Ill. by Brian Lovelock. Walker, 2008. ISBN
9781921150166.
(Ages 3-7) Recommended. A vibrantly coloured book, which describes how
a road gets built, Roadworks is full of bright images of all the work
that has to be done to construct a new highway. There are images of the
surveyors, the bulldozers, lorries, dump trucks, graders, rollers, line
markers, sign makers, and verge gardeners, all complete with pictures
of the people who do the work.
The text is lots of fun, with its repetition and rhymes. Young children
are likely to especially enjoy the alliteration in all the words that
make noises and relish reading along with the story. All readers will
gain a more thorough knowledge of the complexity of building a road and
the different roles of the workers. A useful fact page with
illustrations of the various pieces of machinery and a description of
what each does appears at the back.
The illustrations are bold and very colourful and complement the text.
I especially liked the multicultural nature of the workers and the
gender balance.
This is a book that will lend itself to being read aloud, and the road
building theme will be very useful for a unit of work on transport or
machinery.
Pat Pledger
Guyaholic by Carolyn Mackler
Walker Books, 2008. ISBN 9781406312164
(Age 15+) When V (short for Valentine) is hit in the head with a hockey
puck and falls into the arms of Sam Almond, life begins to change for
her. She has been left to live with her grandparents by a mother who
has a commitment phobia. V is also afraid of making a commitment and
falling in love, so she bounces from one boy to another. Sam is
different to the other boys she has dated, and V must make up her mind
what she really wants.
This is a sequel to Vegan, Virgin, Valentine, but can be read
as a
stand-alone. Mackler has written a funny, touching, coming of age story
about a girl who must come to terms with what a relationship means, not
only with Sam but with her mother. When V embarks on a road trip across
America to see her mother, she uncovers truths about herself and the
meaning of love on the way.
This is an entertaining read. It has enough humour, engaging characters
and interesting story line to keep the reader engrossed, while sending
a subtle message about the nature of love and self discovery.
Pat Pledger
Ratwhiskers and me by Lorraine Marwood
Walker Books, 2008. ISBN 9781
92115039 5
(Ages: 10+) When Boy is taken by the men as a cook at their tent
site, he feels safer than he has for a while. Meeting Pigtail gives him
a friend, but the men warn him off, he is told not to talk to the
Chinese miners. It is Bendigo during the early days of the Gold Rushes
in Victoria in the middle of the nineteenth century. Using the
technique of the verse novel, Marwood gives us a look at the gold
field, with its rough single minded characters, the resentment towards
the Chinese diggers, the deaths from all sorts of disease and the ugly
disposal of the bodies.
Boy is soon exposed as a girl, in flight from the murder of her family
during one of the many fires which ravaged the camp sites in Victoria.
Nina has recollections of the fire which killed her parents and sister,
but cannot piece together what really happened. When she must leave her
loyal dog, Ratwhiskers, tied in a cave lest he give her away, she is
taken by the evil Ellery and tortured to tell what she knows. An easily
read adventure on the goldfields is sure to please upper primary
students.
Fran Knight
The graveyard book by Neil Gaiman Ill. by Chris Riddell.
Bloomsbury,
2008.
(Ages 10+) Recommended. Nobody Owens, Bod for short, has evaded a
murderer when he was a baby. The evil Jack has killed all his family
members, and the ghosts who reside in the local graveyard have rescued
him. Brought up by the kindly ghosts of Mr and Mrs Owens, and mentored
by Silas, Bod is taught many things and faces many dangers and
adventures. The Sleer who guards an ancient treasure wants him to be
Guardian; evil ghouls try to entice him away and the man Jack is still
pursuing him.
This is a story for all ages. Each chapter is almost a short story and
very readable. Gaiman builds up lots of tension and fear with his
imagery and descriptions of the adventures that Bod has. The opening is
very frightening with the tale of Jack creeping through the house and
murdering the family.
Gaiman is a master of characterisation. Each of the people in this
novel is so well drawn that they will stay in the memory long after the
book has been put down. The reader follows the life of Bod from a
toddler to teenager, watching him grow and mature and never losing the
inquiring mind and curiosity that saved him as a baby. The Owens couple
is warm and friendly and Silas, dark and wise, is a wonderful teacher
for a young boy. Minor characters like Liza from the potter's field and
the Lady on the Grey are fully rounded. Chris Riddell's illustrations
are a perfect accompaniment to the text and enhance the reader's
perception of the characters and the setting.
The many themes that permeate this book will appeal to different ages.
Younger readers will be drawn to the portrayal of family, while Bod's
coming of age story and decision to make it on his own will engross
older
readers. Everyone will be enthralled by the Danse Macabre scene and the
horrors of the ghouls.
Pat Pledger
Little brother by Cory Doctorow
Tom Doherty, 2008.
(Age 13+) Recommended. A book that kept me thinking about the issues
that it raises long after I finished it, Little Brother will be a treat
for teenagers who are into political issues, computers and maths.
Marcus, 17 years old, smart and computer savvy, believes he knows how
to get around any system, until one day he and his friends are caught
up in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on San Francisco. Arrested by
the Department of Homeland Security the friends are taken to a secret
prison and interrogated for days. When Marcus is released from the
place they call Gito-by-the-Bay, he finds that he is living in a police
state and Darryl, one of his friends who was arrested with him, has
disappeared. What can one teenager do?
This is a fast paced adventure story with lots of information about
hacking which I skimmed over but is sure to be fascinating for younger
readers. What I really admired about this book is the way Doctorow
expands his ideas about a police state, the rights of the individual,
privacy and freedom of speech. The whole story line insists a teenager
can take action to improve things and can do it now. Sometimes the
story gets a bit didactic, but the reader will forgive that as Marcus'
journey to overcome injustice progresses.
This is a great discussion book and one that will get kids thinking. Is
it ever OK to torture people? Should the rights of individuals to
privacy be kept in times of terrorism? How should technology be used?
Can teenagers make a difference? This story can be download for free at
http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/ but it's a must-have addition
to the library or class collection in its book format.
Pat Pledger
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Harper, 2008
(Age 13-16) Marcus and his friends are dedicated gamers and hackers but
they are
not terrorists. They are loyal to the values of the US constitution, so
loyal that they take on the Department of Homeland Security when it
overreacts to a terrorist bridge attack in San Francisco by arresting
and torturing anyone in the area. By setting up illegal but secure Xnet
connections the gamers mobilise support amongst the young using the
slogan 'Don't trust anyone under 25'. The reactions to torture are
believable and the physicality of the torture and confinement contrast
with the details of the cyberspace underworld/otherworld created by the
gamers. There is little character development and the plot,
including a first love affair, is predictable. However, there are
lots of technical details that may be interesting and the action is
fast-paced. The dilemma of the balance between the need for safety and
a corresponding loss of rights is explored hypothetically in the
classroom and in reality in the streets. Recommended for Years 9-11.
Jenny Hamilton
What was lost by Catherine O'Flynn
Tindal Street Press 2007
(Age 16+) Highly Recommended. If you're looking for something to tempt
A-Level students into wider reading this could be just the book. I
bought it on the strength of Jonathan Coe's on cover recommendation and
I'm so glad I did. Catherine O'Flynn's novel, winner of Costa's First
Novel prize, is both a highly readable detective story and a biting
attack on our consumer obsessed society. I can certainly foresee a
lively debate among students asked to discuss the parallels between
Orwell's 1984 and What Was Lost.
Moving between the past and the present, What Was Lost focuses
on the
1984 disappearance of ten year old Kate Meaney. Twenty years on her toy
monkey is discovered at the Green Oaks shopping centre and the mystery
of her disappearance is finally about to be solved.
This is a novel brimming with flawed characters - Green Oaks security
guard, Kurt is haunted by a choice he made as a teenager with
consequences that still reverberate twenty years on. Lisa, hapless
manager of a record shop, is trapped in a miserable relationship and a
job she hates. Adrian, accused of being linked to Kate's disappearance,
is rootless and drifting. Teresa, Kate's erratic and dangerous friend,
is fighting against the society that has failed her; and then there is
Kate, fragile, brave and determined to be the best private detective
since Philip Marlowe.
However, this novel is far more than the sum of its characters. O'Flynn
has much to say on the creeping sickness of a society obsessed with the
consumer dream; a society where shopping centres are the venue for
Sunday worship and where retail mania is played out among shop workers'
passive aggression. In Green Oaks you can glide along marbled atriums
oblivious to what goes on behind the scenes - the twilight zone of
service tunnels, stockrooms where minor battles rage and security
cameras that are watched by guards who can see the rats as well as the
people. In Green Oaks you are under the surveillance of a thousand
cameras, surrounded by hordes of people and yet still experience the
desolation of feeling entirely alone.
O'Flynn explores many themes - isolation, loneliness, loss and
ultimately redemption. Occasional flashes of humour are on the manic
side of funny, but this is primarily a haunting novel, probing and
unsettling, that stays with you long after you've finished it.
Claire Larson
Moonshadow: Eye of the beast by Simon Higgins
Random House Australia, 2008. ISBN 9781741662832
(Ages 11-15) Moonshadow is the story of a young apprentice, Moon, who
has trained by a secret brotherhood, the Grey Light Order, and
who is sent on a mission to the Silver Wolf's lair.
Equipped with special powers such as being able to see through the eyes
of animals and possessing advanced sword skills, he carries the fate of
Imperial Japan. He meets a mysterious, beautiful girl - friend or foe?
The year 10 student I gave this book to wrote:
'The way that Simon Higgins encapsulates the aura and majesty of
the world that the tale is set in is truly remarkable. The way he also
blended in magic, superstition, and science is also deserving of
credit. My favourite part of the story is when Moonshadow meets the
deathless, with the climatic battle between the foes bringing the story
to a suitable end. The most interesting thing would probably be the way
that the story is told from different perspectives. It is full of
action, mystery, romance and drama. I would give this book 9/10 and
rate it highly to any other young readers.'
Suitable for Year 6 to 10 students.
Kevyna Gardner and Luke Davenport
Balaklava High School
Rapunzel's revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Ill. by Nathan
Hale. Bloomsbury, 2008. ISBN 9780747587439
(Age 9+) Highly recommended. If you like feisty heroines, adventure and
a touch of humour then the graphic novel, Rapunzel's Revenge is the
book for you. In an unique take on the fairytale Rapunzel, Shannon and
Dale Hale have produced a wonderful story about a girl who has lived in
a walled castle with Gothel, the woman she thought was her mother. She
has a happy life, learning rope tricks from the guards and swinging
from trees. When she discovers that her real mother works as a slave in
the mines and questions the evil Gothel; she is imprisoned in a
hollowed-out room at the top of a tall tree for her insubordination.
Finally she escapes using her long locks as a rope. And then her
adventures begin as she sets off to rescue her mother and save the
country from the cruel Gothel.
The authors haven't portrayed a beautiful princess waiting in her tower
for the handsome prince to come and rescue her. Instead Rapunzel is a
hair-toting cowgirl who uses her braids as lasso and whip and manages
to outwit guards, outlaws and ornery old codgers out to get her. With
her companion, Jack and his goose, she uses her long locks as a weapon
to ward off evil doers.
Nathan Hale's illustrations are a visual feast that make the heroine
come alive and give a vivid background to the story which is full of
witty asides and laugh aloud humour. Combine this with a droll
retelling of the fairy tale, lots of action and a touch of
romance and you have a winning combination.
Pat Pledger
I'd tell you I love you but then I'd have to kill you by Ally Carter
Hachette Livre, 2008.
(Ages 12+) Cammie goes to the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young
Women, but it's not your usual run of the mill elite school. On the
curriculum is kickboxing, learning how to disarm bombs and plan covert
operations. Yes! It's a school for spies. Cammie thinks she's got it
all under control until she falls for a regular town boy, Josh. Action
packed adventure follows with forbidden late night excursions, spying
on the local townspeople, and keeping her cover as a home-schooled girl
because the Academy isn't held in high regard in the town.
This is a light hearted spy adventure story but it contains enough
strong themes to keep the reader interested. Cammie is a feisty girl
heroine dealing with the trauma of her father's death and being in a
school where her mother is the headmistress. The romance contains
enough angst to move the story forward and there are great action
scenes.
This is good escapist reading that girls will enjoy. Fans will be
happy that there is a sequel, Cross my heart and hope to spy.
Pat Pledger
The resistance by Gemma Malley
Allen and Unwin, 2008.
At the end of The declaration, the stunning thriller set in a
dystopian
future world where people take longevity pills and live forever,
casting aside the need for children, Anna and Peter, two Surplusses,
have escaped and joined the underground movement. But they are
discovered, and Peter, the grandson of the company CEO which develops
the pills, is taken in by him to join the company, Pincent Pharma
Corporation. But Peter and Anna cannot forget their pasts, and so their
new lives are entwined with the underground movement and the detractors
of the new order.
The sequel, The resistance details their lives as they try to
resolve
what their next moves will be and work out who they can trust. Peter,
working for his grandfather must sign the Declaration to prove his
loyalty to the company. Anna on the other hand, at home caring for her
baby brother, is befriended by a woman with photos of children, some of
whom she knows. But where can they turn for help? Into this mix comes
Jude, a computer nerd with attitude, intent on using his skills for the
underground, but again, his plausibility wears thin, and even the
underground movement does not trust him.
A creepily real world, the links to our world are everywhere;
disenchanted children, poverty of the underclass, age denial, women
cracking the glass ceiling because they do not have to take time out
for child bearing and rearing, disapproval shown to people with
children taking up more resources, energy crisis, disapproval of
refugees and so on. Molloy has cleverly tapped into the 21st century
spectres, and used them to weave a tale wholly credible and convincing,
one that is hard to put down.
The climax sees all strands of this startling story come together, as
Peter has been blackmailed by his grandfather to sign the Declaration
in front of an audience, but the underground is in the building,
causing havoc, with Jude hacking into the system to close it down, and
Peter and Pip searching for the girls imprisoned upstairs for their
stem cells. With all the adrenalin pumping bravado of a fast paced
film, this is a story not to be missed.
There is an amazing rash of books around this theme at the moment.
Readers will love the ideas and notions presented in these books,
questioning medical experimentation and the use of stem cells and body
parts. Books such as Unwind by Neil Shusterman, the prequel to
this
one, The declaration by Gemma Molloy, as well as The other
side of the
island by Allegra Goodman all expose a misuse of medical science.
Fran Knight
The trouble with dogs by Bob Graham
Walker 2007.
(Ages 3-7) A must for all dog lovers or for those who would like to own
a dog, Bob Graham's sequel to Let's Get a Pup! is full of warmth and
quiet humour. 'The trouble with dogs,' said Dad 'is that they take over
your life.' With two dogs in the house Dad should know, especially as
one of the dogs, Dave, is small and wild and exuberant. After many
misadventures the family decides that Dave needs some training so they
bring in the Pup Breakers. The Brigadier, a man with a loud voice and a
choker chain, comes to help, but the family isn't sure that he has the
answers.
The illustrations are gorgeous. With vibrant watercolour pictures, Bob
Graham has brought the little family and its two dogs to life. Each
person and animal is so well drawn that readers will feel that they
know the characters. Mum has a tattoo and a nose ring; Dad lazes in a
chair and little Rosie is very industrious. Rosie is so placid and
little Dave is a dynamo of a dog that the reader can't help loving them
both.
This is a warm hearted story that will resonate with dog owners and
appeal to children because of the subtle messages that it sends about
the joy of life and family love.
Pat Pledger
Ghostscape by Joe Layburn
Frances Lincoln, 2008.
(Ages 8+ ) Highly Recommended. This is a gem of a book - a short
novel with a big impact. Modern day Aisha, a Somali girl finds herself
face to face with 1940s schoolboy Richard when she travels back in time
to war torn London during the Blitz. Aisha herself is no stranger to
war. Her own father was killed by soldiers in her native Somalia and
her relationship with her mother has clearly suffered as a result.
School life is difficult too thanks to the school bully. Aisha is tough
- she has to be, but meeting Richard gives her the possibility of
friendship and the welcome relief of being looked after. When she
discovers the horrifying events that took place in her school during
World War Two she sets out to save her new friend and his grandfather
from certain disaster.
Joe Layburn, himself a teacher, clearly understands children and
schools. Ghostscape has a strong sense of place, but Layburn
eases off
on description in favour of plenty of action and dialogue. The link
between Aisha's experiences and Richard's is understated and it is a
clever ploy to connect the horrors that Aisha has witnessed with the
turmoil of World War Two. The twist at the end will leave you with a
lump in your throat.
In just over a hundred pages Ghostscape may not have the depth
of
Goodnight Mr Tom, or The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas but
Layburn has
created a story that will capture children's interest and give them
plenty to think and talk about. I would promote this among able but
reluctant readers.
Claire Larson
The minister for traffic lights by Tony Wilson and Andrew McLean
Lothian, $28.99 hb, ISBN 9780734408075.
(Ages 3-7) In a beautifully illustrated picture book, Tony Wilson has
created a story about a warm and loving family. It has a most unusual
theme: Dad is the government Minister for Traffic Lights but is never
heard of because traffic lights 'hardly ever make the news'. He is
obsessed with traffic lights and has six traffic light ties in red,
green and amber; his house is decorated in the same colours and a flag
of Cameroon hangs in the bedroom because it has the same colours as
traffic lights. When road rage becomes a problem, Dad comes up with a
new colour and law to solve the dilemma.
The strength of this book is its portrayal of family life. McLean has
drawn a loving family with all the accoutrements of family living and a
bespectacled father that many children will be able to identify with.
There are pictures of Dad cuddling his two children on the couch, a
messy living room with papers and socks littering the floor and even a
cat drinking out of the toilet. Close examination of the illustrations
with their touches of gentle humour will bring smiles to the faces of
the reader.
The whimsical story, with its original premise, is not easily
forgotten: Tony Wilson, on his website
, says that it is 'a personal crusade to teach kids about the
colour mauve and the way parliamentary bills enjoy passage into law'.
It could also be useful when discussing careers and families with young
children.
Pat Pledger
The fatal fire by Terry Deary
Terry Deary's Roman tales. A and C Black, 2008. ISBN 978071368970
9
(Ages 6-10) The Horrible Histories writer is now targeting younger
readers with a series of short novels telling a fanciful story of some
aspect of ancient times. In this, Mary, the slave to Master Tullus, is
waiting for him to finish watching the games from which she is
excluded. From her vantage under the table, she sees a familiar man
throw a frying pan of fat against the wall setting it alight. She
hurries to tell her master and together they flee Rome as the buildings
burn around them. As he leaves she sees Nero, the emperor and
recognizes his face as that of the arsonist.
A story which gives its readers a huge amount of information about Nero
and his place in Rome's history, Deary speculates on how Rome began to
burn, thus making Nero's plans to build a new palace able to be put in
place. Deary gives the readers titillating facts about Nero's life and
times, and by making Mary the focus of the story, allows the reader to
empathize with the fate of some of the poorest of Rome's population.
Fran Knight
