The pumpkin eater from Pondicherry by Bruce Atherton and Ben Redlich
Lothian Children's Books. Hachette Livre, 2008
(Age 5+) The humour in this wacky picture book will appeal to children
and adults alike and it is a great book to read aloud. When a monster,
who loves to eat pumpkins, raids the veggie garden, it is time to do
something about it!
Bruce Atherton's rhyming story is lots of fun and finishes with an
explosive fart. Ben Redlich's drawings are truly imaginative and add to
the humour.
This would be a good book for emerging readers who would enjoy the
poetry and rhythm of the story. Older reluctant readers should get a
kick out the illustrations and shortness of the tale.
Pat Pledger
The ghost's child by Sonya Hartnett
Viking 2007
Finding a small boy in her living room one afternoon, Matilda offers
him a cup of tea, and together they talk about her life. She is
ingenuous, open and honest about the love of her life, Feather, who she
met by accident one day on the beach. Her father had taken her around
the world in search of the most beautiful thing, and she found it in
Feather. When he left, searching for his own stillness, she was
distraught and building a boat went off in search of him to ask him why
he had left her.
But the west wind told her that life is for going, not stopping, and so
after seeing Feather, and realizing that he had found what he wanted to
do, she took stock of her life and made something more useful of it,
learning to be a doctor and helping the unsighted. Now towards the end
of her life, she knows her last voyage is near.
Hartnett offers us the most extraordinary writing, disarming in its
perceived simplicity, evoking the most tender and terrible of emotions,
leading the reader to question the most basic of life's values, asking
us to ponder what life is about, why we are here and if love is all
there is. And all the while offering us an intriguing story, with the
most beguiling of characters.
Fran Knight
Anila's journey by Mary Finn
Walker Books, 2008
(Age 12+) Anila's Irish father is missing, but believing he will return
to her, refuses to go to Madras with her guardians, the Hickeys, who
have cared for her since the death of her Bengali mother. By staying in
Calcutta her father will find her. But she must make a living and so
takes her letter of introduction and her portfolio of bird paintings to
Mr Walker at the Asiatick Society headquarters, for he has advertised
for a draughtsman to accompany him on a trip along the Ganges.
The sights, sounds and smells of India during the first days of the
nineteenth century are recalled in detail in this surprising book.
Alternate chapters show Anila's early years, and present events as she
journeys down the Ganges. There is a mystery as well as a loved
childhood to consider, a secretive man on board the boat and a child
found tied up in a courtyard. Many times I was reminded of Kipling's
Kim, as I languidly floated along the river with this odd assortment of
people, looking at India through the eyes of a young girl with an Irish
father and Bengali mother, as well as those of an Englishman
disenchanted with the results of colonisation.
A delightful book, with an engaging story and wonderfully unusual and
diverse characters, this novel will suit the more discriminating reader
from upper primary to adult, who will revel in the most delicious of
writing.
Fran Knight
The Night Garden by Elise Hurst
ABC
Books, 2007
(Age Junior primary) I was reminded of two classics, Tom Brown,
Rose and the Midnight Cat, and Where the Wild Things are,
as I read
this new tale, of a girl who after painting a magical garden on her
window, wakes to go down into the garden, now magically brought to
life. The garden is an adventure playground with trees all misshapen
and curved, hedges the shape of kindly monsters and strange dancing
animals to play with.
Along with her cat, Strange, her imagination has no bounds as she
plays, skips, jumps and runs through the place, until tired she returns
to her bed to sleep. The illustrations are appealingly old fashioned in
their execution, and will have some appeal to the younger reader as
they look into the pictures trying to find different shapes and
characters. Aimed at the pre school and kindergarten, The Night
Garden
can be read aloud.
Fran Knight
Comment: Shortlisted CBCA 2008 - Early Childhood
Pat Pledger
Broken Glass by Sally Grindley
Bloomsbury, 2008. ISBN 9780747586159
(Age 10-14) Desperately unhappy at the sight of his father hitting his
mother, after his father has lost both his job and his own
claustrophobic mother, Suresh decides that he and his brother, Sandeep
are in the way. He thinks that his parents will do better without two
extra mouths to feed and so the two boys run away, hoping to gain
employment in the city. Their life in the village where they know
everyone and are looked out for, is over.
There follows a sometimes harrowing story of the two young boys' lives
in the streets in India, mingling with other street dwellers, avoiding
the police, having their few possessions stolen, trying to keep one
step ahead of the man to whom they sell the broken glass they collect.
At times the story is light, as the boys play cricket with other street
kids, or go to the concert the others arrange, or make friends with
people who give them food. But the whole is bleak and miserable as the
reader comes to see that these two boys are only two of thousands in
the city.
An upbeat end to the story did not for me, temper the bleakness of the
background, but kids in middle school will empathise with Suresh and
his brother as they try to make their way in life. And it's great to
see a book set in India.
Fran Knight
The OK Team by Nick Place
Allen
and Unwin; ISBN 9781741751864; 2008; p/b; 251pp
(Age Upper Primary/Lower Secondary) The funny and very silly adventure
story of a group of adolescents who are thrown together because they
all have a super power. Most of them are only low-grade superheroes who
are still learning to use their powers and so they end up in some very
unusual and often ridiculous situations. The stories are interspersed
with emails, advertising banners, photos and other illustrations so the
reader can look at the characters and their situations in a variety of
formats.
Sue Johnston, Marden Education Centre Library
Comment: There is a site for the book, which is recommended for boys,
with teacher
notes and activities.
Pat Pledger
Mistik Lake by Martha Brooks
Allen and Unwin, 2008
(Age 13+) A generation before, Odella's mother was the sole survivor of
a car crash through the ice on Mistik Lake. Now the whole story comes
to a climax, after Odella's mother is killed in Iceland, following her
abandonment of her family, and Odella meets the son of her aunt's
childhood friend, Violet. All are connected by the childhoods at Mistik
Lake and the dream of flying fish. The characters in this engrossing
story live in or near Winnipeg, and some are the descendants of
Icelandic people who migrated to Canada in the mid nineteenth century.
Some of their strength and life values seep through to the new
generations.
Odella takes the role of her mother after she leaves and so is bound up
with the family, but meeting Jimmy makes her aware that she has a life
to lead as well. Living with him one summer at Mistik Lake brings the
story to a resolution as she learns of her past and why her mother was
so disturbed. An absorbing story redolent of the cold raw lives in
Canada's interior and suffused with the Icelandic heritage, Mistik
Lake
will absorb the attentions of older female readers, and its brevity
will be most attractive to those who want a thin book.
Fran Knight
Comment: Mistik Lake won the Canadian Library Association Young
Adult Book of the Year. It is a totally engrossing book with
wonderful characters and the lakeside setting is beautiful. Highly
recommended.
Pat Pledger
A pact of wolves by Nina Blazon
Allen & Unwin, 2008.
(Age 13+) For readers who like horror with a difference, this is
a compelling story that has murder, witchcraft, a secret society and a
terrifying beastly creature to keep the tense action alive. Blanka
arrives at the Europa International School where she is confronted by
the Wolves, a society of students who prowl the school and seem to take
an instant dislike to her. When she stumbles over a body at the bottom
of the stairs she is convinced it was murder, and is determined to
uncover the truth. With the help of the enigmatic Nicholas, Blanka
investigates and discovers disturbing and frightening things about the
school.
Blanka is an independent girl who rejects the other students' overtures
of friendship and seems unable to forgive what she sees as her parents'
transgressions. Her lack of trust adds to the suspense in the story as
the reader is not sure whether any of the other characters are
trustworthy.
Blazon, an award winning German author, has combined an unusual blend
of mystery and horror with some medieval facts thrown in. Her prologue
where she describes the mysterious It prowling the corridors, is a
tantalising start to a book that was difficult to put down. She keeps
up the momentum with plot twists and turns that culminate in a tense if
inconclusive finale. The chilling atmosphere of the school with its
rumours of witchcraft and torture provide a powerful background to the
murder mystery.
Pat Pledger
The town mouse and the Spartan house by Terry Deary
Allen and Unwin, 2007 ISBN 0713682213
(Age 7-10) Just mention Terry Deary, and all kids know that he is
the author of some of the best historical books around. Never left long
on the shelves, the Horrible Histories are borrowed with gusto. With
titles such as The Vile Victorians and The Gorgeous Georgians, the
books are immensely popular and give kids a glimpse into the past.
Luckily he has now turned his startling mind to books for the middle
primary reader, and they are just as good. The town mouse and Spartan
house is one of the series called Greek Tales, set in Athens, Greece in
430 BC. In The town mouse, the hero, Darius must flee. Both of his
parents have died, and the city is besieged by Spartan forces, bent on
Athen's total destruction. His uncle is a Spartan general and so he
tries to enlist his help to get out of Athens, now also under the
threat of plague.
The general has no time for this scrawny looking lad, and he is sent to
be a helot. But when the general becomes ill, it is Darius, the son of
a doctor who comes to his aid, saving his life.
A funny look at the difference between Athens and Sparta, the tale also
has a moral, It is better to eat beans and bacon in peace, than cakes
and ale in fear, which is proved through the story. Children in middle
primary school will love to read about Darius, a strong willed young
boy caught up in war. Along the way they will learn a great deal of
information about Athens and Sparta, told with economy and humour by
this wonderful storyteller.
Each story is complete in itself, and with chapters and funny
illustrations, will encourage newly successful readers to keep reading
with confidence.
Fran Knight
Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine
HarperCollins, 2008 ISBN 978000722965 9
(Age 14+) Rowan's mum is a vegetable, filling herself with medication to stop the
pain of her son's death, while Rowan keeps the house in order, cares
for her 6 year old sister and shops and feeds the family. Her father
left some time before, berating Rowan that she doesn't see him much
anymore. But Rowan cares for them all, not just those she lives with.
An extraordinary character, she has an amazing amount of responsibility
and is seemingly composed and together.
A boy picks up something from the footpath, gives it to her, telling
her that she dropped it. She cannot believe him, but making friends
with the older Bee at school, realises that it is a negative and when
Bee develops the picture, it is of her brother, Jack. Rowan looks for
the boy who gave her the picture, wanting more information. But he
cannot enlighten her, and together with Bee, there is a mystery to be
solved.
Not the usual journey for a group of friends, Broken Soup is an
unexpected read. The three main characters are quite different and the
circumstances outlandish, but Valentine brings the threads together
mesmerizingly, wrapping them up with smart dialogue and zappy clever
settings. The three are always real, their families easily recognized,
yet the story is original and encompassing. A wonderful follow up to
last year's winner, Finding Violet Park, Broken Soup
defies
pigeonholing and will please middle to upper secondary students. (don't
google the author's name, it is also the name of a sexually explicit
porn site!!)
Fran Knight
Tomorrow all will be beautiful by Bridget Lowry
Allen
and Unwin; ISBN 9781741751604; 2007; p/b; 174pp
(Age Middle Secondary) A collection of poems and short stories
woven around the theme of relationships.
The variety of writing within the book could be used to spark a number
of writing activities for students, eg, poetry, alphabet and comments
under different topics - the one in the book is on girls names, letter
or email writing. There are comparisons too – the one in the book uses
the topic 'there are two kinds of people'.
So, while the book could easily be read and enjoyed as the collection
of writings, I kept being enthused by the different activities I could
use so many of the pieces for with students.
Sue Johnston, Marden Education Centre Library
Note: Shortlisted for the New Zealand Post Book Awards 2008 for Young
Adult Fiction.
The navigator by Eoin McNamee
HarperCollins, 2007.
(Age10+) Owen is a loner, shunned by other people because of his
father's supposed suicide and his mother's inability to cope. He seeks
refuge in his Den, but one day is accosted by a tiny man, the
Sub-Commandant, who takes him to a group of people called the
Resistors. Owen finds himself caught up in a battle between the Harsh,
an eerie group who use the cold to turn back time, and the Resistors
who are fighting to keep time normal.
McNamee has gathered together an interesting cast of characters. Owen
comes into his own, and begins to understand the meaning of courage and
sacrifice. Cati and Wesley, Owen's new friends, are brave and feisty.
Dr Diamond is an eccentric inventor who speaks backwards when time
affects him and the evil Johnston and his cohorts are convincing
villains.
Boys in particular will enjoy the inventive machinery and the exciting
trip to the frozen north, while trying to work out what the Mortmain is
and why it is vital to the outcome of this fight of good versus evil.
Pat Pledger
Scared to death by Alan Gibbons
Orion, 2007.
(Ages 13+) Award winning author Alan Gibbons has written a tense and
scary thriller set in modern East London. One night when travelling on
the tube Paul meets the strange and daring Redman. Fascinated by his
new friend, Paul is lured into doing things that he wouldn't normally
consider: joyriding, staying out overnight and drinking. Then terrible
things begin to happen – a young student Paul had met at a party is
murdered and a teacher is scared to death near the place where her body
had been found. Paul is forced to confront the truth about his
dangerous new friend and discovers shocking facts about a family curse.
This has all the ingredients for a thrilling read. The murders are set
against a backdrop of Jack the Ripper's London and Paul gradually
realises that he is part of a fight against an ancient evil. His time
travelling journeys to different periods of history will enthral his
young readers.
Paul is a very normal boy who loves his mum and his girlfriend Netty
and readers will identify with someone like themselves. His character
contrasts with the frightening, elusive nature of Redman and adds to
the tension in the story.
Readers will enjoy this supernatural thriller, with its frightening
thrills and tense action. The prologue will entice even reluctant
readers and the cliffhanger ending should have fans coming back for
more in the second book in the Hells Underground series.
Pat Pledger
The Gulps by Rosemary Wells
Illustrated by Marc Brown. N.Y., Little Brown, 2007
(Age 5+) The Gulp family pack up their Dreamliner van ready to go
on a holiday to Dizzyworld but disaster strikes on the way! The van
stops and no matter what they throw out to lighten the load, it won’t
start again.
"The car says no! declared Dawn. "This family‘s too fat to roll!"
Farmer Spratt comes to the rescue, but the Gulps, with the exception of
Dawn, adore take away food, don't eat vegetables, watch TV instead of
exercising and find that they are too fat to manage the smallest farm
chore.
As Dawn says, "Somebody’s going to have to exercise and eat right" so
that the van will start again and they can continue on their holiday.
Wells' text and Marc Brown's illustrations make a delightful
combination in getting the exercise and healthy eating message across.
The Gulps, outfitted with rabbit ears, are humorously portrayed, and
children will delight in identifying signs like Belly Up Burgers. Dawn
is a great role model as the only family member who loves
vegetables and isn't taken in by fast food and sugar snacks.
According to the cover, the illustrator lost 15 lbs while drawing the
pictures for this book as he contemplated the message of the Gulps!
This could be a useful book to have available when looking at
healthy eating and exercise habits and the limitations that being
overweight can bring. Teachers may need to use it in a sensitive way if there are overweight children in the class.
Pat Pledger
Woodenface by Gus Grenfell
Usborne, 2007. (Ages 10+) This is a frightening story set in the year 1650, in a real village in the Yorkshire Pennines. Gus Grenfell vividly tells the story of Meg a young girl who believes that the wooden figures she carves have the ability to move and speak to her. There is the Seeing-Eye, which helps her see things when she is not present, Dilly-Lal who dances and Bolly-Bolly who has been carved from a special yew tree. Meg is accused of witchcraft and flees her village hoping to meet her father who has been selling cloth in a nearby town. However disaster has also befallen him when he is charged of stealing cloth and put in goal. Meg is forced to help her father and fight the evil demon that stalks her with the assistance of some travelling performers.
Grenfell has written a compelling and fast moving story with magic and superstition at its core. His writing is very vivid and brings to life a time when people believed that demons could possess people and ancient wood had the ability to come alive. The smells and scenes of 17th England, its marketplaces, taverns, travelling performers, cemeteries and woods and the horror of the gibbet are all skillfully portrayed.
All the characters, including minor ones, seem real. The evil Mr Sutcliffe who is ready to lie and murder to get his own way and the dithering minister are well portrayed as are the children who mature as they face adversity. The power of good versus evil is a central theme and permeates the story.
This book has been put on the longlist for the Branford Boase Award. It is a memorable if frightening read. Pat Pledger
