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
Mahtab's Story by Libby Gleeson
Allen and Unwin, 2008. ISBN978 174175
334 9
(Ages 11+) In the middle of the night, Mahtab's parents wake her with
her clothes ready at the end of her bed. She must dress quickly and
quietly if they are to escape from their Taliban controlled city. So
begins a hectic and heart stopping journey across the mountains into
Pakistan where they wait for 8 months for news of their father who had
gone ahead. Taking a plane to Malaysia and then Indonesia they then
board a boat heading for Darwin. The journey is perilous and they
hesitate to think of what may lie ahead.
In its bare bones, the story is one of many such stories: escaping a
hated ruling junta, putting their lives into the hands of others,
separation, hunger and even death, that make up the history of
Australia. But this story is very recent, these people, vilified by a
former government, now make up a growing part of our population and
their stories, part of our consciousness and history, must be told.
Gleeson interviewed a number of girls whose experiences mirror that of
Mahtab, to get the story right, and she has succeeded brilliantly. The
emotions evoked in this book will stay with the reader, encouraging
sympathy, acceptance and tolerance.
Along with Rosanne Hawke's vivid story, Soraya the Storyteller, and
Morris Gelitzman's Boy 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
understanding and empathy.
Fran Knight
My dog may be a genius by Jack Prelutsky
Greenwillow Books, 2008. ISBN 97006623862 3
(Ages 6-8) With over 50 books of poetry published, and the first
Children's Poet
Laureate in the USA, Jack Prelutsky has a deserved reputation for his
poems containing a lot of different word play. From the 4 line simple
play upon word sounds such as I thought I saw, where he uses the
letters, B, C, I and Y to make a rhyme, to the more complex poems
containing 32 lines of rhyming poetry about something silly like, I
often mow the bathtub, each poem is different and engagingly silly, and
sure to please lower primary students.
Not only will they amuse and attract younger readers, especially when
read aloud, they will form a basis for poems to be created in the
classroom, using some of this poems as a template for their own
work. I am climbing up a ladder, for example, has words going
from the cautious to the nervous to the plain scared the higher the
climber goes. I can imagine this being used as a template for other
poems about something a child may be doing. But whatever is done with
the poems, or however they are read in the classroom or at the library,
they are all fun, and the illustrations only increase the enjoyment
that smaller children will gain from this book.
Fran Knight
City of ashes by Cassandra Clare
Walker Books 2008.
(Ages 14+) Fans of the Twilight series will eat up The
Mortal
Instruments books. City of ashes is the second novel in the
series
following City of Bones, with a third to be published in March.
The
books need to be read in order. In City of ashes, Clary Fray is
having
problems. She has discovered that she is a demon-slaying Shadowhunter
and that her father Valentine, is determined to destroy the world. Her
mother is still in a magic induced coma and her world is inhabited with
werewolves and demons. She had thought that she was in love with Jace,
but it looks as if he might be her brother and she has to control her
feelings for him. Moreover, the dependable Simon, who has been in love
with her forever, has changed and somehow she has to track down her
father and save the world!
For fans of urban fantasy, this is a suspenseful and engrossing read.
Clary is a strong character, who isn't afraid to take the initiative.
There is lots of action and some quite scary moments, in particular an
episode when Clary meets the Queen of the Underworld. The wicked
Valentine also keeps the conflict and emotional tension rolling along
at a cracking pace.
The love interests are quite compelling: not just the triangle of
Clary, Jace and Simon but the relationship developing between Alec and
Magnus Bane. The adult characters are also charismatic and the reader
becomes quite involved with the unrequited love that Luke has for
Clary's mother.
I enjoyed the first two books in this series as they were exciting and
well written, and it was compelling following Clary's growth in
strength and independence. I'm looking forward to the third book.
Pat Pledger
I love my new toy by Mo Willems
Walker Books, 2008. ISBN
978-1-4063-1471-7
(Ages 3-6) Recommended. Piggie has a brand new toy that she can't wait
to show Elephant. She loves her new toy but doesn't know what it does.
Elephant thinks that it may be a throwing toy, and tosses it into
the air. When it comes down, it has broken into two. What will Piggie
do?
This is a delightful first reader, with large print, few words on each
page and amusing line drawings that complement the text. The characters
are lovable and the theme of the importance of friendship that runs
through the story is excellent.
Not only would it enthrall a young child just beginning to read, it is
also a great book to read aloud. It is a worthy winner of the 2008-2009
Cybils
award.
Pat Pledger
Easy library displays to promote reading by Fran Knight and Pat Pledger
Pledger
Consulting, 2009.
A
little gem for those of us who, despite our best intentions, find
putting
together displays time consuming and difficult to get done amongst the
myriad
of tasks and responsibilities in the library.Once
again the experience and skills of Fran Knight and Pat Pledger are
brought
together in this LinksPlus
publication for the benefit of teacher librarians, school support
officers, and
library helpers. In particular this booklet would be of great use to
new staff
in school libraries and those people working in small libraries to use
throughout the year.
The
display ideas are based on a calendar of yearly events, some familiar
such as
ANZAC Day and Australia Day, as well as some not so familiar events
including
International Day of the Dog, World Press Freedom Day, Homeless Day and
Banned
Books Week! For each of the listed events there are ideas for
activities and
displays as well as related websites. The authors have then created
lists of books
which support that event. The lists are
comprehensive and as such lists do, will also generate further interest
and
ideas. The booklet lends itself to having notes added. The list of
banned books
is fascinating but I leave that to the reader to explore! A section of
general
display ideas completes the booklet and includes some motivating ideas.
This
resource has to be followed by Easy Displays 2 as we will all
want more!
Jane Toop
Ostrich boys by Keith Gray
Random House, 2008.
(Age 13+) Highly Recommended. A compelling exploration of
friendship, trust and loyalty driven by a punchy storyline and three
very realistic and likeable teenagers.
Unusually in teenage fiction girls take a back seat as Gray explores
friendship among boys. In one telling episode Kenny's new girlfriend
questions just how supportive boys are of each other, suggesting that
they never talk in depth or discuss their emotions. For Blake, Kenny
and Sim actions certainly speak louder than words. Enraged by the
hypocritical adults present at the funeral of their friend Ross they
want retribution and justice. In a moment of madness they steal Ross's
ashes and head for Scotland to the place he always longed to visit.
Along the way they meet numerous colourful characters and in true Road
Trip tradition encounter some very hairy situations. However as the
title suggests the three friends are hiding both secrets and emotions
which begin to unravel as it becomes clear that the circumstances
surrounding Ross's death are not as straightforward as they first
appeared.
This is a complex plot that unfolds gradually and inexorably, testing
friendship and loyalty to the limit. Gray has such a sureness of touch,
driving the Road Trip plot with consummate skill and empathy and using
episodes of black humour to relieve major tensions and anguish. By the
denouement I felt I really knew these boys and I didn't want to leave
them behind.
Try this one with your male readers. Fans of Kevin Brooks are sure to
love it.
Claire Larson
Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls by Lynne Jonell
Illus. by Jonathan Bean. Random House Australia, 2009. ISBN:
9781741663280 (pbk)
(Ages: 10-13)This intriguing book features Emmy, a girl who has
made an amazing discovery. She has learnt how to communicate with
rodents, and when necessary, shrink to a size where she can enter the
active and vibrant rodent city.
In this second book in the series, Emmy and her best friend Joe and his
little brother Thomas become involved with the plight of five girls who
have mysteriously gone missing. Emmy's evil ex-nanny Miss Barmy became
a rat in the previous story and is now suspiciously conspiring to
ingratiate herself with the inhabitants of rodent city and Emmy wants
to know why. Furthermore, the controlling Miss Barmy and her parents
are secretly holding the five now miniature-sized girls captive in
their attic.
In contrast to all of these bizarre circumstances, Emmy is attempting
to befriend a group of girls from her school and bring a greater sense
of normality into her life. But it is proving difficult with her
frequent conversations with rats, chipmunks and other talkative
rodents. Eventually Emmy achieves her goals with a great deal of
teamwork from new and old friends and is able to overcome her
embarrassment at her involvement in the rodent world. She learns to
appreciate the support and friendship that the rodents provide and
gains a new level of self acceptance in her life.
In this novel, American author Lynne Jonell has written a complex and
detailed story with many twists and unexpected events. It may be
helpful to readers to have completed the previous novel Emmy and
the
Incredible Shrinking Rat to familiarise themselves with the many
characters and settings in this book. Some of the language and
references may suit an older primary school aged audience. The text
size is larger than you might expect and could encourage children who
may not otherwise attempt a book of this length. The illustrations by
Jonathan Bean provide a flip book style effect which is a fun addition
to the novel and the cover artwork is also appealing. A level of
tension builds throughout the story and will inspire a capable reader
to determine how Emmy and her friends resolve their many difficulties
in a pleasing conclusion.
Louise Illingworth
Stella Maris Parish School
The diary of Laura's twin by Kathy Kacer
Allen and Unwin, 2009. ISBN 9781741756678
(Age: 11-14) Although many books have highlighted the trauma of the
Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust, the 1941 diary entries of Sara
Gittler balance the expectations of present day twelve year old Laura
Wyman. Laura complains that collecting $1000 door to door for the
African Well Fund should show her commitment to her impending Bat
Mitzvah. Plagued by friends quoting Beatles' lyrics, a steady stream of
school assignments, and ninth grader bullies, Laura is not impressed
when her Rabbi suggests that she contact the elderly Mrs
Mendelcorn. After all, she has already read 'The Diary of Anne
Frank' and feels she already knows a lot about the Holocaust.
Young Sara's diary entries are immediate, descriptive and
compelling. She mourns her loss of school, books, medicine,
personal freedom and fresh food. The distinction between the lives of
these two young girls is exemplified in the story of Sara's friend
Deena, who treasures the few coloured pencils and scraps of paper that
she has been able keep. David, Sara's fourteen year old brother is more
aware of the outside world and his involvement in underground
activities adds a sense of hope in this desperate life. He scrounges
bread, risking his own life.
By late 1942, the diary includes disturbing examples of starvation and
brutality. In parallel, Laura's ordered world is provoked by vandals
desecrating a local cemetery. Laura learns the power of honesty and the
strength of standing up for personal beliefs.
The black and white photos interspersed throughout add a sense of
realism to this disturbing tale. The inclusion of real individuals
(Janusz Korczak, the teacher who supplied hope to orphans, teenage
Mordechai Anielewicz and other Resistance fighters), adds power to
narrative. But most compelling is the realisation that war affects more
than soldiers.
It would be interesting to compare this to Yellow Star by
Jennifer Roy.
I found The Diary of Laura's twin more believable than the
approach in
Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic and more accessible to
adolescents (but
less academic) than John Boyne's Boy in Striped Pajamas.
Pauline Crawford
Darius Bell and the glitter pool by Odo Hirsch
Allen and Unwin,
2009. ISBN 978174175716 3
(Ages 9+) The Bell family has lived at Bell House for 5 generations and each generation
pays for their establishment with a gift to the town. This
time, however, the family has no money to buy an important gift. Their
funds have been eaten away.The house has a
gardener who plants fruit and vegetable where lawns once were, a
builder who conducts his business from his house over the garage, doing
odd jobs around the house in return and a cook, married to the
gardener, supplying local shops with her baking. Darius has known no
other life, and so it is all normal to him, but he feels the
expectation of a gift tremendously.
After an earthquake shatters the little house in the woods where Darius
and his friends play, he finds a cave, full of fabulous glittering
stones. Excited that he may have found the answer to his father's
problem, he investigates further, only to be dismayed that the stones
are worthless. But he finds that the cave has value in its beauty and
sets about trying to make it a place to visit, a gift to the town.
A thrilling story of Darius' family's dilemma, it twists and turns as
Darius tries to find a solution. Upper primary readers will love the
chapter when Darius' father, offering a wheelbarrow of home grown
vegetables to the council as the gift, is humiliated by the self
serving mayor, but in talking about manners and humility, trumps the
man soundly. A story of words and their use, nowhere is this more
evident than in the lawyer's office, where the words of the will are
studied. Hirsch makes us believe that all that glitters is not
gold.
Fran Knight
The cat who liked rain by Henning Mankell
Andersen Press, 2008.
(Ages 6+) This engaging short novel can be read on so many different
levels. For an adult it is a portrait of loss and resilience. For a
young child it is the story of Lukas who is given a cat for his seventh
birthday and has not realised until now how it feels to fall in love.
Lukas christens his black cat Night and decides to teach him how to
hiss at his annoying big brother Markus. Lukas falls into a pattern of
playing with his cat and looking after its every need until disaster
strikes and Night disappears.
Better known for his gripping and dour adult thrillers, this is a new
side to Mankell, and he explores Lukas's shock and grief at Night's
disappearance with humour and tenderness. He certainly knows children
and every young child will be able to relate to Lukas's struggle to
come to terms with the first real loss he has ever experienced in his
young life.
There are no easy answers or cosy reunions in this story. But Lukas is
helped by his father who paints an imaginative picture of Night's
possible whereabouts. Translated from the Swedish, the language is
occasionally clumsy, but this is an endearing tale of family life which
does not shy away from the realities of sibling rivalry, anxious,
overtired parents and a little boy on a mission to find his lost cat.
An excellent story that will help young children understand and cope
with grief and loss.
Claire Larson
A rose for the ANZAC boys by Jackie French
Harper Collins.
Louis Braille Audio, 2008. Read by Caroline Craig, 6 CD's, 7 hours
Ages 12+
Jackie French's award winning story of the significance of ANZAC Day to
generations of people is brought to life by Caroline Craig's calm and
involving voice. She readily takes on the voices of a range of people
presented in the story: the young girls in France, Midge, Ethel and
Anne, Lachlan as he walks with his grandfather to the memorial in their
small town, the wounded soldiers returning from the front, Tim's voice
as Midge reads his letter. Each dissimilar group of people is
differentiated by small changes in Caroline's voice, without making the
differences too obvious or resorting to stereotypes. Her tone and pace
are perfect for the story and it seems to take a lot less time than 7
hours.
The girls in their school in England are well aware that war is at
hand. They have brothers and friends fighting in France, have heard of
the privation they are enduring. Midge's aunt writes to her and the
letters convey much of the devastation that is Gallipoli. Through these
letters French is able to give the readers an amazing amount of
information and detail which otherwise would have seemed imposed. Her
aunt's last letter, and the fact that Midge's brother Tim is listed as
missing, galvanises Midge and her friends to do something positive for
the war effort.
The girls are well aware that they have little power, their lives
regimented and contained in this early twentieth century society. The
information French gives, as with all her historical novels, is subtly
included. We learn that VADs are not allowed to go overseas until they
are 23, the science teacher at school spent 2 years at Oxford, but of
course, was not allowed to sit the exams, that the girls are not able
to learn to drive. But these three girls decide to do something.
Their efforts land them in France giving refreshment to the wounded
brought through by train from the front. In this way, French is able to
both give a rattling good story, and give middles school students a
sound message about World War One, showing its significance to
Australians and New Zealanders. A beautifully read story which will
grab the readers.
Fran Knight
Dream Land: One girl's struggle to find her true home by Lily Hyde
Walker Books, 2008.
ISBN 9781406307658
(Age: 10+ ) Recommended. Dedicated to the Crimean Tatars,
this fascinating piece of little known history is an amazing struggle
of one family's return to their home after fifty years in exile by
Joseph Stalin during WW2. They were resettled in Central Asia and
Siberia. After perestroika, the laws were relaxed and many Tatars
returned to Crimea to reclaim their land and build again. This is
the heart rendering struggle of Safinar's family. Along with
Grandfather, her mother and brother Lutfi, Safinar has come back to
Crimea where her father had earlier returned hoping to have a home
ready for them. But the struggle to build on their former land is
fraught with difficulties both from the local bureaucracy and the
Russians who now live there.
While Safi's grandfather tells the treasured stories of their heritage,
the reader learns of the present struggle to rebuild not only their
homes but also their lives, in a land they now share with others.
Safi is an engaging, curious child who like the characters in
Parvana, Secrets in the
Fire and The heaven shop, shows an amazing resilience in
harsh and
challenging times. The glossary is a useful addition.
Unlikely to be read from the shelf, the book depicts cultural diversity
in a very readable, warm and enlightening way. It needs teacher and
teacher-librarian promotion.
Sue Nosworthy
Hunting elephants by James Roy
Woolshed Press, 2008. ISBN 978174166326.
(Age 12+) Forced to attend his uncle's wedding, Harry is scathing of
the man he
has rarely seen. He had been going to a friend's party. The long drive to his uncle's farm is a strain,
and when the family arrives, they find that mum, even with her knowhow
on the internet, has somehow mistaken the bookings. They must stay with
Uncle Frank. Into this simmering pot, comes the uncle, holding down the
memories and frightening experiences of the Vietnam War, his fourth
wedding already putting extra tension on the already overcrowded home.
Here too, Harry meets his cousin, Trent, a brooding, sulky young man
with an unhealthy interest in guns. Harry sees his uncle retreat to a
dilapidated caravan behind the house and it surprises him that the man
should go there when he has a beautiful ranch style farm house to live
in. His interest takes a turn when approaching the van, he finds the
lock open and he goes inside.
James Ray has an easy flowing style which gathers in the readers,
giving little snippets of information about the family, but leaving the
reader wanting to find out more. His characters are rounded and
believable, everyday people buffeted by things which have happened in
their lives, but coping as best they can. Harry's family has suffered
the death of a son and brother. Each is coping in whatever way they
can, mum wraps herself up in her work, keeping her son's room as it
was, Harry is anguished because he believes that he hastened his
brother's death and dad tries to keep all together. It is a family with
undercurrents of anxiety and overwhelming anguish. Hostilities break
out regularly but are submerged as quickly as they surface, each person
unwilling to have a full discussion about the issue.
The elephant in the room, the issue which is between people and will
cause even more tension when exposed, is there in bucket loads. How
James Ray resolves the story is fascinating and involving, grabbing the
reader until the last line.
Fran Knight
