.
The black and white illustrations reflect the words on each page, so that younger readers can see for themselves just how closely these four apes resemble the fifth ape, humans. The faces, postures, gestures and expressions are all familiar to us all, as we see them everyday reflected in our friends and families. In the last four pages, this is reiterated, and the similarities between each of the five apes are underlined. The last page gives information along with a map, about the endangered nature of four of the ape families, contrasting their declining populations with our burgeoning numbers. The whole is a wonderful picture book introduction to younger readers about the ape family, as well as the twin issues of conservation and overpopulation. A small index and web addresses for further research finish the book.
Fran Knight