Reviews

The golden scarab by Ian Trevaskis

Hopscotch. Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 9781921529252.
(Age 9-14) Hannah and Jake are not content to stay quietly in Pelican Bay after their exciting adventures in Ancient Greece, in the first book in the Hopscotch series, Medusa Stone. Instead they play the hopscotch game again and find themselves in ancient Egypt, on a quest to replace a shabti in the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose the Third, and collect the sorcerer's sceptre and the Pharaoh's flail to give to the evil Kostas. They have numerous adventures, meeting local rulers and fighting off foes.
Right from the first sentence, the reader is plunged into non-stop action, as Hannah and Jake show their warrior prowess and sword skills, fighting off tomb raiders and impressing the local dignitaries. Trevaskis keeps up the tension with quite a few scary moments when it is uncertain whether the pair can survive all the trials and tribulations, including the loss of the golden scarab, their only means home.
Information about the ancient civilisation, its burial rituals and life is faithfully rendered, giving the reader an opportunity to learn while being engrossed in the action. Further information and a glossary also provide an opportunity for the reader to learn more about Egypt.
It would be an advantage to read the first in the series, Medusa Stone, before tackling this book, as the hopscotch game and the Playground of the Gods is fully explained there.
This book will appeal to both boys and girls with its action driven plot, adventure and information about ancient Egypt.
Pat Pledger

The boy/friend by R. M. Corbet

Girlfriend fiction. Allen and Unwin, 2010. ISBN 9781742372860.
(Age 13+) Recommended for a lighthearted read. Lou (short for Louis, after Louis Armstrong) and Maude, have lived on the same street forever, and have been best friends forever. But things are being to change. Maude is transferring on a scholarship to an all-girls school and Lou is busy setting up new punk-rock band. When Lou asks Maude to go to the movies, their friendship starts to unravel as Maude inadvertently hurts his feelings. Then Maude has to contend with two new gorgeous girl members of the band and suddenly she is viewing Lou in a different light.
This is an extremely entertaining read, which I read in one sitting. I laughed along at the predicaments that Maude found herself in and sympathised with her as she sorted out what she was looking for in a boy and discovered just how much she missed the friendship that had sustained her for so long. Many girls will identify with the best friend, boy friend scenario and will enjoy the journey that R.M. Corbett takes them on. Best of all, is the snappy dialogue and humour. I loved the introduction of the hairy bikies and the band scenario was hilarious.
It's great to read a book that is funny, well written and happy.
Pat Pledger

Burke and Wills: Expedition off the map by Karen Tayleur

Our Stories series. Black dog books, 2010. ISBN 9781742031392.
(Ages 7+) Recommended. Non fiction. The 150th anniversary of one of the most celebrated failures in Australian history is sure to spawn a collection of books and articles, reprising the expedition and its consequences. How apt then that the highly skilled and awarded specialists of non fiction books for primary students should produce a book in time for the celebrations.
Presented in black dog book's impressive Our Stories series, this book will rarely be seen in the library once students and staff become aware of it.
Each double page spread expounds a different aspect of the expedition: Ships of the Desert, Heading to Cooper's Creek, Dig and What went Wrong, and all presented chronologically with a timeline across the bottom of each page with the camels rather significantly looking back.
One of these spreads which thrilled me was that entitled, Dig, and told the story of that icon of the Australian bush, the dig tree. On this spread is 5-6 paragraphs of information, supplemented with a photo of the tree, a small map to show where it is, a painting of the area around the dig tree, some information about the local Aboriginal people and the time line on the bottom of the page which follows through the whole book, giving the dates for the events surrounding the tree. The double page is enlightening, inviting and easy to access, interesting and colourful to look at, and redolent of the isolation of this expedition.
Some of the explorers who accompanied Burke and Wills take up one double page spread at the start of the book, and at the end is a list of all the expeditioners with a small amount of information about each. The book is rounded off with a list of books and websites which could be used to gain further information. An explicit contents page will make it easy for younger researchers to find what they are looking for, and this is supported with an excellent index and glossary. The overall map of the expedition at the start of the book is supported by smaller maps throughout the text highlighting just where the group had got to. The use of colour adds to the appeal, as does the relevant pictures and newspaper articles used to augment the text.
I listened to the Louis Braille audio version of Sarah Murgatroyd's The Dig Tree several years ago, and was astonished and delighted over again reading this book for younger readers. It is a must for every school library.
Fran Knight

Gorilla by Anthony Browne

Instructions by Neil Gaiman

Ill. by Charles Vess. Bloomsbury, 2010. ISBN 9781408808641.
(All ages) Recommended.
'Touch the wooden gate in the wall you never saw before,
Say 'please' before you open the latch, go through,
walk down the path.'
With these words, the reader is transported into a magical world of strange beings and faintly familiar surroundings. A wonderful Puss-in-Boots, accompanied by a cat friend, make an adventurous journey through a wondrous land. Following the advice for travelling, which includes taking nothing, eating nothing, minding their manners and helping any creature that they can, the pair go past Winter's realm, through the wild wood and up to a castle. They pass princesses in a tower, the twelve months and wild wolves. Finally after advice to 'trust your heart and trust your story' the pair return to the little house that now seems much smaller than they remember.
This is a charming story that resonates with the reader. Gaiman gently encourages the reader to be brave and to take risks, but not to offend others while doing so. I loved the advice that the travellers were given, and consider that Gaiman's hints about good manners, helping those in need and not always trusting what you are told are useful ones for everyday living. Gaiman has a distinctive voice and this book would be superb to read out loud.
Charles Vess has illustrated the journey in dreamy watercolours. I found myself thinking of the Puss-in-Boots type character long after I finished the book, imagining the journey and seeing the inquiring look on its face. I particularly loved the little pictures of the cat companion and while the frightening forest scenes gave me a little shiver, they weren't too scary for the younger reader. The journey home was illustrated with exuberance: the ride on the wise eagle and the silver fish were dramatic and beautiful.
Instructions is a keeper.
Pat Pledger

Batman - The puppet master's revenge by Donald Lemke

Raintree Publishers, 2010. ISBN 978 14065215663. Series: Super DC Heroes.
(Ages 8+) When a group of men descend from a small cargo plane at Gotham International Airport, with one of the men wearing a balaklava, then readers know that things must be awry. They are about to pull off the biggest theft in Gotham City's history and when the paintings have been stolen, Batman is called for. The evil puppet Scarface is behind the theft, and he and Batman are old foes. With Batman on his trail, things will be difficult for Scarface to survive, this time.
In a series of small, easily held, hard covered paperbacks novels, the Batman comics rise again in prose form. Well spaced with an easily read font, the print is easy to access by all readers, particularly those for whom print holds some difficulties. With colourful illustrations, an index, clear chapter headings, information at the end about the characters, biographies about the writers and illustrators, a glossary and then discussion questions and writing points, these little books will fill a void for the younger readers, particularly those who have just begun reading chapter books. But the format and content will have wider appeal, filling a niche for older boys who are disinclined to read.
Included in the group I have for review, are the title: Five riddles for Robin, Harley Quinn's shocking surprise, Arctic attack, Emperor of the airwaves, My frozen Valentine, The revenge of Scarface, Catwoman's classroom claws, The man behind the mask, Fun house of evil, Poison Ivy's deadly garden and The fog of fear. Apart from finding a place on a library display spinner or shelf, these would be great in a box in the classroom for students to pick up and read or the teacher to create a unit of work around them.
Fran Knight

Finding Sheeko by Marion Wall

Wombat Books, 2010. ISBN 9781921633133
Although written like fiction, this book is based on fact. It is the story of what happens when a young orangutan becomes an orphan and has to survive in the wild. It relates how scary life can be for any creature with no mother to provide and look after it. There is the need to eat and drink and the need for protection, as well as the threat to habitat by development. Written by a volunteer from Australian Orangutan Project, proceeds from sales will support orangutan conservation. Despite being a worthwhile story to tell I found the format of a small book with soft cover a little annoying and perhaps best suited to being a classroom reader.
Vicki Nunn

Rockin', rollin', hair and hippies by Jackie French

Scholastic, 2010. ISBN 9781741695441.
Non Fiction. Recommended. In her infectious style of writing, Jackie French sets her eye on post World War 2 Australia, a time of momentous change, particularly for young adults, Aboriginal people and women. All three groups cried out for recognition, and finally hard fought rights were given, so that by the 1970's Aboriginal people had won their right to be counted in the census, the ability to vote and equality before the law, as had women, while young adults were a voice that no government could now ignore, with the Vietnam moratoriums ringing in their ears.
How these rights were won is the underlying story in this fascinating book, as French tells us about the Cold War, the advent of television, the Vietnam War, the various prime ministers who held sway after Menzies and the Green Bans. Behind each of these chapters, is the rise of the voice of those groups within our society which were traditionally acquiescent or kept so by custom. It is an amazing story told with economy and interest by the author of the series of books, Fair Dinkum Histories, bringing a love of history to a new generation through humour and panache. Supported by the illustrations of Peter Sheehan, the whole is finished with a concise contents page, recommended reading list, a sound index and a page referencing the other books in this admirable series.
Fran Knight

Eighth grade bites by Heather Brewer

Penguin, 2010. ISBN : 978 0 143 20514 2
Suggested reading age 13-16. There is nothing special or imaginative in this story which is first of five in The chronicles of Vladimir Tod series. Heather Brewer has assembled all the usual elements of vampire novels in the standard template applied by other authors of this genre. Accordingly, it will be a roaring success with readers currently devoted to the Twilight series and I'm sure they will clamour for the next instalments. Vladimir is a teenaged orphan vampire living with his 'Aunt' Nelly who is an old friend of his mysteriously deceased parents but not related. Nelly is completely comfortable with Vladimir being half vampire, half human and preposterously tells him he is normal and not weird or bizarre, despite the fact that she must steal enormous quantities of blood from the hospital for him to drink. The only other person knowing his secret is Henry, a lifelong friend who similarly has no problems with the fact that Vlad occasionally lusts after human blood. Within the supernatural context, Brewer casts her characters with normal adolescent characteristics and behaviours. One can identify readily with the schoolyard taunts and bullying directed at Vlad on the grounds of his 'Goth' appearance and the reader understands his awkward heart sick love for fellow student Meredith. The author struggled terribly recounting Vlad's yearning to understand his vampire father Tomas' past as he discovers documents and articles with hidden significance. Written communications left by Tomas are clumsy, contrived and completely unrealistic, as is the plot development involving powerful forces responsible for his parents' death threatening Vlad.
Descriptions of frozen blood snacks and blood infused lunches provided by Aunty Nelly are stomach turning, occurring more frequently than expected, even in such a story. Descriptions of death by blood sucking vampires do of course occur, and whilst one hesitates to describe them as tasteful, they are not unnecessarily graphic. Whilst my instinct is to dismiss this novel as inane rubbish, clearly it will appeal to many adolescent readers and will be valuable for engaging disinterested students, especially since the language and themes are not difficult to understand. Pleasingly the author dealt with a theme which is inherently evil and dark whilst allowing goodness and human values to be maintained in normal daily life and when faced by terror.
Rob Welsh

The red pyramid by Rick Riordan

Penguin, 2010. ISBN 978-0141384955.
(Age 10+) The Red Pyramid is action filled, morish and addictive.
The Kane siblings have recorded a series of initially puzzling events that forced them to face problems together. The book is the transcript of the recordings.
The Red Pyramid can feel sinister at times. What has happened to their father? Is he really dead? Who is the man in the coat who seems to be watching them? Is their Uncle a friend or foe? The edginess of the events is balanced by the engaging, totally believable characters of rebellious Sadie Kane, and seemingly goodie-goodie Carter Kane (named after the Egyptian archaeologist.)
Sadie, raised by her maternal grandparents in a London suburb, has had normal school experiences, friends and predictable, maybe boring stability. Carter has spent his life accompanying his world-hopping father on his various archaeological exploits. No School. No friends. No stability. The Kanes are poles apart in likes and sense of purpose not only because they were raised apart, or because of the differing experiences they face. The reader only discovers the reasons for this as their journey deepens.
Encountering numerous obstacles, and strange characters, they gradually begin to understand the complex nature of life entwined with a magical ancient past that has a life of its own, threatening the modern world. Maybe even the universe if left unchecked. A scary plausible alternative life force seems to be at work in our world and it doesn't seem to have good intentions. Is there more to life than just what we seem to deal with day by day? Is there something stronger shaping events? Could the ancient Egyptian gods still be among us? Why can't the average person in the street see it happening around them?
As a reader, I haven't enjoyed a tale of this ilk since I read the first Harry Potter. The Red Pyramid might turn out to be as complex as J.K. Rowling's series, but probably appeals to an older readership. I am waiting in great anticipation for subsequent episodes of Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles.
Many middle and upper school readers would enjoy this riveting tale even if they haven't an inclination for things Egyptian.
S. Whittaker

The adventures of Hercules retold by Martin Powell

Raintree Publications, 2009. ISBN 9781406214277. Series: Graphic Myths
(Age 11+) Hercules, the strong man of mythic times deals with a range of animals and monsters as he deals with the twelve incredible tasks given to him by the goddess Hera as punishment for a misdeed in his past. Each of the tasks is frightening in its colour and detail, but Hercules deals with them all in true heroic fashion. Readers will learn of the tale behind the name often heard in relation to strength and doing a group of tasks. This graphic novel presents the story with style and interest.
Part of a series called, Graphic Myths, the group includes Jason and the golden fleece, Theseus and the minotaur, Perseus and Medusa, amongst others. Each is an abbreviated story of the original myth, full coloured with bright attractive covers, a nice size to hold and read, with information about the myth and the characters at the end of the book, along with a glossary, pronunciation guide, discussion points and hints for further reading. All in all a neat, attractive introduction to the myths of Ancient Greece.
Fran Knight

The Emerald Casket by Richard Newsome

Text, 2010. ISBN 9781921656453.
Expect a giggle in the opening pages as the author's use of description makes scenes come to life as we meet the bumbling constable from The Billionaire Trilogy. Of course, I knew I would enjoy the book when my 13 year old son was competing with me to read it. It might be aimed at teens but adults who enjoy a mystery will love it too.
The Emerald Casket is Book 2 in The Billionaire Trilogy and you don't need to have read Book 1, The Billionaire's Curse, to get involved or understand this exciting quest with 13 year old billionaire Gerald and his friends, twin siblings, Ruby and Sam. Of course, reading this one will make you want to go out and read it.
The Emerald Casket starts a few weeks after their last adventure in Book 1 and the three friends are off to India for a well earned break. The holiday soon turns into a race to discover the whereabouts of the emerald casket before their arch nemesis, Sir Mason Green, gets there. They encounter a deadly cult, discover Gerald's family tree goes back thousands of years, see the wonderful sites of India, and make new friends along the way.
From the streets of England to the bustling cities of India, the three friends discover the meaning of true friendship and teamwork as they try to stop Sir Mason Green's attempts to uncover an amazing treasure with an unknown power and with a billion dollar fortune at their disposal, anything is possible.
Kylie Kempster

Ransom by David Malouf

Vision Australia, 2009. Audio book. Read by Ron Haddrick. ISBN 978186484826142. Random House, 2009.
David Malouf's novel, Ransom retells part of Homer's Iliad, the epic poem which recounts the story of the Greek hero Achilles and the siege of Troy. Far from simply retelling this classic story, Malouf focuses on one small part, at the end, where Priam, the elderly King of Troy goes to Achilles to try and ransom the body of his son Hector. Malouf elaborates in his own lyrical language, each detail and justification; Achilles sent mad by grief and guilt; Priam needing to take some action, rediscovering the part of him that is just a man and father. The focus is close and on those small interactions which bring a story to life, like the sharing of the daughter-in-law's pancakes and the touching relationship between the carter and his intelligent little mule. There is the feeling of a war that has gone on too long and of lives nearing their end. Nothing will be left but stories to be told and elaborated on, long after all are dead.
Malouf's interest in storytelling makes this audio book version an appropriate way to engage with the novel. Ron Haddrick's eloquent reading whisks us through the Iliad story and brings the wholly original character detail of Priam and Somax, the muleteer, vividly to life. At approximately 5 hours listening this Vision Australia audio book (presumably unabridged, not stated), is an accessible way to experience Malouf's writing and to become immersed in the story. My immediate response when finished was to put in the first CD to go back and pick up what I'd missed; a further reading of the prose would now reveal the structure and nuts and bolts that this remarkable writer has used to construct this modern classic.
Sue Speck

Sex and other stuff: The A-Z of everything you need to know by

Black dog books, 2010. ISBN 9781742031194
(Age 12+) Non fiction. Recommended. 200 pages packed with information about sex and stuff, presented in a dictionary format, will have huge appeal to the newly emergent teenager looking for knowledge, answers to questions and facts, facts, facts. This is an objective, factual and easy to read dictionary which will have broad appeal to all kids in secondary school, be they gay or straight, in a relationship of not, wanting to know the facts for r themselves so they have an opinion and information at their fingertips with which to refute some of the misinformation which abounds at that age.
Ranging from the expected inclusions such as STI's, AIDS, homosexuality, Contraception, Oral Sex, Anal Sex and so on, there are also things like, Infertility, Emergency Contraception, Consensual Sex and Pornography, as well as some I had heard of but didn't really know what they meant. I know now. Each of the amazing array of things covered is treated with a purposeful and reasonable approach, allowing the reader to take in the information without feeling that they have been preached at. Each of the facts given allows the reader to make up their own mind about the facts presented, and I am sure many recess and lunch times will be spent discussing the information made available in this book.
Annie Rose's background as a nurse who has worked in Family Planning and sex education in schools, gives her an insight into what kids need to know, and she has ably presented these facts in Sex and other stuff. The list of addresses and websites at the end of the book allow the reader to further explore the subject of the book, and find places where they can talk to someone who knows what to say and how to say it to an teenage audience.
Fran Knight

Vampires: The un-history of the undead by Tony Thompson

Black dog books, 2010. ISBN 9781742031316.
Non fiction. Recommended. Just when you thought the vampire euphoria was dying down, up pops this most readable account of the history of vampires and their place in myth, fiction, film and television. I wish this little gem was around when researching for an article penned for Magpies earlier this year, To Fang or not to fang, it would have been indispensible in giving me a readable overview of the background to the Twilight phenomenon that besieges us today.
Thompson begins with the story of the writing of Frankenstein and The Vampyre in 1819, when a party which included Shelley and Byron, staying at a villa in Italy, resolved to write a horror story. What Shelley and Byron wrote is unknown but out of that idea came Dr John Polidori's The Vampyre, along with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and these two novels set in train a genre of horror story still being read today. From there Thompson goes back in time to give the vampire myth an historical perspective, showing how villages were torn apart by the fear of vampires, graves opened and the most horrific things done to bodies in the belief that vampires stalked their towns. Several stories held sway, but it was not until 1897, that Bran Stoker's Dracula appeared and gave the model for those seen ever since.
An account of film and television appearance by this character follows, with a brief summary of each of the major influences, Bela Lugosi, Nosferatu, the Hammer films of the 1950's, Blade, Buffy and Twilight, amongst others.
An engaging read, which includes a sound index, informative contents page, and a great reference list allowing the avid reader to read further. A list of Required Viewing (film) Required Reading (novels) and Required Listening (music) adds to the fun of pursuing this theme. I enjoyed this book immensely; the content added to my knowledge and gave me leads to further explore the vampire genre, and with some of the films, books and music available on the internet, my spare hours will be filled. Middle school readers will lap it up (sorry!). Come and meet Edward's ancestors.
Fran Knight