Ill. by Annabelle Josse. Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 9781921150159.
(Age 3-7) Recommended. Noah has a wonderful time playing in the garden.
He flies in silver seaplanes, bathes with soapy tigers, and rides on
clumsy camels. Just one thing is missing. When will Jessica be able to
come and play with him in the garden?
This is based on the true story of Jessica Titmus,
who was born with a congenital heart condition known as Hypoplastic
Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS).Mo Johnson vividly brings to life the
inner world that Noah has created while he impatiently waits for his
baby sister to come into the hospital garden. His imagination runs riot
as he plays in the fountain, swings on the swing and digs in the
sandpit.
With beautiful language full of imagery, Johnson shows the love and
resilience of his parents and grandparents and how they encourage Noah
to use his imagination to help him over a difficult time.
Annabelle Josse's illustrations complement the text beautifully. On the
left hand side of the page she has drawn an illustration showing what
is happening in the real garden and on the right hand side is a full
page drawing of Noah's imaginative adventure. The plants in the garden
are gorgeous and the people are brought to life with warm expressions.
This is a book that deserves a place in all libraries. All royalties
earned by Mo Johnson for the sale of the Australian edition of Noah's
Garden are being donated to the Royal Children's Hospital
Foundation in
Melbourne.
Pat Pledger
Happy as Larry by Scot Gardner
Allen and Unwin, 2010. ISBN 9781741754810.
(12-16 yrs) Happy as Larry sets the life of Laurence Augustine Rainbow,
born to parents Malcolm, a postman, and Denise against the backdrop of
the cataclysmic world events of the 1990s and the 2000s. Despite the
turmoil in the rest of the world Larry and his parents live happy and
simple lives, protected by their love for each other, until a
destructive friend causes Larry to be distrusted by both family and
friends. His parents lose some respect for him, and doubt each other,
Denise finding solace in movies, Malcolm in alcohol. Both have to come
to an understanding about their own childhoods, while Larry struggles
on with his relationships with them and with friends.
This is a
well-intentioned novel that deals with many issues, what holds a family
together, bullying and how to deal with it, amongst others. It makes
some valid points about family dynamics, but the backdrop of world
events seems to be a gimmick rather than to inform the action or the
characters' motives. It is simply though awkwardly written, and could
be useful in social education classes. Unfortunately it is just not
believable, it being hard, for example, to imagine an 11 year-old boy
who still believes in Santa, and the denouement is both violent and
unrealistic.
Jenny Hamilton
One funky monkey by Stacey McCleary
Ill. by Sue DeGennaro. Walker Books Australia, 2010. ISBN 9781921150456.
(All Ages) Recommended. What a fun counting book! Can you imagine one
funky monkey swinging his torchlight onto a menagerie of animals, all
dancing and grooving their way through the night? There are hip-hopping
hippos, jungle-jiving giraffes, line dancing lions, eagle-rocking
eagles and my favourite, disco dragons, having a wonderful time. The
story culminates in a wonderful conga line as they all move in time,
dancing off the shelves and count backwards.
I loved the rhythm in this book. The alliteration and internal rhymes
make it a wonderful story to read aloud and young children will learn
lots of new words as well as how to count in a very imaginative way.
The language and sly humour will also appeal to the adult who is
reading the story.
Sue DeGennaro's illustrations at first glance seem rather sombre, but
on examination, the reader realises that it is night time and that the
groovy monkey is putting on a show using his torch to spot light the
performers who are moving and grooving all in their own animal ways.
Children will enjoy the whimsical expressions on the animals' faces.
The endpapers show the toy animals stacked on the shelves and provide
children
with opportunities to count them to make sure that each group arrived
home
safely. One funky monkey is a clever, imaginative counting book to delight all
ages.
Pat Pledger
Fury by Shirley Marr
Black dog books, 2010. ISBN 9781742031323.
(Ages 14+) With Lizzie in custody for murder, and the interviewer, a
social anthropologist making deals with her to retell some of her
story; I found it hard to keep reading. Here was the cliched 'poor
little rich girl' playing with the interviewer, telling him and
therefore us of her very odd life, relating events at her very
expensive and posh private school, surrounded with luxury and ease, and
making outrageous comments about other people, particularly those at
her school. Here was a character that I loathed, but the intrigue of
the murder and her reticence at revealing anything about the incident,
kept me reading for a while longer.
To keep myself attuned to the story, I listened to the author, Shirley
Marr tell of the background
to writing the book, and I found this was enough to entice
me back to the printed page. But the girl still did not thrill me. She
and her two friends, Marianne and Lexie, grudgingly accept a new girl,
Ella, into their tight friendship group. The ups and downs of school
life are revealed, with jostling for position with the cool stakes high
on the agenda. Some hints are given of lust triangles developing
between parties and hints are also given of past friendships and
rivalries, while glimpses into the girls' motives are slowly revealed.
The families of these indolent girls are facsimiles of cliched
uncaring wealthy parents, leaving their children at the drop of a hat
while they pursue their own interests. The absent parents, combined
with unsympathetic teachers, allow the reader to develop some sympathy
for the girls.
As time passes, the interviewer gets Ella to reveal more and more,
until finally we hear of the events at Jane's party, which initiate the
murder. But still, Ella is coy about what she reveals, and the last few
chapters must be read carefully as they are fast paced. Despite their
efforts to get help from family, teachers and friends, the events over
the next two weeks shows them taking things into their own hands, with
disastrous consequences. Middle secondary girls will lap up the
background of the private school and the vacuous lives of these very
rich girls, initially picking up the book because of its stunning
cover. That it is a murder will be enough to entice many readers, and I
loved the play on names from Austen and the Brontes.
Fran Knight
The great bear by Libby Gleeson and Armin Greder
Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 9781921529696.
(Ages 5+) Highly recommended. First published in 1999, this classic
picture book is wonderful and deserves the awards it has won: Winner of
the Bologna Ragazzi, 2000, Fiction for Infants Category, and
short-listed CBC Picture Book of the Year 2000. The circus bear spends
her miserable days in a cage with a cold stone floor, and at night she
performs for the crowd, some of which cheer for her while others throw
stones and jeer as she dances for them. One day she seizes a pole
and soars to the stars.
Beautifully crafted by Libby Gleeson, the story of the bear's plight
totally engrossed me as I read the story. I was kept on the edge of my
seat wondering how the bear could possibly escape its horrible
captivity and the image of it reaching for the stars is very memorable.
Greder's illustrations are superb and bring an extraordinary depth to
the narrative. Some, like the beautiful starry night, pay tribute to
the masters, while others bring all the greed and obsessiveness of
human nature to life.
I was fortunate to listen to Libby Gleeson and Armin Greder speak about
the creation of this heart-rending tale. Details at the back of the
book give details about the author and illustrator. Libby's dream about
the story, which she writes about at the back of the book, is
explained, and Greder's explanation of the conclusion of the book is
fascinating.
Pat Pledger
Max Your Marks by Rowena Austin and Annie Hastwell
Allen and Unwin, 2010. ISBN 9781741758795.
Target: senior secondary students. Each year about 200,000
students around Australia sit Year 12 exams.
Probably all experience stress to some degree or another and wonder
just how they will survive to the end.
Max Your Marks was created for this niche market of senior secondary
students after the authors experienced their own children going through
'the dreaded Year 12'. Fifty students who scored over 95 in
the
tertiary admission rank from throughout Australia were interviewed to
find out the strategies they used not only to survive but to be very
successful in year 12. The introduction states: 'they're been
where
you are about to go. The stories they have to tell will help
demystify
what's ahead, and inspire you to shine'.
The book is divided into 6 parts including Looking After Yourself,
Getting the Balance Right and Study Tips and Tricks. The 23
chapters
are on specific topics, such as goal setting; dealing with stress; to
party or not to party and sisters, brothers and boarding house mates.
Each chapter includes a summary page and then advice and anecdotes from
the recent graduates in paragraph form. At the rear of the
book a
'meet the students' section gives the first name, summary and photo of
each contributor.
The informal nature and presentation of Max your Marks will
appeal to
teenagers and the capacity to just read certain chapters and gain some
useful insights is a real plus. I'm sure that all readers will
find
something of use from this self help guide.
Kay Haarsma
No and Me by Delphine De Vigan
Bloomsbury, 2010. ISBN:
9780747599838.
Target audience: secondary students of any age. This engaging story is
narrated through the eyes Lou Bertignac, a 13 year girl with an IQ of
160 who has been accelerated into year 11. As with many academically
gifted teenagers Lou struggles to fit in. On the first page there is a
situation at school where "Brains has been caught out", and she admits
that she loathes talking in front of the class. Later on she states,
"all my life I've felt on the outside wherever I am".At home Lou
feels that her mother doesn't love her anymore, since the death of her
baby sister Chloe. Lou sees violence in silence. In reality the
mother is suffering severe depression and rarely leaves the house.
Lou often goes to Austerlitz railway station in Paris just to sit and
watch the emotions of the arriving and departing passengers, as she is
bereft of emotion at home. There she meets 18 year No, a frail
homeless girl who asked for a smoke.They develop a friendship
and Lou incorporates No into her school assignment, with her
permission, on homelessness. Later on Lou asks her parents
whether No can live with them and they surprisingly say yes, and this
has ramifications on the family.
The other main character in the story is Lucas, a 17 year old classmate
who supports Lou at school and meets and helps No as well. The
plot largely revolves around these three characters and their
relationships. The simple narrative makes the book easy to read.
It incorporates contemporary issues of grief, mental illness,
friendship, troubled teens, neglect, family life and the nature of
homelessness. It is thought provoking, disheartening and hopeful
in equal measures. No and Me was originally a best seller in
France and a feature film is being produced in 2010.
Kay Haarsma
Short and Scary, edited by Karen Tayleur
Black Dog Books, 2010. ISBN 9781742031330.
Middle school. A short story collection sub titled, 'a whole lot of
creepy stories and other chilling stuff' is sure to be a draw card with
upper primary people looking for a good scare and teachers looking for
a collection of diverse short stories to read with their classes. The
stories range in this collection will be attractive to both sets of
readers. Each of the stories and poems are short enough to use as a
template for students' own stories. With poems, very short stories,
longer stories and several drawings, and a graphic story by Andy
Griffiths, this is a short story collection that will be borrowed from
every school library. From its cute size and the scary fingers creeping
around the door, the book begs to be picked up.
Amongst the nearly 50 stories are several by younger authors, Kelsey
Murphy and Ella Sexton, for example, and students will enjoy seeing
something from people their own age. Some are by well known authors,
including James Roy, Lili Wilkinson, Sally Odgers and Gabrielle Wang,
while many are by people with minor publications to their credit. A
list at the end of the book outlines the credentials of each of the
contributors.
A companion piece to black dog book's earlier short story collection,
Short, these books have been published with mentorship in mind.
Published authors have mentored newer and or younger writers to produce
a book where the profits are returned to a mentoring programme.
Outstanding stories include, The Hunt (Heather Gallagher), The
Moth-er
(Lili Wilkinson) and Tooth Fairy (Dianne Touchell).
Fran Knight
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel
Text Publishing, 2010.ISBN 9781921656255.
(Ages 16+) Recommended. Henry, the protagonist in this novel by Yann
Martel, author of The Life of Pi, has written a novel about the
Holocaust. When it is rejected by his publisher, he stops writing,
except to answer his readers' letters. He thus comes into contact with
an elderly taxidermist who seeks Henry's advice about his own writing.
The taxidermist's play concerns two animals, Beatrice, a donkey, and
Virgil, a howler monkey, which in a Becket-like dialogue reveal their
friendship and suffering. Juxtaposed to the play is the Flaubert short
story 'The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitator', in which Julian is
described cruelly slaughtering thousands of animals until he
kills his own parents, an event predicted by one of his animal victims.
At first the taxidermist's play seems to be about the suffering
inflicted on animals by humans, but eventually it becomes clear to
Henry and the reader that the play is an allegory about the Holocaust
and the two animals, which always speak intelligently and with great
dignity, represent its many victims. It becomes clear too that the
taxidermist bears a burden of guilt when he himself appears in the play
as the boy who finally brutally kills both animals. Henry realizes that
the taxidermist is seeking redemption but rejects him, and unlike Saint
Julian who is elevated to heaven after atoning for his crimes against
humans, the taxidermist is immolated in a holocaust of his own making.
Though simply written, the novel draws on many classical and literary
texts to illuminate its meaning. Beatrice and Virgil were Dante's
guides through Hell in L'Inferno and the taxidermist means his
animals/characters to be understood as such for him. While they exist
as stuffed animals in his shop in his play they do not act like
animals, unlike the animals in The Life of Pi. They have the
same kind
of helpless companionship in the face of suffering that Vladimir and
Estragon have inWaiting for Godot. Destruction is a theme of the
novel
but it is also in part about the act of creation, and the difficulty of
using words to create meaning. Henry is forced to think about his own
writing when his novel is rejected. He helps the taxidermist with
suggestions, until he sees this as an act of complicity. The
taxidermist describes both his own attempts to write and the art of
taxidermy, which consists of taking the 'real' dead animal apart and
building a 'new' one that is not subject to the constraints of
time. Henry's experience with the taxidermist lead to his first
writing for some years, the story of Beatrice and Virgil that is a
celebration of life despite the tragedy.
While Beatrice and Virgil does not have the appeal of The
Life of Pi
senior students and teachers will find much to discuss, and to compare
with other recent writing about the Holocaust.
Jenny Hamilton
When courage came to call by L.M. Fuge
Random House ISBN 9871741664447.
Early Secondary. Recommended. As Henry Kissinger said 'Power corrupts:
absolute power corrupts absolutely'. This theme pervades this first
novel. Imm and his twin Saxon experience the horror of invasion,
especially when it is quite unexpected. The graphic death scenes
are a little too realistic.
The story revolves around a country
with many people and poor resources who invade Zamascus. Imm and
Saxon survive the bombings and gather young people along the way. Their
lives change drastically when they meet Knight, who impresses them with
his powerful image and talk. Issues of trust and loyalty are
challenged and Knight is able to convince the whole group to follow him
and his rules! Life is not as it seems at first and very tough
and tragic situations ensue.
This is a disturbing novel even
though it challenges the reader to think about the consequences of war,
its effects on ordinary people and how situations can be manipulated
when people have no options. Not for the faint hearted!
Sue Nosworthy
Merrow by Ananda Braxton-Smith
Black Dog Books, 2010. ISBN 9781742031361.
Sitting on the bottom of the sea, surrounded by the kelp forests, past
the shelf of the beach near where she lives, Neen sees another face
amongst the swaying tendrils of seaweed. She is not alarmed, for this
is the place she feels most at peace, her refuge from the unanswered
questions of the world above, a world where she is an orphan. Her
father died at sea when she was a babe and her mother disappeared 12
months later, some say, returning to the sea from whence she came.
The opening sequences draw the reader in, the switch and sway of the
seaweed almost mesmerizing as the reader ponders the girl's situation
in life. Her unsympathetic aunt draws our censure as Neen tries hard to
be of use to this bitter woman, but is sent off to do the most
difficult of tasks to keep them alive. Her one friend is the blind
musician, Scully, who appears to know more than he lets on, seemingly
giving Neen information through stories about the past. But it is her
aunt's story that shakes her to her foundations, told when a stranger
is rescued from the sea, half drowned and talking of a mermaid saving
him.
The stories ebb and flow like the tide, giving explanations for what
has happened in the past, giving authority to people's lives, but it is
when Neen finds her mother's bones deep in a cave beneath the tide line
that she wonders about the stories she has been told, and where her
story may lie. This gentle story of Neen's coming of age will have
readers following the story with delight as they ponder the truth. For
Neen the truth is the story she eventually tells of her mother's life,
one that she can retell easily: a story separate from those she has
been told. The stories that make up people's lives are slippery and
changeable, just as is Neen's mother's story and Braxton-Smith has
eloquently shown how stories can alter according to circumstances.
Lower secondary girls in particular will adore this imaginative tale
and think long about the stories of their own lives.
Fran Knight
The Ruby Talisman by Belinda Murrell
Random House, 2010. ISBN: 978 1 86471 987 1
(Age 10+) Highly recommended. Angry about her parents'
separation, frustrated by the additional responsibilities at home and
having become non-communicative toward her friends, Tilly goes to stay
with her aunt Kara to provide her mother with a chance to rest and
relax. Whilst there, Kara shares some information about their French
ancestors and allows Tilly to try on a precious family heirloom.
Forgetting to take the necklace off, Tillie goes to bed full of wishes
and dreams of being transported to another life. One hundred and thirty
years earlier, in Versailles, Amelie-Mathilde also goes to sleep
wishing to be saved from a loveless arranged marriage and wakes to find
Tilly alongside her. Almost immediately, the Revolution begins and the
girls embark on an adventure to escape to safety, not knowing who to
trust. As a result of her visit, Tilly influences her friends to ensure
the safety of both her predecessors and herself.
This was an easy and engaging story, filled with themes that affect the
lives of many young readers: family, separation and friendship, and is
simultaneously a coming of age novel and a history lesson rolled into
one title. Although more for female readers, it could perhaps be used
as a class text or paired with a title involving a male protagonist
such as Jackie French's Macbeth and Son. Both novels use the
knowledge
of the modern day protagonist to explain and reflect on the plights of
those in the earlier times. With a French glossary at the front of the
novel and three pages of facts regarding the French Revolution at the
end, this is a most accessible text. A highly recommended read for
readers aged ten and above.
Jo Schenkel, Pilgrim School
Little Else (series) by Julie Hunt and Beth Norling
Allen and Unwin, 2010.
Middle primary. This series of short novels is aimed at middle primary
readers. The include the books Ghost hunter, Trick rider and On the
run. All are about 60-80 pages long with simple, clear, line
illustrations and short chapters. The prose is clear and unencumbered,
with short sentences, lots of dialogue and clear, evocative
descriptions of the characters and the settings. With their
harder than average covers, pleasant size, and an easy to read, clear
font, these will be eagerly picked up by newly independent readers.
Trick rider (ISBN 978 1 74175 878 8)
The first in the series Little Else, tells of Else's time in Ma
Calico's Bush Circus, where she performed under the name of Petite
Elsie, tumbling and leaping with the Flying Giuseppe. But not receiving
a penny for their efforts sees Else searching for the bushranger, Harry
Blast to help them. On the run (ISBN 978 1 74175 878 8)
Else leaves the circus and astride her huge horse, Outlaw, once
belonging to a bushranger, she inadvertently frees a team of ill
treated bullocks, and so is being chased not only as a cattle duffer,
but a horse thief. Ghost hunter(ISBN 978 1 74175 878 8)
Little Else is the leader of a small but ruthless gang of bushrangers.
Needing to have her horse reshod, the gang stops at the blacksmith shop
where they meet Billy Sparrow, the jockey. For the loan of several
horses, Little Else agrees to race the unraceable horse, Long Shot in
next day's race. Winning, she secures her prize of a group of horses
and she and her followers, Lightning Jack, Toothpick, Firebolt Jim and
Dangerous Dan are off to search for the Lost Herd, last seen near Mt
Lost. Adventures come thick and fast as the group must leap over a
chasm, avoid being lost in the back of beyond, and use Little Else's
skill of horse whispering and tumbling to bring the cattle home.
Fran Knight
Need by Carrie Jones
Bloomsbury, 2010. ISBN 978408807408.
(Age 14+) If you thought that pixies were cute little things with
pointed ears, then you are in for a surprise with Need. Zara
has been
sent to stay with her grandmother in Maine after the death of her
stepfather. She is angry with her mother, who doesn't seem to care any
more and depressed that she was unable to help her stepfather when he
collapsed. What makes it worse is that she has seen a tall stranger who
seems to be following her. Zara, with the help of some new friends,
Nick, Issie and Devyn, works out that the man is a pixie and that there
are other strange creatures who change shapes and prowl in the night.
Jones immediately gained my interest with her chapter headings, each
one a different phobia that Zara spends some time explaining. They
ranged from phobophobia, fear of phobias, to merinthopobia, fear of
being bound or tied up. I enjoyed Zara's voice and the fact that she
was into saving the world, writing letters for Amnesty International
and starting a group at her school. This gave her a depth of character
not always found in this type of story.
Although there seemed to be the inevitable love triangle with Nick and
Ian in the first few chapters, it soon becomes apparent that Nick is
the love interest. He is strong and protective and I look forward to
seeing how their romance progresses in the next book in the series,
Captivate.
This book will appeal to girls who enjoy reading paranormal stories.
The combination of a heroine who has pixie blood and fights evil, a
gorgeous werewolf love interest and a luscious looking cover will
entice teenage readers who want a quick light read.
Pat Pledger
Duck for a day by Meg McKinlay
Ill. by Leila Rudge. Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 9781921529283.
96p, Middle primary. Highly recommended. When the new teacher arrives
with a class pet the kids are agog, because it is not the expected cat
or rat or mouse, but a duck. They fall over themselves to see whether
this pet is allowed home to stay overnight as all the other class pets
have been, but are thrown by the number of conditions the teacher
imposes on allowing her duck, Max, stay over. Neighbours Abby and Noah
compete for the privilege with some very funny results. At first they
try to build a pool each, and then conform to the other conditions of a
mud bath and strong fencing. But Abby is the first to have Max stay and
when she finds him missing in the morning, both children work together
to find him.
A delightful story of sharing and working together, this book is a
charming response to a scenario often seen in primary classrooms. The
joy of the class pet is reflected in the wonderful illustrations and
the whole book is joyous to read. The last line, 'It was just a few
small hops, after all' will engender much discussion, as it reflects
the idea of breaking down barriers, of finding friends through working
together, both on a small scale, and then of taking a small step for
mankind, looking at the world view. This is a wonderful book, rich and
multilayered, one which would be a fabulous read aloud in a primary
school, if it is on the shelf long enough for a teacher to find.
Fran Knight
