Scholastic, 2009. ISBN
9781741692174
(Ages 10+) Another in the series, My Australian Story, Atomic
Testing
tells the story of the tests at Woomera and Emu in the 1950's. Anthony
and his mother have only just arrived at this dusty outpost in the
desert of South Australia, following their husband and father from
Townsville where they used to live. Anthony's mother stayed behind with
her son, nursing him through polio, a disease caught about twelve
months before. After some months in hospital, Anthony's mother, a
former nurse, took charge of his rehabilitation, making sure he
received the exercises needed to strengthen his withered legs.
In Woomera, his diary reveals his mother's disillusionment with the
small town along with her growing mistrust of the building of atomic
weapons, Anthony's budding friendship with two boys at school, his
father's work, when suddenly, Anthony and his family are under
suspicion from the Commonwealth Police. One of his friends has brought
photos of the rockets for Anthony to copy. His copies are so good,
others in the class want one, and so he has a small business, copying
and selling pictures of the rockets.
In diary form, this story recreates the suspicion and mistrust that
surrounded the people who lived in Woomera during the scary years of
the Cold War. Tucker recreates the misgivings of the mother very well,
adding to the burden of her family as it tries to cope with the
suspicion heaped upon it. It is a most engrossing read, and will
intrigue and engage students who love reading of times past.
Fran Knight
Salt by Maurice Gee
Text Publishing, 2009 (2007) ISBN 1921520082.
(Age 12+) Winner of the NZ Post Book Award for Young Adult Fiction,
Salt is a thought provoking dystopian novel that combines
hauntingly
familiar issues of big company tyranny, racism and slavery with a
futuristic twist. In the ruins of a city called Belong, starving men
are herded together by guards with whips and sent off to Salt as forced
labour. Hari is devastated when he realises that his father, Tarl, is
one of the captured men. Because of his defiance, he is sent to Deep
Salt a horrifying mine from which no one emerges. Hari, who has the
power to speak to and control animals, is determined to rescue him. On
his journey to Deep Salt he meets a young girl Pearl and her companion
Tealeaf, who are evading the Company and also can speak with their
minds. Together Hari and Pearl discover the hideous secret of what is
mined in Deep Salt and do their best to improve things for Belong.
Describing the bare bones of the narrative doesn't do justice to the
richness and complexity of this book or to the issues that linger in
the reader's mind. Gee masterfully describes his two young
protagonists. Hari is from the Burrows and starts out on his dangerous
journey with only one aim in mind - to rescue his father and kill his
capturers. Pearl has been the pampered daughter of a Company family,
and seeks to evade a marriage of slavery to Ottmar, a grasping older
man. However, issues bigger than revenge and escape overtake the pair
and they are faced with taking huge risks to ensure that the secret of
Deep Salt does not destroy the earth.
This is an adventure story that tackles big issues in a very readable
way. The reader is left to ponder the nature of big business, greed,
war and corruption and the voices in peoples' heads that allow them to
act in certain ways.
There is a tantalising peep at Gool, the next book in the
series, in a
short extract at the end of the book. Salt would appeal to
readers who
enjoy books like The knife of never letting go by Patrick Ness.
Pat Pledger
Waterslain angels by Kevin Crossley-Holland
Orion Children's Books,
2008. ISBN 9781842556917
(Age 9-14) Recommended. An intriguing mix of mystery, adventure and
history, Waterslain Angels is a compelling story. Ten year old
Annie,
an independent and risk taking young girl, joins up with Sandy, an
eleven year old asthmatic geek, on a summer quest to find the missing
carvings of angels that once adorned their Norfolk church and which
haven't been seen since Cromwell's time.
Set in the 1950's, in the salt marshes of north Norfolk, this
atmospheric story gripped my attention right from the start. One of the
beautiful wings of an angel was found in the attic of the rectory and
once Annie has seen it, she is determined to find out what happened to
the rest of the angels. She and Sandy have a series of dangerous
adventures following clues that involve learning about the history of
the Reformation and the Norfolk area. They climb up rickety stairs to
the church bell tower where they are attacked by bees, and almost drown
in an underground tunnel. They also know that someone else is on the
trail of the angels.
Crossley-Holland combines his descriptions of the children's
hair-raising adventures with fantasy-like but frightening descriptions
of the dreams that Annie has, featuring one of the angels whom calms
her fears of being pursued and tells her that the angels are waiting
for her.
Poetry and beautifully written portrayals of the landscape, as well as
the details of family life, add to the richness of the prose. This book
is a keeper.
Pat Pledger
Jackdaw Summer by David Almond
Hodder, 2008.
(Ages 13+) Recommended. A thought provoking novel which
successfully depicts the no man's land between childhood and adult
life. Liam is around fourteen, enjoying a summer of freedom camping out
and running wild in the rugged Northumberland countryside. His long
standing friendship with Max is increasingly strained as Max begins to
enjoy the company of girls and to think seriously about his future.
Liam prefers to hunt for snakes and play violent war-games with the
other local lads.
During one of these endless days of summer Liam discovers an abandoned
baby in the grounds of deserted Rook Hall. His life is about to change
forever as, thanks to baby Alison, he meets members of her new foster
family.
Crystal and Oliver are damaged teenagers living in foster care.
Crystal's entire family were killed in a house fire, while Oliver, a
refugee from Liberia, witnessed unspeakable horrors when forced to work
as a child soldier. Liam is drawn into their tragic stories and so
begins a series of events that will make this an unforgettable summer. Jackdaw Summer explores the nature of human behaviour and the
impetus
that can drive anyone to commit acts of horrendous evil or immense
kindness. Almond never wastes a word and can drive the plot forward
with the simplest of sentences. During this hot dry summer you can
almost feel the parched earth sprinkling through your fingers as Almond
spins his web of magic.
This is a novel to savour with a firm sense of place, an unusual plot,
interesting characters and thoughtful answers to some very difficult
questions.
Claire Larson
The Spell of Rosette by Kim Falconer
HarperVoyager, 2009. ISBN 9780732287719
(Age 15+) Forced to flee for her life after her family has been
murdered, Kalinda Rose takes on a new identity as Rosette and makes her
way to refuge with her aunt, where she learns magic and witchcraft.
However she is unaware that she carries a secret DNA encoded in her
blood, which is the only hope for Earth, reduced to near ruins by
climate change and pollution.
A clever mixture of fantasy and science fiction, The spell of
Rosette
is set in two worlds. Rosette, a heroine who has magic powers and can
talk to her huge cat, Drayco, was born in pristine Gaela, but discovers
that there are portals into Earth, lying in a parallel dimension.
Falconer uses quantum physics and a super intelligent, human like
machine, Jarrod, along side a traditional fantasy scenario, of good
versus evil, sword fighting, shape shifting and sorcery.
This is an engrossing story, with romance, an enigmatic queen of the
underworld and many engaging secondary characters. It is likely to be
enjoyed by people who read the works of Trudi Canavan and Sara Douglas.
Pat Pledger
The rugmaker of Mazar-E-Sharif by Najaf Mazari and Robert Hillman
(Age 13+) Recommended. A heart rending story of Afghani Najaf Mazari, a young man who flees across the border to Pakistan, leaving behind his wife and young child, when the Taliban threaten persecution and death. It describes his early life in rural Afghanistan as a shepherd and his life in Mazar-E-Sharif living with a large and extended family and the perils of living under a violent political regime in his country. The dangers of his journey to Australia on a leaky boat, the trauma of facing suspicious officials and being sent to Woomera Detention Centre are all graphically portrayed as well as his final establishment as a legitimate refugee. Robert Hillman has used the absorbing details of one refugee's life to make a coherent and well-written narrative that Humphrey Bower has brought to life in his reading. His rich and steady tone vividly portrays the voice of Mazari, and emphasises his courage, humility and warmth. The listener is taken into the world of the detention centre as well as the world of Afghanistan and gains an insight into both worlds. This is a book that would be very valuable addition for a library. It would be an excellent source of information when studying a unit on refugees and how they were treated in detention centres as well as providing material to raise awareness about life in Afghanistan. Pat Pledger
Sky village by Monk and Nigel Ashland
Kamira Book 1. Candlewick Press, 2008. ISBN 9780763635244 hbk
(Ages 10+) In China, 12 year old Mei Long's mother has been kidnapped
by meks, strange intelligent machines. In desperation her father has
sent her to live in the Sky Village, a wonderful linked group of hot
air balloons, while he tries to track his wife. Meanwhile in the ruins
of Las Vegas, Rom struggles to find his sister who has been taken by
beast meks. The pair discovers that they share the Tree book, which
allows them to reach out to each other and tells them that they carry
the Kaimira gene, a mixture of beast, mek and human DNA.
This is an innovative first book in the Kaimira series where people,
animals and intelligent machines are at war. Mei Long and Rom are both
appealing characters and the reader will identify with Mei Long's
curiosity and sense of adventure and empathesize with the difficult
decisions that Rom has to make about his family.
The themes of genetic engineering and nature vs technology also are
absorbing and carry the plot along as the two young people have to take
on responsibility and discover how to use their amazing powers to
rescue their family members. Teacher's
notes are available and a website
has been devoted to the series.
Indian Summer by Patrima Mitchell
Walker Books, 2009 ISBN 9781406308174
(Ages 13+) Sarla's mother is about to head off on an assignment where
she cannot take her daughter, so Sarla decides she will spend the
school holiday with her grandparents in India. Here she meets a totally
different world, one she is related to but has not lived. It is an eye
opening experience.
In her grandparents' house lives Bina, a mysterious young woman, bent
on becoming a doctor, spending all her waking hours studying for exams.
Sarla is derisive of this young woman, judging her by the mores of her
school friends in London, but as she gets to know the girl, it becomes
apparent that there is a secret. Not only does the girl hold secrets
close to her chest, there is an air of secrecy in the house and the
driver too appears not to be what he makes out.
A fascinating inside look at the various cultures and social levels
which make up India, Indian Summer is a page turner, although
the story
takes a while to start. The need to know Bina's background, the
relationship between Bina and Sarla, and the enigmatic Sidhartha, all
beckon the reader on. But it takes some fortitude to get to that point.
The first half of the book is slow; the author making sure the reader
has a good understanding of the background of the novel and the main
characters, which may deter some readers. During the course of the
novel, however, Mitchell reveals information about the caste system,
the British Raj as well as the fight for independence. All most
illuminating wrapped up in an interesting story set in an exotic
location. Fran Knight
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Allen and Unwin, 2009.
(Age 13+) Highly recommended. Who is Jenna Fox? Is she the miracle that
her parents call her? Why is
she hidden away? When Jenna wakes up after 18 months in a coma, she
can't remember the devastating accident that she was in, and what she
can recall about the person she was from before her accident doesn't
add up. Mary E. Pearson has written an engrossing story about medical
ethics and what it means to be human. Set in the not too distant
future, the book paints an enthralling picture of just where medical
science could take society.
Teenagers will identify with Jenna's angst. Not only is she uncertain
of who she is and how she got there, but she has parents who adore her,
but who totally control her and seem to be keeping dark secrets from
her. As Jenna gradually learns to do things and pieces of her memory
come back, she is faced with the dilemma of working out how much of a
person is needed to be human, and what makes a human. She begins to
make conscious choices about what she does and who she wants to be, and
it is this that reveals her humanity.
This is a gripping read and raises many interesting questions that
could engender lively discussion about the limits of medicine in a
world of scarce resources and where science should go. Toss this theme
in with free will and parents' right to choose to keep their child
alive, a fascinating heroine, some love interest and family tension,
and you have a rivetting read.
Pat Pledger
The thing about Georgie by Lisa Graff
HarperTrophy, 2008.
ISBN 9780060875916
(Age: 9-12 yrs.) A school story about fitting in when you
have a disability.
The cover of this book has two feet encased in sneakers dangling in
space. As both laces are completely undone it suggests something weird
or sinister is afoot. A strange choice for a feel good book about
what it is like to be a child dwarf. The reader is invited to
perform simple tasks, e.g. touching your left ear with your right arm,
at
random places in the book and then is reminded that Georgie can't do
these things.
Georgie is a normal child with loving, musician parents and is in the
American equivalent of upper primary school. He has a good friend but
his world is shattered when firstly he learns he will no longer be an
only child and secondly he falls out with his friend. Life becomes even
more unbearable when Jeanie the Meanie is forced to be his partner for
the class projects on American presidents.
Written in a very easy to read, fluent and nicely paced style, this
book would be enjoyed by any middle to upper primary student. It
is
very American in its 'message' ending and some terminology, e.g.
barfing for vomiting. It's pleasing to see, however, such words
are not
changed for the Australian audience as they would be in a vice versa
situation.
The characters in this book behave like real children and many children
will identify with the feelings that Georgie has. He has to deal with
abuse in the same way as many 'different' children do. The
adults are
caring without being patronizing and the themes of being accepted for
who you are and that everyone has hidden strengths, are, of
course,
relevant to all. Recommended for any primary school library.
Kevyna Gardner
The incredibly boring monotonous family by Phillip Barry
Pan Macmillan, Sydney. 2008
ISBN 9780330424127
(Age: 8 to 11) An entertaining comedy.
Despite the off putting title of this book it is a fun read. The cover
and interior have Quentin Blake type illustrations by Charlotte Lance,
and the book had a Roald Dahl-esque humour, with unattractive
characters made entertaining by the lively writing. The Monotonous
family has the most boring life one could imagine, even down to eating
choko sandwiches and vinegary porridge every day and listening to
tapes of Pi to the nth degree on the way to school! It is all in
the realm of fantasy (except Good Weekend magazine recently
featured a family who lived on only raw meat, raw milk and raw cheese!)
One day a gold key mysteriously comes their way and it opens the door
to a life of fun for the two children, Stan and Ann. Suddenly they
experience food (mountains of glorious food) colour, toys and modern
clothes .
However, only Ann can handle it, and she learns how to have fun at home
and school, making friends for the first time in the process. Stan
gorges on the food, Mr. Monotonous is threatened by it all and cowers
in his room and Mrs. Monotonous becomes obsessed by how to become rich
by duplicating the gold key.
Ann has to sort her family out and much nonsensical hilarity and mayhem
ensues before all ends happily. How people react to change is a
theme entertainingly tackled here.
Scattered throughout the book are commonplace cliches, e.g. dead as a
doornail, which receive a humorous scrutiny as well as introducing
readers to them.
This would be a marvellous book to read aloud to middle primary
students, many of whom would be likely to borrow it for themselves
later and then be encouraged to go on to read Roald Dahl.
Kevyna Gardner
Miki Falls: Spring by Mark Crilley
HarperCollins. 2008.
(Age: 10-14) This graphic novel is a simplified version of the
Japanese Manga comic novels, adapted to Western tastes.
Miki is a young Japanese student beginning her senior year at High
School and is much like her counterparts here. She is attracted to, and
mystified by, a new male senior student who refuses all contact with
other students. Showing much determination and courage, Miki manages to
befriend him and finally learns his secret. It is a page turner but the
plot is based on the weird premise that there is only a finite amount
of love to go around!
This graphic novel would suit upper primary and reluctant or poor
secondary student readers.
It is in grey and white but the pictures are large and the print easy
to read. There is a lot of variety in each page without it having a too
busy feel. The language is minimal whilst introducing students to a
sprinkling of reasonably sophisticated words. The artwork seems
competent to me, with much emphasis on eyes and hair in faces and
minimal treatment of mouths and noses. There are a few Japanese temples
in the backgrounds but otherwise the setting and culture could be any
western city.
Kevyna Gardner
Off to war: Soldiers' children speak by Deborah Ellis
Allen and Unwin,
2009. ISBN978 1741756791
(Ages 11+) I reviewed this book for Magpies in a manuscript version, so
it's great to see it in its final version, with its cover cleverly
focusing on a child seeing his battle clad father off to war. What
better cover to have on a book in which Deborah Ellis has interviewed a
range of children about their fears and hopes for their families when
one or both parents are in Iraq or Afghanistan.
It is scary reading. Many of the children report that their parents
have become more aggressive since returning, and my heart went out to
the child who reported her father had not spoken to her since coming
home. War and its effects are well documented for soldiers, but this
must be a first, interviewing the kids and how they feel. One child has
her pillow sprayed with her father's aftershave so she can sleep, and
many children reported not telling their own fears to their parents,
because they did not want them to be worried. A large number knew
little about the places their parents were or what they did, but many
reported enjoying the camps and excursions organized for kids of
overseas parents.
The children interviewed ranged in age between 5 and 17, with many
being about 12. It is salutary reading, how the lives of these children
have been changed because of their parents' decisions. Most did not
want to join the army when they grew up. Using this in a class where
books are being read of children at war, would be a fitting addition to
your class' knowledge and understanding.
Fran Knight
A small free kiss in the dark by Glenda Millard
Allen and Unwin, 2009.
(Ages: 10 to 14) Glenda Millard has managed to capture the reader and
take them on a journey of discovery in a story filled with strong
characters and unexpected events.
Skip has a talent for drawing and a desire to explore the world around
him. Tired of the restraints of school life he decides to take off and
try his luck. He befriends Bill, a street dweller and fellow artist.
Sharing a passion for art, they begin to visit the State Library,
exploring the treasures held within. One morning unexpectedly Skip
wakes up to find the world as he knew it has changed and so must he to
stay alive. As Bill and Skip begin their pursuit for safety they meet
Max, Tia and her baby Sixpence. Together they seek to survive in a
environment that is ever changing.
This is a thought provoking story about friendship, adversity,
resilience and the power of determination.
Tracy Glover
Kaspar, prince of cats by Michael Morpurgo
HarperCollins, 2008.
(Ages : 8+) The bell boy at the Savoy Hotel in London, Johnny Trott
finds himself
in an exalted position when the Countess Kandinsky becomes friendly
with him because he spends time with her cat, Kaspar. At first the cat
is aloof, but over time, they get to know each other, and so when the
Countess dies, Johnny Trott is the obvious choice of a carer. But he
must hide the cat, as he is not allowed to have a pet, and some of the
other staff help him. Johnny Trott has not had a easy life, and is
lucky to have a job in Edwardian London. He becomes friendly with a
young girl whose family resides in the Savoy, and together they spend
time with the cat.
Johnny saves the life of the young girl, and as a reward, her wealthy
American parents stop his sacking from the hotel and take the cat as
their own. He is allowed to come and see them off on their trip back to
America on the Titanic, and at the last minute, becomes a stowaway.
The night the ship strikes an iceberg is told in detail, with striking
illustrations from the pen of renowned Michael Foreman, making the
sinking of the ship far more real to the child reader. With the family,
orphan Johnny as well as the cat to think about, no reader can be
unaffected by the description of the sinking of this ship.
A riveting read, bound in an attractive but oddly sized paperback,
brimming with illustrations, this story will hold the interest of
middle primary readers, eager to learn about the Titanic, but also
wanting a good read.
Fran Knight
