Fourth Estate, 2008
ISBN 9780732284305
(Ages 14+) There is no doubt that Diane Armstrong has the ability to
capture and hold the reader engrossed, as she relates her story of
courage and cruelty set in one of the most horrendous periods of our
history. The overall quality and design of this paperback, with
good sized print, makes reading this 560 page book fairly easy.
Readable with a clear continuity of plot and setting, Armstrong brings
us a story which remains embedded in our memories.
Nocturne is based on historical events which took place during
and
immediately after the Second World War. Part 1 takes the reader
from the start of war in Poland to the end of the Warsaw Ghetto
uprising, with the heroine Elzunia emerging safely, after losing most
of her family and so many of her friends to the Nazi onslaught.
She has met Adam, a young Polish pilot, at the beginning of the war -
indeed he rescues her in an ambush - and it is this memory which drives
her ambition to make it through to the end of the war. In Part 2, Adam,
now a valuable member of the Resistance, goes to London to petition for
help, meeting words of acknowledgement and empathy, but not action on
the part of the Allies. In the final section of the novel the two
characters meet after months
of hardship and adversity.
Armstrong is the author of two powerfully written non-fiction works and
a novel, Winter Journey, each based on Polish history and
heritage.
She brings to Nocturne, a wealth of meticulous research, part
of her
family's background and stories of real players in this country's past.
There is a strong sense of political feeling running through the novel
- Armstrong believes that all nations denied the Jews in Poland their
freedom, closing their eyes to the unfolding disaster. She
explores this issue, revealing to her readers the courage and
independence of a people determined to fight for freedom. The world of
the Ghetto is real, and we become emotionally involved in the lives of
its inhabitants. The human qualities of loyalty, bravery,
sacrifice and endurance emerge as the people face insurmountable odds.
At times the language is clumsy and overly wordy - it may be that
Armstrong is better placed as a writer of memoir, for she frequently
includes historical details in the narrative which seems contrived;
however, the strong sense of place and authenticity of subject excuse
her from this weakness.
Here too is a valuable addition to the field of reads for 'connected
texts' work in Years 11 and 12.
Julie Wells
If you're reading this, it's too late by Pseudonymous Bosch
Allen and Unwin, 2008
(Ages 10+) Highly recommended for boys and girls. Part of The
Secret
Series with a third title promised shortly, this book follows The
Name
of this Book is Secret. Cass the survivalist and Max Ernest, her
faithful side-kick, partner up again; this time to search for an
ancient terrifying creature - a homunculus. Cass is the keeper of the
Sound Prism, a role which both mystifies and excites her. The dangerous
Ms Mauvais and evil Dr. L relentlessly pursue them both, resulting in
some very exciting chases and captures.
While not essential that the first in the trilogy be read, the
continuity between the two books works well. One becomes
accustomed to the intrusions of the narrator as he keeps an ever
present eye on the young ones, frequently commenting on the action and
probable resolutions. This interaction provides extra opportunities for
negotiating the storyline, and adds great humour to the story. This
style reminded me a little of Lemony Snicket's voice in The Series
of
Unfortunate Events.
The plot is fast-paced throughout, with a wonderful range of
entertaining, likeable characters and wicked, criminal types. The
action is tightly controlled with a good feel for place. We
follow Cass and Max-Ernest from home to school, to the Magician's
Museum, and to sharks at sea; followed by camp sites to graveyards -
it's all part of finding the secret!
This is a most enjoyable read, and bound to appeal with its
action-packed episodes and author interjections.
Julie Wells
The boy in the dress by David Walliams
Ill. Quentin Blake. HarperCollins, 2008.ISBN
9780007279036
(Ages: 12+) When Dennis is befriended by Lisa and so has access to her
marvelous wardrobe, a new world opens for him and he is able to talk to
someone with the same tastes; reading Vogue and trying on a variety of
fabulous dresses. But when one day Lisa convinces him to dress up and
attend their school, bad things are bound to happen. Kicking the
football to his best friend Darveesh, he stumbles and falling
backwards, dislodges his wig and is exposed. Expulsion means he can no
longer play in the grand final on Saturday, and as he is the best
striker the team has, everyone is distraught. But on the day, Lisa
comes up with a cunning plan to turn everything around, even Dennis'
father is proud, and all is saved.
A laugh out loud story of one boy's dreams, The boy in the dress,
promotes the idea that everyone is different and that difference makes
us who we are. The acceptance of Dennis' behavior by all who matter is
the underlying foundation of the tale, and one that will endear the
story to its readers. Dennis' father, a gruff, burly man, deserted by
his wife, finally comes to be proud of his son, who loves him dearly.
It is a tender moment in a book full of comic situations.
The accompanying drawings by Quentin Blake add to the fun and frivolity
of the story. Facebook has images of David being photographed in scenes
from the book, and it is fascinating to see the plethora of videos of
boys in dresses aping sections of the story. This handsomely presented
hardback book with its vibrant purple cover and silver lettering will
have instant appeal to students wanting a funny read. Knowing of the
series Little Britain will also be an attraction, and the cover the
book and its author are receiving on Facebook will add to its success.
Fran Knight
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Adapted and illustrated by
P. Craig Russell. HarperCollins, 2008.
Highly recommended. I came to the graphic novel adaptation of Coraline
with trepidation as I had enjoyed the original so much. Could the
illustrated version match up to the story that lingered in my mind?
Would pictures enhance the story or spoil the images from my
imagination? Would it be able to send chills up my spine? The answer is
yes to all three questions. It is a totally engrossing and powerful
read that will captivate the reader who comes across it first, and
enhance the experience for those who have enjoyed the novel.
Coraline is an intrepid heroine who discovers a strange door in her new
home when exploring. She opens it and enters an alternative world, with
an 'Other mother' and 'Other father'. At first she enjoys 'all the
remarkable things in there she'd never seen before' but eventually
decides to go home. However, her 'Other mother' is evil and when
Coraline's real parents disappear into the other world she decides that
she must try and rescue them. What an adventure she has!
Russell's illustrations perfectly complement the story. Coraline is
portrayed realistically as an ordinary girl dressed in shorts or jeans.
This contrasts with the horrendous pictures of the black button eyes of
the people, and the red eyed rats that inhabit the 'other world'.
There are enough thrills to please the fans of horror. It is great to
see a feisty heroine discovering that being courageous is doing
something when you are really scared, and then having the ability to
come up with brilliant and tenacious solutions to her problems.
Pat Pledger
The way of the warrior by Chris Bradford
(Young Samurai 1) Puffin, 2008.
What an unusual but original book! No wonder it has been long
listed for the Carnegie.
I picked this up because I was lucky enough to meet the author
recently, and as I used to play Judo, we began to chat. His book
sounded so interesting that I bought a copy as soon as I could lay my
hands on one, and have since bought a few more!
Jack is the only survivor when a group of Ninja pirates attack his
dad's ship. He is taken in by Masamoto Takeshi, and, after saving
his son's life, is treated as his son, and sent to warrior school.
However, he's an outcast there, and his new 'brother' treats him in the
same way as all the other students - as a foreigner, someone who cannot
be a real warrior, and give him a hard time. However, Jack
brought something with him from the ship. Something the ninjas are
trying to get hold of and will quite happily kill for. Can Jack keep
hold of his 'treasure' and finally win the respect of his peers?
This book is brilliant, and teaches you much of Japanese culture and
martial arts. It's a story that mixes fiction and history together
beautifully. Book 2 is already being advertised on his website, and the trailer for
book one is absolutely awesome!
Nikki Heath
When I was given the book to read, I thought that it would just be like all the other books aimed at teenage girls, but as soon as I started to read the novel, it had a really intense story line about a girl growing up, drastic changes and tragedies she had to face and learning to trust people. Right from the beginning, although I started with a negative approach, it had me intrigued and I really had no idea where the story line was going, it kept me guessing and I honestly couldn't put it down. It was intense and the way that the book was written, it really gave you details in a way that gave you the ability to really feel as though you were there, feeling the intensity of her situations. The story line was really in depth and because of my age was one I could really relate to, especially when she was out travelling the world alone. Bec White, student
Themes Cyberbullying, Friendship, Stalking.
Necropolis by Anthony Horowitz
Walker, 2008.
This book seems a long time coming, but boy, was it worth the wait! It
continues the tale of Matthew Freeman and the Guardians, a good versus
evil saga that began 4 books ago.
The last of the Guardians is discovered in the shape of Scarlett, a
year 11 girl, who is totally unaware that she has powers and that
people are trying to kill her, until she goes through a door into
another world and goes 'missing' for almost two days. Once both sides
become aware of her and who she is, there's a race to get to her
- but will Matt and crew beat the Old Ones? Why are they trying to lure
the Guardians to Hong Kong and can they do anything to halt the horror
and destruction that awaits them? Read on to find out, and prepared to
be reading by torchlight as this is one book you will NOT want to put
down!
Nikki Heath
My candlelight novel by Joanne Horniman
Allen and Unwin, 2008.
(Age 15-18) This novel is written as a companion to Secret Scribbled
Notebooks and gives an insight into the life of a teenage single mother
and the challenges that face her in her quest for a life of her own.
Sophie lives in a boarding house with her sister Kate and Lil, the
woman who took them in when their mother and father could no longer
cope. She has an almost one year old daughter Hetty. When Kate heads to
university Sophie decides to continue her education and because she has
a love of books enrols in a literature course at a local university.
The novel explores the people Sophie meets and the experiences she has
as she ventures back into the wider world having been sheltered from it
whilst caring for Hetty.
The novel is written in two parts and although not equal in length help
the reader to explore in greater depth Sophie's life and experiences.
Tracy Glover
The First Escape by G. P. Taylor
(Dopple Ganger Chronicles 1). Saltriver, 2008.
WOW! WOW! WOW! This is such an amazing book!!
The story itself is fabulous - mischievous twins Saskia and Sadie
Dopple cause chaos yet again at Isambard Dunstan's school for Wayward
Children and are split up, seemingly forever. One is sent to live with
Muzz Elliott, a woman who doesn't seem to be very nice at all, whilst
the other is left behind at school. Upon arrival at her now
'home' Saskia discovers that previous children have disappeared.
It turns out that Muzz Elliott has an evil twin, thought dead, and that
there is some long 'lost' treasure hidden somewhere in the house.
However, her evil twin sister isn't dead at all, and has infiltrated
the house, working with the staff, intending to find the treasure,
murder the nice twin and take her place. Meanwhile, Sadie, along
with Erik, the dogsbody at the school, escape, and set off to rescue
Saskia. Sounds great, eh?
The story itself is fantastic, but what really complements this book it
its layout. It's a 'marmite' book - you will either LOVE it or HATE it.
(I'm sure which side I'm on, which is strange as I HATE marmite!)
Every page is set out differently. The pages all have a black edging to
them, and you get a mixture of words, pictures, some black and white,
some colour, and then you'll have a few pages of MANGA like drawings,
then back to words. Some swirl, some fall, and some are white on black.
It's as fascinating as the story itself, as you genuinely do not know
what you will get when you turn the page. The text is at the same level
as that of the Philip Pullman's Northern Lights series, yet it's
accessible by ever the most reluctant of readers due to the way your
eyes dance all over the page! The layout has been deliberately been
designed to be dyslexia friendly.
How popular has it been in my library? Well, I bought my own personal
copy after meeting the author last month. I read it on the hour long
journey
home. I took it into school to show a few of the students and had 10
reservations for it within 30 minutes. So I am now lending out my own
copy to keep up with demand.
Nikki Heath
Double Cross by Malorie Blackman
Doubleday, 2008.
Even though I have never forgiven Ms Blackman for the cliffhanger at
the end of book 2 of Noughts and Crosses and the long long wait
for the
arrival of book 3, I was so pleased to see that another of these books
was to be published that I literally danced around the room!
And it is as brilliant as its predecessors. Absolute genius. The
series begins after the bomb, with Callie-Rose still having not told
her family the real truth. Tobey and Callie-Rose finally get it on, but
Tobey is slowly realising his dream of getting off the estate through
hard work and qualifications won't be as uncomplicated as he hoped.
After a few conversations with Dan, his seemingly wealthy best mate,
who makes deliveries for a local gang, he makes an ill judged decision
which leaves Callie-Rose in a critical condition in hospital.
Determined to avenge her injuries, Tobey dices with death by trying to
play the two local gang leaders off against each other with shattering
consequences. Roll on book number 5!
Nikki Heath
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Doubleday, 2008
(Age 10+) Daniel is a 15 year old alien, sent to Earth with his parents
to hunt out and destroy a long list of evil aliens. Unfortunately for
Daniel, his parents are both killed when he is only three years old
leaving Daniel to fend for himself. Unlike Earth children however,
Daniel has many powers that help him to survive, such as the ability to
transform himself into just about anything, travel at turbo speed, and
imagine what he wants into being, which together with a highly
intelligent brain, makes him quite able to look after himself. Daniel's
on a very dangerous mission to continue the work of his parents, which
means finding the nasty aliens on the list headed by the very evil
Ergent Seth, an alien whose main aim is to totally destroy Earth. In
addition, Daniel is also determined to hunt out and destroy the very
nasty Prayer who killed his Mum and Dad. Daniel's mission takes him
across the United States and back to his home planet of Alpar Nok,
during which his powers are challenged by forces much more experienced
than his.
This is a fast, action-packed adventure that's quite graphic and
violent in parts, including the fact that Daniel gets shot in the
stomach and has to hold it together. Probably not for the faint hearted.
Marilyn Coleman
Twisted Tales - Six fairy tales turned inside out by Richard Tulloch Ill: Terry Denton.
Random House Books ISBN: 9781741662740
(Ages 7-12) There are quite a few books out there that have
taken the good old fairy tales and given them a twist. This one
does it well and with enough difference to make it worth a look.
There is a horrified lizard, friendly wolf, a princess who can't sleep,
a deaf kingdom, two naughty greedy children and a cow with magic
ploppies.The stories we know and love are told from a
perspective we may not have thought of before.Children will like
the humour used throughout the book, just the right amount of 'gross'
to keep them interested.
Great to use when doing a unit on fairy tales to get students thinking
from another's point of view.Overall an easy to read and
entertaining take on old stories.One thing that did not quite
sit right with me however was the pictures for the 'Lies in the Woods'
story.Hansel and Gretel are supposed to be two fat roly poly
pigs who have eaten too much junk food, however I feel the pictures do
not portray this enough.The children in the drawings are not
roly poly looking and I have concerns in this day and age about body
image, when several times in the story they are described as grossly
overweight.This in itself may be a good point of discussion with
students.
Zana Thiele
The secret of Spirits Bay by Stephen Barker
HarperCollins Publication 2008 ISBN 9781869507251
(Age 10-14 years) Tom Bowman family's life is difficult.He has
come to New Zealand with his Dad and is waiting for his mum and sister
to join them. He is starting a new life in a different school and
trying to make new friends. The thing in his life that he loves
to do is to run at Spirit Bay. Soon Tom slowly makes a friend with a
local teenager, Ana and an old Maori man called Mata.As he
trains for an important race, Tom sees another boy running in the
distance. The only problem is that nobody else sees him.
Slowly he and his new friend unravel the secret behind the mysterious
boy, who is also called Tom, and the reason why he is running at Spirit
Bay.Are there secrets at Spirit Bay that involve the past?
Can Tom and Ana understand the clues behind this mystery before a
disaster occurs again at Spirit Bay?
Frances Kranendonk
Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson
Puffin 2008
As a child I was fortunate enough to be read to and I am eternally
grateful to my Mum for introducing me to Anne of Green Gables. I was
intrigued and also slightly dubious when I heard that someone had
written a prequel to L M Montgomery's classic story. How could anyone
apart from L M Montgomery herself get into the mind of that red haired,
stubborn, romantic, impetuous whirlwind that is the Anne Shirley we
know and love?
Budge Wilson writes with a confident sensitivity that draws out the
story of Anne's early life. Before Green Gables is peopled with
immensely complex characters. After Anne's parents die she lives with
the Thomas family - father is an alcoholic and mother is struggling to
keep her growing family together. Both characters are shown warts and
all and the reader is reminded of the little things that affect Anne's
life - nobody in the family holds conversations and Anne is never
thanked for anything. At the age of nine Anne moves to another family
which, due to the woman's propensity for having twins, includes eight
children under the age of five. Much of Anne's stoicism must stem from
these early experiences.
Hints regarding Anne's future are offered. She already hates her red
hair, but feels her nose (inherited from Bertha, her Mother) is quite
pretty. She names a pond 'The Pool of Mirrors', a precursor for 'The
Lake of Shining Waters' perhaps. Her love of words and books is clear
from the start. There is even a mention of the puffed sleeves she so
desires that form the basis for one of the stories in Anne of Green
Gables. Anne is desperately lonely and creates an imaginary friend in
the glass reflection of her parents' old bookcase. This friend, Katie
Maurice, is a huge solace to Anne during her time with the Thomas
family. When she has to leave the bookcase and Katie behind her grief
is palpable. The value she places in later books on her bosom friend
Diana is understood.
This is a book for Mums, aunties and female role models to read aloud
to the girls in their lives. There is so much to discuss and savour -
it's definitely a book to be shared. All in all I was enchanted and on
finishing moved straight on to my old favourite Anne of Green Gables.
The transition was seamless. What greater compliment could I give?
Claire Larson
Word of honour by Michael Pryor
Random House Australia, 2008.
ISBN 9781741662818
(Age 12+) Recommended. A rip-roaring adventure in The laws of Magic
series sees the aristocratic Aubrey Fitzwilliam and his friends George
and Caroline fight off another attempt to start World War 1. Aubrey and
company are starting their first term at university but get side
tracked by an assault on a new submersible ship, an attempted
assassination of Lady Rose, Aubrey's mother, and the reappearance of
Mordecai Tremaine, who is determined to take over Albion.
The series is particularly interesting because of the laws of magic in
the alternative Edwardian universe of Albion. Magic is prevalent and
practitioners are taught to manipulate it and many inventions are
powered by it. The reader is swept from one amazing adventure to
another; never being sure what magical occurrence is going to happen
next. And all the time it is a continual struggle for Aubrey to keep
body and soul together, as he has miscalculated a spell and is
technically dead.
Aubrey is a fascinating if sometimes annoying hero, with character
flaws that the feisty Caroline is starting to iron out. George, the
trusty Albion farmer's son, is the steady voice of reason. Mordecai
Tremaine, a sinister villain, keeps the reader gasping with his evil
and the minor characters are all fleshed out and believable. Flashes of
humour add spice to the story.
Both boys and girls will find this series enjoyable, but it is best to
begin with the first book Blaze of glory to gain a good
understanding
of the setting and the main characters. Older readers who enjoy this
series could go on to the wonderful Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster
Bujold. All in all, a very satisfying and enjoyable read.
Pat Pledger
