Walker Books, 2008. ISBN
9781406313574
(All ages) Highly recommended. A reprint of the wonderful Willy the
dreamer is a treat for all. Willy the chimp dreams of being a film
star
or a singer, a sumo wrestler or a ballet dancer. Willy dreams.
Browne has produced a book that goes beyond the ordinary. He gives his
dreamer a beautiful background of surreal paintings by such famous
artists as Magritte, Van Gogh and Dali and a fabulous ape version of
Alice in Wonderland. At the same time he has hidden a banana in each
illustration and young readers will thoroughly enjoy going through the
book and finding just what Browne has done with the banana. The
illustrations are humourous and all of the characters have fabulous
expressions on their faces - from the poignant sad face of a beggar, to
the smug complacent expression of a king.
This is a picture book that can just be enjoyed for its lovely
illustrations and whimsical story. However it is also a book that calls
to be examined closely; for the reader to find out about the real art
that forms a background to the story and thus enjoy the humour even
more. Perhaps they could make up fantasies and dreams of their own.
Pat Pledger
Whale Pot Bay by Des Hunt
HarperCollins, 2009. ISBN 9781869507305
(Ages 8+) Des Hunter very cleverly tells a tale of mystery, adventure
and intrigue, interwoven within a story of a young boy who has to cope
with big adjustment in his family life.
Whale Pot Bay, the setting for this story, is described as a New
Zealand beach paradise, isolation and tranquillity its biggest selling
point.
Jake and his dad live in Whale Pot Bay contented with their quiet life
together. Jake's mum ran from the bay soon after Jake started school;
the isolation was too much for her. Life went on very nicely for Jake
and his Dad, they worked together at the service station, surfed and
fished when they liked, ate what they liked and worked till midnight if
they wished! A life they were both very happy to maintain forever or so
Jake thought.
Soon after Jake's thirteenth birthday, with the introduction of Vicky
and Stephanie, life as Jake knew it certainly did change. What was Jake
to do, would he survive, could he get things back the way they were,
was there a way out?
Milton Summer, international rock star, establishes his retreat in the
bay, living in splendour on top of the cliff. Stephanie is Milton's
biggest fan, Milton wants to surf, Jake can teach Milton. Their
separate lives come together as their mutual love and concern for the
whales needs to bring them into action, they would do anything to save
them. Sounds like a perfect match, what could go wrong?
Jake and Milton's quiet life quickly disappears as the mysteries of the
Paparazzi, Tsunami, and a madman unfold as Jake and his friends
are
challenged trying to save Pimi the whale and her yet to be born calf.
This is an easy to read story with adventure, mystery and intrigue on
every page. A great story for young boys and girls, although I think
the
cover may not be so appealing to them.
Margaret Unsworth
Angel Boy by Bernard Ashley
Francis Lincoln, 2008.
(Ages 9+) Bernard Ashley is such a giant of children's literature that
I had high expectations of Angel Boy, but I was in for a
disappointment. This is a short novel that may tick boxes regarding
certain criteria but fails in its bid to tackle serious issues for a
younger audience.
Leonard Boameh is Ghanaian. Bored during the school holidays he decides
to sneak out and go on a day trip to Elmina, a tourist destination
these days, but once the location of a fort where slaves were
imprisoned before being shipped to America. On his journey he meets
some English tourists and tags along when they visit the historic fort.
However, Leonard is snatched by a group of street children who imprison
him and force him to beg for them. Leonard is terrified and desperate
to escape.
The sights and sounds of Ghana do not burst into life and Ashley does
little to convey any sense of place. The plot regarding the historic
fort is clearly intended to educate children about the plight of the
slaves, but is too rushed and the description of the fort could have
come from a tourist brochure - I felt no connection with slaves torn
from their families and facing probable death on the slave ships.
I felt little empathy for Leonard's predicament either, although he is
eventually rescued by his father. Great. Bernard Ashley goes through
the motions, but I think children will struggle to connect with this
story set in a culture that will be completely new to most and which
needs a surer touch to make it come alive.
This is an 'issues' novel which is inappropriate for the intended age
group. A novel such as Elizabeth Laird's Garbage King tackles
the issue
of street children in far greater depth, offering a more rounded
picture of their situation - but of course it is aimed at older
readers. In Angel Boy the street children are just the bad guys
-
hardly fair. Ashley also hints at young girls falling victim to
predatory men - something which readers may pick up on. So you need to
be comfortable about fielding potentially awkward questions too!
Ashley does what he can, but in 100 pages it is not enough. Go back to
what you are best at Mr Ashley, writing gritty, fast moving novels -
for teenagers!
Claire Larson
Screw loose by Chris Wheat
(read by Kellie Jones) Louis Braille Audio, 2008. ISBN 978174212196. 7 and a half hours on 7 discs (Ages 12+)Highly recommended. Chris Wheat's funny and wry look at a group of students at Vistaview High School is brought laughingly to life with Kellie Jones' fast and furious reading. The pace of Kellie's voice suits the story well, as the students rush from one chaotic incident to another, from the classroom to the river, to Chelsea's house, back to the river, to Zee's house, where Angelo is hiding in the cupboard, to the principal's office where Chelsea is pitching the idea of a school rowing team, similar to the one at her private school, from which she has been expelled. It's a breathless and highly entertaining look at a disparate group of kids finding their way in life. The story opens with Angelo, recently made a Cockatoo, a member of the AFL young guns team, trying out for the real thing from their headquarters in Tasmania. He has fallen foul of the hierarchy and they are making demands that he ditch his strange girlfriend and take someone more normal, someone they will choose. His Turkish girlfriend cannot be seen with him, lest her parents find out and send her back to Turkey to live with her grandmother. Their friend Craig has a girlfriend, Matilda, recently brought back to civilization from the desert, where she was brought up by dingoes. She happily licks and sniffs people, and rolls over for her stomach to be scratched. This unlikely group of students will have you and your class laughing out loud as they try to set up a rowing team, evade Zee's parents, cope with their parents' separation and stage an event between the state school and two private schools in the area, aiming for communication between the 3 schools. And all brilliantly brought to life with this pacy and involving reading by Kellie Jones. Fran Knight
Snake and lizard by Joy Cowley and Gavin Bishop
Text Publishing,2009.
ISBN 9781921351969
(Ages 7+) A group of short stories about the antics of friends, Snake
and Lizard will be readily used in classrooms where friendship and
getting along
are under discussion. The two animals are often at odds but each learns
the give and take of friendship as the stories develop.
When they first meet, both animals are trying to get a share of the
sun. Snake has his tail across the path Lizard wishes to walk upon, and
will not move. They argue for a time, revealing some of their
personalities to the reader, and in the end compromise, sharing the
area for both to keep warm. A smile and a thank you from Lizard is
enough for the cooling to begin between them.
Delightful little bite sized stories with enough in them for a
discussion to ensue will make these a happy addition to a classroom
library. Cute illustrations and a good sized print, all bound together
in a handsome book with folded end papers for use as bookmarks will
ensure its use as a sound present for an early reader. Positive stories
of friendship, told with brevity and humour are hard to find, but here
is one to suit all needs.
Fran Knight
How to ditch your fairy by Justine Larbalestier
Allen and Unwin 2009.
(Age 12+) Recommended. Wow! What would it be like if you had your own
personal fairy? In New Avalon most people have an invisible fairy that
does something special for them. There are good hair fairies, shopping
fairies, boy attracting fairies and charisma fairies. Charlie has a
parking fairy and anytime that she is in a car, the driver will always
find a park. She finds it really annoying because she is constantly
pestered, and sometimes bullied, to ride with people in order for them
to get a park. She decides to ditch her fairy because of the bother.
She gets together with Fiorenze who has a boy magnet fairy and they do
their best to find a way to get rid of their pesky fairies for good.
This is a funny laugh-a-page story with a great heroine in Charlie who
does her best to ditch her fairy, while building up a romance with
Stefan the new boy and avoiding demerits at New Avalon Sports High.
Along the way she learns about friendship, relationships, love, and
widening her horizons while having some pretty amazing adventures.
I read this totally enjoyable book in one sitting. It was a great
experience to be introduced to an intriguing premise about personal
fairies - who hasn't been with people who can always find a park, or
who always have good hair or who always attract the opposite sex? New
words like 'doos' - meaning enjoyable, or awesome, leap out from the
page and the writing is terrific. But the best part was the indomitable
Charlie who loves sports, loves her sports school and keeps on trying.
Pat Pledger
Mahtab's story by Libby Gleeson
(Allen and Unwin) Louis Braille Audio, 2008. Read by Caroline Lee, 5 hours on 5 CDs. ISBN 978 1 74212 115 4 (Ages All) Evocatively read by Caroline Lee, this moving and poignant story of one family's journey out of Taliban held Afghanistan to Australia, where there is hope of a new life, will have middle school students enthralled. Not only have they to escape at night, leaving all their possessions behind, they must hide in a truck going across the mountains to Pakistan, where their father is told to go to Australia by himself, making the family stay behind in a 2 roomed hovel, hidden and alone. The story that Libby Gleeson writes, based on interviews with refugee Muslim children and one girl in particular in Western Sydney, rings true at every word. The book is the story of many Australians, and is all the more distressing because it is in our recent past. The perilous trip, taken by the mother and her three children, from Pakistan to Australia is heart wrenching, and the telling makes it more so. There is quite a difference between reading it on a page, and hearing it read out loud. Their trip from Indonesia and arrival in Australia is not what they expected, and their incarceration in a detention centre, will bring home to our students the cruelty and disillusionment of such places. Caroline's voice has just the right tone, enabling her to recount the words of all of the family with ease. Listeners will have no difficulty differentiating between the children and adults, the guards and the grandparents. The slight catch in her voice as she reads of the family's life under the Taliban, and their journey east, invites the listener into the desperate world of this family. Along with Rosanne Hawke's vivid story, Soraya the Storyteller, and Morris Gelitzman's vBoy Overboard, and Deborah Ellis' wonderful series about Parvana and her friends, these novels give our students an opening into another world, far apart from their own, and reflect the stories of some of our students' lives, enabling us to develop far greater understanding and empathy, than that shown by our governments. Fran Knight
The Toymaker by Jeremy de Quidt
David Fickling Books, 2008. (Ages 12+)
Highly recommended. This is a stunning debut which is extremely
difficult to pigeon hole. I deliberately delayed reviewing it as it
engendered such strong reactions from me.
The cover features a dewy eyed girl, in the Anne of Green Gables,
Polly-Anna tradition. However, The Toymaker is a thriller with more
than a hint of horror, so not only is the cover completely misleading,
it immediately dismisses 50% of potential readers as boys will hate it
on sight. Once you get past the cover, Gary Blythe's illustrations are
outstanding. His picture of the terrifying Valter has a nightmarish
quality and would have made a far more stunning cover. Why oh why do
publishers still make this mistake? Let's hope they rectify it for the
paperback edition.
It's hard to believe that this is a first novel and Jeremy de Quidt is
certainly a name to watch out for. Set in the past, probably the
Victorian era, the prologue introduces a sinister toymaker who has
devised a way of using animals' hearts to bring his toys to life. As
the main story opens, Mathias, a conjuror's boy is mystified when, on
his deathbed, his grandfather hands him a tiny piece of screwed up
paper. For some reason this paper is wanted by the sinister Dr Lieter
who uses his henchman Valter to try and obtain it. Valter is a
terrifying character and the author builds a delicious sense of
paralysing fear every time he appears.
Mathias is befriended by Katta who tries to protect him. The two
children meet the mysterious Koenig who rescues them from Valter's
clutches, but only on condition that Mathias and Katta help him
discover the mystery of the scrappy piece of paper.
De Quidt explores the dark side of the human condition - cunning,
greed, jealousy and revenge are all part of his elaborate plot.
Katta is a particularly dark character, hell bent on revenge against a
boy whose random attack caused her to develop epilepsy. Unlike most
children's books, de Quidt follows through that desire for revenge,
describing in gruesome detail precisely how Katta exacts it. I admire
de Quidt for being more daring than most in his exploration of
maliciousness and retribution.
The first two thirds of the book would be suitable for able top
juniors, but this is a gothic tale of nightmarish proportions, and the
harrowing ending took even me by surprise. The power of de Quidt's
writing is both his strength and part of the problem - his descriptions
of Katta - her heart cut out and placed inside a doll to bring it to
life are profoundly disturbing, and make this a novel unsuitable for a
younger or more sensitive readership.
A fantastic novel, but be careful who you recommend it to. If you can
get them past the cover, both boys and girls of twelve plus will lap
this up, but it's not for those of a sensitive disposition.
Claire Larson
Love you two by Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli
Random House, 2008.
ISBN 9781741660715.
(Age 15+) Pallotta-Chiarolli won great acclaim in 2000 for her family
history Tapestry. Her new novel, Love You Two, continues to explore
themes of culture, heritage and relationships within the Italian
community she knows and understands.
Pina's voice is strong and courageous - she is independent but forever
faced with the deep seated, confining views of many of the older
generation in her family. One day Pina makes an extraordinary
discovery which tosses her views to the wind. Her steadiness is
shaken and she runs away to stay with a favourite uncle. Here her
world is thrust about again with another discovery about the nature of
her family.
It seems as if Pina is teetering on the edge of a cliff - how will she
unravel these family secrets and what consequences will they have for
her life?
Pallotta-Chiarolli's characters are well drawn - strong and
memorable. It is easy to become part of Pina's world, experience
her confusion, frustration and heart ache. The Italian flavour of
the story is well conceived - humorous asides at the Italian way of
life sit alongside a deep respect for its culture. There is also
a strong sense of needing to recognise Italian life in a modern world
and to be accepting of changing attitudes. Life in these
communities in Australian cities can be a battle for many, for many and
complex reasons.
The book confronts these problems well, though the subject matter may
be too large for the scope of the story. Palotta-Chiarolli's
issue is with recognising the array of possible relationships in a
family without discrimination - I sense that she tries to encompass too
much here - the storyline becomes contrived and unbelievable in parts.
The subjects of gender, sexual and family diversity make this a mature
read.
Julie Wells
This morning I met a whale by Michael Morpurgo
Walker Books, 2008.
ISBN 9781406306460
(Ages 8+) A plea for world sanity is startlingly presented by Morpurgo,
aimed squarely at children, as he describes what the whale says to a
child he meets on the Thames early one morning. Younger readers will
accept the whale's speaking with aplomb, readily taking its words to
heart. The boy, Michael, walking along the Thames, bird watching, sees
a whale. It seems to be looking directly at him, so he goes further
down to the shoreline to view the animal more closely. The whale speaks
to him of the horrors around the world, pollution, war, tearing down of
rainforests, and impels the boy to do something abut it.
When he writes all this down, in the second part of the book, his
teacher asks him to read his story to the class, and then when he tells
them that it is all true, they deride him for lying. But, later in the
day, news comes that the whale is stranded in the Thames and the boy
rushed to help. His affinity with the whale and the dying of the mammal
while people are trying to help it convinces his class that he is
telling the truth.
As with many of Morpurg's stories, what may seem on first reading, a
strange unbelievable tale, is on rereading and contemplation, a multi
faceted, well written fable for our times. He endows animals and
children with the sort of fibre missing amongst adults, and so
encourages children to see the world in a different way. For thoughtful
readers and classes where world issues are discussed, this book will be
read and reread.
Fran Knight
Cowboy baby by Sue Heap
Animated DVD read by Kevin Whately. Walker
Books, 2008.
(Age 2-5) Cowboy Baby won't go to bed unless he has all his toys with
him so Sheriff Pa sends him off to find Texas Ted, Denver dog and Hank
the Horse. He puts on his hat and boots and goes out into the desert to
find his friends. But even when he has them, he decides that it isn't
time to go to bed and plays hide and seek with Sheriff Pa.
The whimsical story is beautifully illustrated with the bright bold
reds, oranges, greens and blues of the desert landscape, and simple
line drawings for the people. Cowboy Baby is delightfully cute with a
large, round head and a tiny hat, and his toys have gorgeous grins on
their faces. The print is large and bold.
This tale would be respond very well to being read aloud. An animated
DVD of the story, read by Kevin Whately, who has a beautiful rich
voice, is a welcome addition to a delightful story. A great story for
bedtime, or afternoon rest time.
Pat Pledger
Cruisin' by Brian Caswell
Woolshed Press, 2008.
ISBN 9781741663440, p/b, 149pp.
(Age 12+) With an appealing teenage voice Brian Caswell invites us to share a holiday with Jules Macaffrey and his mother aboard The Polynesian Queen, destined to be a two week 'holiday cruise of a lifetime'. Jules recalls that his mother hastily bought raffle tickets, wrapped only in a towel when the Girls' Brigade called at the door, and promptly dumped the said tickets in a hallstand drawer which he likens to an 'archeological dig'.
Reluctantly, Jules joins his mother, along with Aunt Pru and her 'weird son Adrian', to make up the winning four tickets for the 'ideal nuclear family'. Jules' father has long gone and his grandparents had already booked to see the Holy Land! On board Jules is prepared to share time with retired couples and spoilt juniors, but, in fact meets an interesting array of characters which make life at sea busy and challenging! He is besotted, at a distance, by Jenna Hamilton, glamorous and aloof. He is victimised by Barry Barnes, a kid just out to cause trouble. He is worried by the antics of his cousin Adrian. His only friend is Suzi, and she is trapped in a wheelchair. This cruise is going to be an interesting one!
Brian Caswell creates a light and lively story around these unlikely cruisers!
The conversations are fast and humorous; the situations are pieced together with plenty of action and coincidence. Largely Jules' story, each chapter is alternated between his and Suzi's viewpoint - this makes for a better understanding of character overall, and provides greater depth to a rather light-hearted but clever read. This will appeal to most teenagers and it is well written.
Julie Wells
Bookmark days by Scot Gardner
Allen and Unwin, 2009. ISBN 978174175
578
7
(Age 12+) Another book in the series, Girlfriend Fiction published by
Allen and Unwin,
will be eagerly snapped up by the adolescent girls in your school. Scot
Gardner is a tried and true author whose books never fail to please and
this is another.
Set in a small rural community, the tale turns around two girl cousins,
Avril and Katie, who see each other most holidays when Katie and her
family come to the country from Melbourne to stay. This year, however,
things are different. Katie's parents have split, although no one is
supposed to know, and Avril, home schooled, has spied the boy next
door, Nathaniel, and has developed quite a crush.
But Nathaniel's family and that of Avril do not speak. Something
happened many years ago which has caused a rift between the two
families, and so Avril and Nathaniel must be most careful about when
they are seen together. Katie brags about her sexual experience to
Avril and when both girls go to the local show, things become heated.
Avril forces the now drunk Katie into the car and they drive back to
the farm, finding along the way that the next door neighbour's car has
overturned. Stopping to help, Avril saves the day, ensuring Nathaniel's
father gets help.
But things escalate again when the girls go to camp overnight with
Nathaniel; and his friend. Found out by the warring grandfathers,
Nathaniel's grandfather seeks them out, ordering the girls home, and
the boys back to their home., Finally Avril takes control of things and
forces a compromise between the families. It is a neatly resolved story
of long held misbeliefs and bad relationships between families, and
will be eagerly read by early secondary girls.
Fran Knight
Hangman by Julia Jarman
Andersen Press 1999, reissued
2008.
(Ages 11+) Highly Recommended. Hangman is one of those novels
that sucks you in, grabs you by the throat, gives you a good shaking,
and leaves you weak, wrung out and hugely satisfied.
Danny is different - he understands Latin, is fascinated by History and
bumbles along in his own world, oblivious to the rules of the
playground and the necessity of fitting in. Asked to leave the safety
of his private school because of poor academic results, he is dropped
into Lindley High, a bog standard comprehensive with its fair share of
bullies.
Toby knows how to fit in at Lindley High. He's good at football, has
the right haircut and can stand up for himself. Danny and Toby know
each other because their families are friends and Toby is filled with
trepidation when his mum asks him to befriend Danny and help him settle
into his new school. Toby knows exactly what will happen if he starts
going around with a geek.
Jarman wracks up the tension as life at Lindley High becomes
increasingly traumatic for Danny. The insidious nature of the bullying
drips away, eroding his confidence and sense of identity. Characters
spring to life. Nick, one of the main perpetrators is particularly well
drawn and Jarman explores his motivations, so we do have some
understanding and even sympathy towards his hatred of Danny. Toby
vacillates between pity for Danny and frustration that he doesn't stand
up for himself and fight back.
During a school trip to Normandy the bullying flies out of control as
the steady build-up of nasty comments, name-calling and ostracising
lead the power hungry Nick to force complete meltdown on poor Danny.
Jarman explores the issues of responsibility. When is it wrong to 'dob'
someone in it? How far are parents responsible for the actions of their
children? How do you extend the hand of friendship to someone
'different' without being ostracised yourself?
Danny witnesses two blackbirds attacking an albino blackbird. The
children visit the Peace Museum at Caen where they see evidence of
people persecuted during World War Two because they were different.
Occasionally the similes may seem forced, but Jarman never preaches.
The voices that come through are those of the children themselves as
Jarman builds to a catastrophic denouement that kept me on the edge of
my seat until the final page.
A powerful, fast moving, thought provoking read for both boys and
girls, Hangman would make an excellent class reader for lower
secondary
students.
Claire Larson
The big big book of Gibblewort the Goblin by Victor Kelleher
Random
House Australia, 2008 ISBN 9781741663150
(Ages 8+) Kelleher has now written seven of these short books for
younger
readers, of the adventures of a Goblin called Gibblewort. Each
adventure shows his worst characteristics, and each lands him in some
very hot water as he tries to lie or cheat his way out of a situation.
Number one, Goblin in the bush tells of his efforts to get to
Australia. Once he gets here, the illustrator and author have a great
time introducing their character to the range of animals, birds and
reptiles resident in the bush. The illustrations will have readers in
stitches as Gibblewort finds the Australian wildlife to his chagrin.
And so on they go, telling neat little stories about Gibblewort, ending
with number seven, where he tries his hardest to get sent back to
Ireland, only to find himself back on Australian shores. Great fun and
most appealing to younger readers.
Fran Knight
