Rise of the School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
HarperCollins, 2022. ISBN: 9780008508029. (Age:Older Children, Young Adult) Recommended.
Soman Chainani will no doubt delight fans with this surprise prequel to his bestselling The School for Good and Evil series. Rise of the School for Good and Evil is an unexpected but very welcome story for the canon. Set many years before the adventures of Sophie and Agatha, the novel is concerned with twin brothers Rafal and Rhian, one good and one evil, who are the founders of the magical School for Good and Evil. As in the rest of the series, we are introduced to the school through a new batch of recruits; ‘good’ and ‘evil’ fairy tale characters who are plucked from their lives and quite literally dropped into opposing cohorts in the school.
Rise of the School for Good and Evil focuses on Aladdin, a much harder and grittier character than the Disney version. Somehow, this cunning street thief ends up being placed in the good side of the school, setting into motion a series of events that will pit student against student, brother against brother, and have far-reaching consequences for the realm.
It is not necessary to have read the prior books to enjoy Rise of the School for Good and Evil. New readers may in fact prefer to begin chronologically. The novel is as well-written and engaging as Chainani’s other books and fans can be assured of a story true to the spirit of the original series. There is also an intriguing twist in the final pages, which bodes well for those hoping for a future release.
Themes Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Good vs Evil, Schools, Brothers, Identity.
There are two narratives running side by side here that intersect throughout the story. The first character we meet is Rex; he's a dinosaur who has been frozen in ice for millenia but now finds himself defrosted and living in the big city. He is quickly spotted as an outsider by Mr Foot, a Yeti who is doing all he can to pass himself off as a human. Mr Foot convinces Rex that he'll never be accepted the way he is and that he must also pretend to be human. This sets off a humorous journey as Rex learns all the things he needs to be a human and does all the wrong things (he gets fired from three jobs, goes on a shopping spree with Mr Foot's credit card and becomes addicted to cheesy snacks).
The other narrative thread is that of Sandra, a nine-year-old wanna-be detective with triplet baby brothers and friendship troubles. She is feeling a bit neglected by her parents, and her best friend has up and left her for two other friends and they are all being downright mean to her. She does, however, have a problem to solve (that of the mysterious Mr Rex...is he an alien?) and maybe she can make a good friend along the way.
There are definite messages threaded within both narratives about belonging, social isolation and discrimination. In the end, Rex and his animal friends decide to stop hiding and come clean about who they really are and the parents and children who are forward thinking band together to protect each other and their new animal friends. Even Sandra realises that she is important to her parents even through they are very busy with the babies. While quite a long book it does have colour illustrations on nearly every page which will help with engagement. There are many funny moments, although some of the humour may be a bit inaccessible for the lower end of the target age group.
Children of all ages will enjoy this wonderful new book with stunning illustrations by Tania McCartney. It follows on from the first in the series, Plume: world explorer. In this book, Plume: global nibbler, Plume is determined to introduce his penguin friends to foods with different flavours from across the globe. He and Ava the albatross travel on the Albatross Express to a myriad of countries, different from those he visited in his first book, to experience the tastes and flavours of wondrous new dishes.
First stop is Japan where Plume visits Kyo in a sushi bar. Here he learns how to make sushi with a fiery dash of wasabi and gari. From there they travel to Thailand where they taste pad thai. On they travel to Iran where they have roasted corn cobs and kebabs garnished with torshi. In Ethiopia they try injera flatbread and wat curry. In Italy, pizza, and in Sweden kanelbulle. In Morocco Plume is served a fragrant orange cake called meskouta and in Mexico he makes flautas with Valeria. In Hawaii they are shown the art of the poke bowl and finally in Argentina they dip fruit and churros into dulce de leche. A sweet treat to end their gastronomic exploration!
When Plume returns to Antarctica, he and Ava set up a gourmet tasting table from all over the world for his penguin friends to share. They are not so convinced by the tastes on offer until Plume has a clever idea. He adds a secret ingredient to all the dishes and it’s a winning combination.
This wonderful book is a great addition to a classroom and school library. A gorgeous introduction for younger students to the diversity of countries from around the world: the food, the people, the language and the culture.
"New York Times bestselling author Jane Green reimagines the glamorous and tragic life of fashion icon and socialite Talitha Getty...When Claire arrives in Marrakesh, she’s swept up in a heady world of music, drugs and communal living. But one magnetic young woman seems to hold sway over the entire scene. Talitha Getty, socialite wife of a famous oil heir, has pulled everyone from Yves Saint Laurent to Marianne Faithfull into her orbit. Yet when she meets Claire, the pair instantly connect. As they grow closer, and the inner circle tightens, the realities of Talitha’s precarious life set off a chain of dangerous events that could alter Claire’s life forever." Publisher.
The story covers the life of Talitha, set in the 60's, married to an oil heir. The story covers sex, drugs and rock and roll and it is slow to get through and the story is nothing special.
The first part of the book is very readable but nothing special. The second half for me just glorified the 60's excessive lifestyle of drugs, sex and eating disorders.
Well know author Sue Whiting has written an absorbing historical novel for older middle grade readers based loosely on a family connection. Set in the early 1900’s and using the city of Adelaide, surrounding suburbs and the Adelaide Hills as the setting, Tilda is a story that will both disturb and delight the reader.
Tilda’s Papa is forced to leave his soon-to-be eleven-year-old daughter in the care of the Sisters at Brushwood Convent and Orphanage and join the South Australian Citizen Bushmen Contingent fighting in South Africa against the Boers. Before separating, Papa gives Tilda a notebook, a twin to his own, so they can both write about their life apart. The notebook entries are crucial to the story as the reader gains great insights into Tilda’s feelings and her vicious treatment at the hands of the Sister in charge.
Sadly for Tilda, her life at the orphanage is one of continual bullying and punishment meted out by Sister Agatha. For unbeknown reasons, Sister Agatha is determined to break Tilda and make her admit that her father is not coming back for her and she is an orphan. Tilda refuses to acknowledge this and is cruelly punished time and time again. Fortunately for Tilda, her best friend Annie is the one bright light in her life with whom she shares everything. Through a series of distressing events, Tilda and Annie are separated and Tilda is sent out to service. What follows for Tilda is a time of devastating news but also a time of hope.
The powerful descriptive language used to describe places such as the Orphanage, the Boot Room, Norwood Parade, the East End and the horse and cart trip to Ashton in the Adelaide Hills transports the reader back to the past. The historical facts presented throughout this engaging novel will be of great interest to readers both young and old. A must-have for all libraries and those readers who enjoy historical fiction.
The author of Whose bones? takes the young reader on another interactive journey of discovery as they look at dinosaur bones, footprints, and favourite food to try and work out what dinosaur it is.
The front cover will immediately intrigue lovers of dinosaurs with its skeleton of a Triceratops facing a paper cut out of the dinosaur, and then looking at the back cover the reader is confronted with the skeleton and picture of an Ankylosaurus. The books follows this format: the question 'Whose dinosaur bones?' is asked on a page with footprints and food, and the opposite page shows the dinosaur bones jumbled up. Then on the next double page is a picture of the skeleton of the dinosaur and its name and illustration. For example, on the first page the reader is asked 'Whose dinosaur bones?' and confronted with footprints, food, and mixed-up skeleton bones, making them use their knowledge of dinosaurs to put together the puzzle. Turning the page, the reader sees the skeleton of Triceratops and facing it is a picture of the Triceratops. Children must guess an Ankylosaurus, Stegosaurus, Velociraptor, Mosasaurus, and Tyrannosaurus. Then at the end are the skeletons of a Spinosaurus, Allosaurus, Brachiosaurus and a Parasaurus. The Fun facts double page spread will provide readers with some interesting and unusual facts.
The design of Whose dinosaur bones? is wonderful. It is a sturdy book with fabulous illustrations. The endpapers are intriguing with tiny dinosaurs popping out of their eggs and will provide a discussion point about how dinosaurs are hatched. The illustrations bring the dinosaurs to life. Bright coloured backgrounds make the cut outs of the skeletons, and the pictures of the dinosaurs stand out.
Even very young children who are obsessed with dinosaurs can name many of them and they certainly will enjoy guessing which bones belong to what dinosaur. The straightforward text, bright colours and interactive nature of this book make it an excellent vehicle to encourage curiosity, problem solving and an interest in nature.
Themes Dinosaurs, Skeletons, Problem solving.
Pat Pledger
Moonlight riders: Storm stallion by Linda Chapman
Hachette, 2022. ISBN: 9781408366790. (Age:8+)
Linda Chapman is an English author; a prolific writer with books published internationally. Her series including the well-known My secret unicorn books and the Stardust series can be found in most school libraries. Chapman loves to write animal stories that appeal to younger primary age students. Storm Stallion is part of the Moonlight Riders series.
Books about horses have always attracted readership especially pre-teenage girls. The power and the muscularity of the horse, the one horse who can not be tamed by any other than the one special gir,l is a common trope that works time and again. There is something elemental about it. In Storm Stallion, the team of children at Moonlight Stables, all being matched to magical elemental horses, solve the problem of magical storms that have been damaging their stables.
The viccissitudes of friendship at the pre-teen stage of life, the keeping of secrets, the intense falling-outs and reunions are all reflected in the Storm Stallion. The main character, Amara, has to keep secret the fact that she is a True Rider chosen by an elemental horse called Ember, from Kalini, a girl whose friendship she really desires. Keeping this magical secret creates misunderstandings when Kalini suspects that the Moonlight Stable riders are keeping things from her.
All is resolved when the Storm Stallion appears "... he became stronger and more muscular. his mane and tail turned to white wisps and his eyes were an ebony black. He reared up, shaking his mane proudly.' p. 123. Images of the beauty and power of these horses and the ability of one young person to master and communicate with them are central to the enthralling attraction of these books.
The dialogue between the young people is simple but authentic and reflects preteen concerns. Each character is 10 or 11 years old with riding and competing in mounted games competitions in common. The magic is in the connection to the elemental horses: earth, fire, water etc. Simple black and white illustrations are interspersed throughout the text.
Storm Stallion, part of the Moonlight Riders series is a readable text for those interested in the horse book genre.
It's summer, it's hot and Clarice Bean has NOTHING to do. Even Robert Grainger has a borrowed rabbit to care for. And why does she keep seeing this dog everywhere? Is it meant to be?
Subtitled The story of how we got our dog, this is an addition to the Clarice Bean series that can sit anywhere within the order. It tells the story of how the family dog Cement, who appears in many of the other books, joined their household. Interestingly, Lauren Child meant to name the dog Clement but missed the 'l' in typing. A similar fate befalls the dog within the story. Written and released at various intervals since 1999 the series is just as appealing and accessible to young children today. Child's signature voice shines through as Clarice Bean shares her chaotic but loving family life with us. Her life is full of the independence and sneaky schemes of childhood: she chats to her neighbour across the fence, she walks to the corner shop by herself and she secretly smuggles a dog into the house. Sibling relationships are depicted as messy but ultimately loving. There are arguments, there are indiscretions, there is anger but it is always amusing rather than serious, and towards the end the four children work together to keep the dog a secret from Grandpa. This is all wrapped up within a humorous narrative with superb characterisation. Getting that child voice to sound authentic and writing witty dialogue that is a joy to read and listen to is what Child does so brilliantly. The flow is also fantastic, events organically follow on from one another and there is a great sense of suspense and anticipation even though nothing outlandish really happens. This, along with her usual font variation, means that although it is a rather long text it is easy to get through. Fans of Lauren Child and particularly of Clarice Bean, young and old, will be delighted with this new story.
The Dominion is cursed. Years ago, the Emperor and his Necromancer stole all the colour from the world. Now they keep it for themselves, enjoying its life-giving power while everyone else must exist in shades of grey, until a miracle baby is born, in colour. But her life is at risk from the start - the Emperor's ripper dogs and black coats come hunting - colour has a telling scent and the ripper dogs can always find it. Her parents die protecting her, assisted by a wandering mage. Left with the baby full of colour in his care, Sandy Burns raises her, continuing to protect and hide her colour as she grows. Named Hope, she learns that life is lived colourless for all but the Emperor, and as the only one with colour, she embarks on a journey to bring change to the world.
This adventurous fantasy has so many twists and turns, readers will lose themselves quite quickly in the thrill of the escape and the thrill of colour as a hunted commodity. With well developed characters, the novel switches between view points throughout the book seamlessly, all the while building a story of inspiration and courage. Readers may find it difficult to imagine the world as it is depicted in the book, as colour is automatic in most imaginations of stories, so switching to a 'black and white' narrative is intriguing. MacKenzie has created a lovely novel for readers in upper primary through to high school, with plenty of action, humour and heart.
Gross factopia! by Paige Towler. Illus. by Andy Smith
Britannica Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781913750671. (Age:7+) Highly recommended.
Welcome back to the third book in the FACTopia! series, Gross FACTopia. This time the reader is taken on a journey through 400 of the most 'ickiest, stickiest, creepiest, crawliest, disgustingly marvellous and mind-blowing facts.' Children of all ages will love this book as it contains humourous and quite unpleasant facts! For example, stomach spasms can cause a person to spew vomit farther than the length of a small car, or a hospital-themed restaurant in Latvia served food shaped like body parts – including tongues, eyeballs and ears or this particularly gross one, a woman from Ohio, USA, holds a world record for foot-sniffing. She sniffed about 5,600 feet while testing foot products. There is no topic off limit in this book.
Throughout the book readers are able to follow the dotted lines to work their way through each section. There is the opportunity for those readers who wish to deviate to follow the broken lines to different page numbers to other related topics. The Table of Contents at the beginning of the book contains the topics investigated but also has ‘Fact Frenzy’ sections where the reader can follow a double page spread of segmented information all interconnected by arrowed boxes. There is a detailed index at the end plus information about the FACTtopians as well as a sources page and picture credits.
With visually appealing and cleverly presented illustrations using bright colours and at times modified photographs, this book has so much to entertain and engage readers, both young and old. A must have book for lovers of all things gross!
Themes Gross Facts, Knowledge.
Kathryn Beilby
Her time to shine by Fiona McCallum
HarperCollins, 2022. ISBN: 9781867207887. (Age:Adult - Young adult) Highly recommended.
While very pretty, the tiny town of Melrose isn't where Erica thought she'd be at almost fifty. And working in a funeral home and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, while navigating her grief as a recent widow, is not how she thought her life would look either. But she's committed to her lovely new boss, Walter, who gave her a chance when she so desperately needed it. Publisher.
Based in SA, it makes it easy to imagine the town and the characters. The story covers the life of Erica who moves to the small town following the death of her husband.
The characters are engaging and really come to life with the writing. It's a feel good story, where all the characters seem to be genuinely caring and nice people.
The journey of self discovery and starting anew is warming and makes for an enjoyable read.
Years after the Cursebreaker series finishes, follow Tycho and meet new characters, Jax and Callyn, who live in a little village in Syhl Shallow, called Briarlock. Tycho works as the King's Courier, while Callyn runs her family bakery and Jax works at his father's forge. Callyn and Jax have been best friends for years, and support each other in their attempts to keep afloat - Callyn supporting her younger sister now that both their parents are gone, and Jax trying to survive his father, having lost his mother when he was born. Jax gets the two tangled in a strange postal role - accepting money from 'Lady Karyl' to hold a message which will be collected by another party. When Lord Tycho appears on the same day, they almost mistake him as the intended recipient of the letter - which they've discovered is sealed with the seal of the Truthbringers, the anti-magic resistance that is working in secret against the King. Suddenly, their lives are embroiled in a world of shifting alliances, dangerous flirtations and age-old magic, where deep loyalties will be tested.
This evenly paced, rich fantasy novel starts out years after Brigid Kemmerer's original Cursebreaker series. Readers met Tycho in the Cursebreaker series but now get the chance to know him, along with two new characters who become invovled in his life. The intrigue in this novel is so well written, with treachery afoot as well as potential romance, and threats to the throne. Old favourites are back, along with new enemies and Tycho must prove his loyalty as well as trust his instincts. Kemmerer has written such depth to these characters that readers will feel connected to many of them. Even if readers are new to the world of Emberfall and Syhl Shallow, they will quickly imagine it through the descriptive and immersive writing. Recommended for fans of the original series, but also fans of Lynette Noni, author of numerous fantasy series including The Prison Healer and The Medoran Chronicles.
Dad and his child are depicted together doing the day to day activities that all families do in this gently rhyming tale of bonding and togetherness from British author, Gareth Peter. Looking at his websitereveals his interest in the activities of the home, with young children always in the mix. And the aptly named, Every day shows clearly where his interests lie.
Two pages preceding the title page reveal a range of activities in which the child is involved. These set the scene for the book and the natty illustrations will encourage children to read on. From looking at the stars at night before the child goes to bed, to all the things he does during the day: playing with teddy, drawing his height on a chart, going to the toilet (not quite what you think!), washing the cat, choosing something to wear, racing Dad down the path, telling stories, going to the beach, each has a child focus with Dad or friends in the background. And the basis for the whole is the premise of love, love that emanates between the two, love that overcomes all, love that radiates everyday, no matter what happens or what the child does. The warmth of each situation is neatly captured by Jane Massey, underpinning the text with a comfortable togetherness. A huge range of things is depicted, allowing children to recognise what they do with their Dad and their friends, perhaps storing something away to suggest it when they get home, but recognising that each is a plank in the wonderful family relationship shown. Building this relationship depends on the love of the man for his child, unconditional love, love that is there whatever happens.
Lines from Dad such as ‘you always make me proud’ and ‘saying sorry helps’, gives ideas for further discussion with younger readers, and will point them in a positive direction.
This, the second in the Cranky Chicken series, is perfect for fans of The Super Adventures of Ollie and Bea and Duck, Duck, Porcupine. The layouts are fluid and varied and the book is split into three short, illustrated chapters: Hungry, Hangry Chicken; The Unsurprising Party; and Best Beach Buds. Between the chapters and interspersed within are fun 'brain break' sections, e.g., 'Things That Make Chicken Cranky' and 'Why Buses Make Chicken Cranky'. The story consists mostly of the witty dialogue between the two friends, Chicken and Worm. In the first chapter, Chicken is hungry and Worm wants to help. But Chicken is incredibly fussy. Could it be because it is his birthday but he doesn't want to say? The second chapter is about Worm figuring out the perfect unsuprising party for Chicken and the final chapter sees Worm take Chicken on a beach outing despite Chicken's reservations. Worm is a wonderfully loyal friend and Chicken, while grumpy, is an appreciative friend and a good communicator. He knows what he likes and what he doesn't and isn't afraid to speak up. Worm is relentless and cheery but has gentle ways to coax Chicken out of his comfort zone and uses humour to help him in tricky situations.
This is a beautiful, warm series with subtle undertones about empathy, what it means to be a friend and how people with differing worldviews to your own can be the best friends. The illustrations are simple, funny and complementary to the text. This is a wonderful series for early readers but will be enjoyed by all.
Simon & Schuster, 2022. ISBN: 9781761106811. (Age:16+) Recommended.
Award-winning short story writer Katerina Gibson has put together a mixed collection of intriguing stories about women, women dealing with modern life, interacting with technology and facing climate change. Less stories, and more snapshots of life, many will leave you pondering unsettling ideas and situations: a woman perfecting her social media algorithm, vegan arguments, an assembly-line worker inserting eyes into dolls, a woman juggling the tight schedule of her life and her daughter’s anorexia, a woman losing her identity to another self, another woman unbottling overwhelming anger.
Gibson uses a variety of short story formats, from the stream of consciousness monologue, to a rather one-sided conversation, a social media blog with its ‘likes’, to a flowing stream of text, to diary pages. ‘Intermission I’ is a collection of beginning sentences for many story ideas, the beginnings of many recognisable plotlines with twisted variations.
Some stories are easier to read than others; the variety means that there will always be something that will capture attention. Each reader will find their favourites. For me the final story ‘As the nation mourns’ was a stand-out, about an ecologist who gradually comes to the realisation that her sponsor has motives that undermine all that she has worked for. It raises questions about the best response to conservation in the time of climate change, but also presents issues of identity and self-assertion.
Although Gibson has had stories and articles published before, Women I know is the first published collection. Hopefully, there will be many more.
