When Granny came to stay by Alice Pung. Illus. by Soweol Han
Pan Macmillan, 2022. ISBN: 9781760984991. (Age:5+) Highly recommended.
When Granny Came To Stay is part of a new chapter book series for readers 5+ that is ‘explicitly about diversity, anti-racism and inclusion’. It aims to engage readers through softer and funny stories and shows the real lives and experiences of children living in Australia.
I REALLY loved this book! I don’t even know where to start……
This is a book about Ethan, a grade 2 who loves Destroyer Discs (like Beyblade’s-which you may know if you currently have young children!!). His Mum is returning to work, so his Granny comes over from China to help look after him while she settles in to work. The story simply tells of the building of their relationship in real life, rather than over facetime and how she shares her experiences with Ethan. It shows how Ethan finds certain parts of his granny annoying, the intricacies of school yard friendships, and accepting the differences between everyone.
I love the illustrations; they are such an amazing addition to this book. Sally Soweol Han really captures the families’ emotions and stories. Although they are black and white, I really felt the colourful family life Ethan has with his parents and his Grandparents.
The text is a good size for younger readers, and I love the double line spacing. This ensures that early readers are not overwhelmed by the number of words on the page, but also gives the sense of a real ‘novel’ as they move on from being an emergent reader.
In addition to the great story, the last part of the book also has step by step instructions on how to make Granny’s spinning top that was in the text. It is simple to follow, with diagrams, enabling the 5+ readers to easily be able to construct the top.
What an awesome book! One that I will definitely be adding to my library collection (and all the other titles in the series that I can find!)
Themes Diversity, Grandparents, Inclusion.
Lauren Fountain
Is there anyone better than Henrietta? by Martine Murray
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781761067181. (Age:5-7) Highly recommended.
Is there anyone better than Henrietta? is one full coloured book comprised of four Henrietta stories.The delightful and enchanting Henrietta P. Hoppenbeek is back and she is just full of joy. This is a book that asks to be put straight into the hands of early years teachers for their class read alouds and parents for warm and funny bedtime stories.
Children will laugh a lot with Henrietta and also feel with her as she navigates the common concerns of being five years old like starting school, being a good sister for a new baby brother, being a friend and being actively involved in the real world and the world of the imagination. They will love the play of language. Their imaginations will be fired by Henrietta's hilarious, adventurous approach to life.
Martine Murray is the author and illustrator of acclaimed books. Henrietta and the perfect night which is included in this collection was a CBCA Honour book in 2018. Henrietta, there's no one better (also included in this collection) has been shortlisted for several awards. It comes as no surprise that this book was shortlisted, best book for language development, Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards, 2005. Murray's use of language is playful and exciting. These books are made for reading out loud, for playing with words and for having fun. Classes of children will be delighted with the vocabulary - Sheezamageeza! Oh Lordy! Lordy! Somewhat reminiscent of a combination of Pippi Longstocking and Milly Molly Mandy, Henrietta is really her own self. We see the world through her eyes, through her own first person voice.
These Henrietta stories are an invitation for imagination and play. Adults and children will find inspiration for a lot of sheer fun if they borrow ideas from Henrietta. How about wearing a pair of pants on top of your head with your pigtails coming out through the legholes? What about making some of that favourite, fabulous Chocolate Ripple cake? If teachers combine activities and silliness with the reading of these stories, there will be constant requests for more Henrietta. The stories virtually read themselves as the playful text design highlights expressive speech in bold, in different fonts, in different colours and sometimes by spiralling around on the page.
The whimsical, happy, pencil and ink drawings with gouache colour swirl across the pages accompanied by an equally attractive text design. Comprehensive teacher resources are available on the Allen and Unwin site.
Do introduce the children in your life to Henrietta Hoppenbeek.
This graphic novel is about a couple of ghosts (which although they are illustrated as ghosts, seems like a metaphor for people who do not want to be in the limelight, who are quiet, shy and hide away due to worry and darker days), who meet and begin to form a friendship.
Very quickly we see that Socks is struggling. They talk of their trouble being around people and it is easy to see that they overthink everything that happens around them. SG (the other Ghost) is a bit more outgoing and tries very hard to make Socks feel comfortable, however unfortunately in their mission to find other like them, they overwhelm Socks and they go home to bed, not surfacing for a number of days.
Essentially I think this book is about depression, the realities of hard days and loneliness but also of friendship and how finding someone who gets you and will listen is so important. The Sad Ghost Club 2 explicitly deals with someone who doesn't want to get out of bed or answer the phone for days, how they go back over every single thing they say, do or experience and how a simple thing can become very overwhelming.
These topics are presented in a graphic novel form, and although there are lots of textless images, or minimal text this book says a lot. As I was reading it I imagined middle school to upper secondary students (even young adults) accessing this text and being able to identify with the characters and how they were feeling. It gives simple strategies such as going for a walk, getting out of bed, trying a yummy food as examples of ways to improve your day and then goes to finding your tribe of people who are similar to you, and being able to form connections and friendships whilst being your true self.
I think this book would be a great addition to any secondary library, and even though it is very simple it easily puts its message on the page for the reader to engage with. The illustrations are to be commended as they are the true hero of this book. There are lots of pages with no or minimal words, however the pictures really do tell a thousand words when you begin to look closely and put it all together. It would be a great to study as part of a literacy topic or through Health lessons.
Themes Depression, Loneliness, Friendship.
Lauren Fountain
Prometheus High: How to make a monster by Stuart Wilson
Penguin, 2022. ISBN: 9781761042256. (Age:11+)
Athena Strange is... different. So different that she doesn't fit in at her school, and she gets in trouble at home for her experiments. Then one of her experiments catches the attention of a specialist school - Pometheus High. Held on an old ocean liner, the school is extremely exclusive, only taking a small number of students with a certain... thirst for creation. These students are enrolled to learn how to resurrect the dead, how to create beings. The perfect place for Athena. Right? When her lessons in reanimation and skulkers move too slowly, she decides to move ahead on her own. And since she started weeks after everyone else, it's not like she is finding making friends easy, so she may as well take matters into her own hands. But this ship has science and magic, maybe monsters and a few mysteries, will Athena manage to make it on her own?
The first in a new series called Prometheus High, How to make a Monster introduces readers to the strange world of an unusual high school, where the students are learning obscure science. Following Athena for the majority of the book, different perspectives are thrown in occasionally, giving a nice variety and roundness to the story. With a variety of characters - from fellow students to teachers, or 'creators', there are many characters to keep readers interested. Evenly paced, the novel reads quickly as it is well written. A new kind of Frankenstein mixed with magic akin to the Skulduggery Pleasant series, this series may appeal to fans of these or for those interested in a quirky story.
Although The murder rule does not follow the career of Detective Cormac Reilly from her previous three novels, The ruin, The scholar and The good turn, fans of McTiernan's books will not be disappointed in this psychological thriller. Hannah Rokeby cons her way into the Innocence Project wanting to be on the case of Michael Dandridge, who had been convicted of rape and murder. He has declared that he is innocent, and members of the Innocence Project are trying to help overturn his case. But why is Hannah obsessed with this case and just what is she trying to do to Michael, prove his innocence or his guilt?
Told in alternative chapters, the story is told from Hannah’s point of view with extracts from her mother’s diary written when she was a young woman. Laura’s diary fills in the background to Hannah’s obsession with this case. Her mother is an alcoholic, and it is easy to sympathise with her and Hannah’s actions as more of the diary’s contents are revealed.
Hannah is a fascinating character. Her intelligence and ability to read people shines through, even as the reader is shocked at the way she is prepared to manipulate people to be able to work on Michael Dandridge’s case. When cracks start to appear in the evidence Hannah is left trying to puzzle out what is going on.
This started out slowly as the reader learns about the Innocence Project, the people who work there and the processes that the investigators go through to find the truth. As the story progresses the tension really builds up with unexpected twists and turns, new characters introduced and doubts about what is happening. The last section is thrilling and breath-taking and I could not put it down.
I picked this up because I had really enjoyed McTiernan’s previous books and believe that it would be enjoyed by fans of psychological mysteries like Wych elm by Tana French, Turn of the key by Ruth Ware and The Attack by Catherine Jinks.
Interspersed with intriguing illustrations, V.E. Schwab has delivered an absorbing gothic tale about a sixteen-year-old orphan, Olivia Prior, who is without a voice. Olivia has lived in Merilance, an orphanage, ever since she had been abandoned. Unable to speak, she has become sharply observant, and is clever enough to fight off the bullies that try to prey on her and to see the ghouls that haunt the orphanage. When she receives a letter from an uncle of whom she has no knowledge, inviting her to come to Gallant, she jumps at the chance to have a home of her own. The only thing that she possesses is a journal that had belonged to her mother, and she desperately wants to know why she had been left alone as a baby.
When she arrives, she is not welcome, especially by her cousin Matthew who wants her to leave immediately. But Olivia is curious about the poorly kept house, the family portraits and the ghouls that haunt the rooms. Then there is a strange doorway into another world and unable to curb her inquisitive mind, she enters a strange world where there is another version of Gallant, beautifully illustrated on the front cover of the book. Here a mysterious evil master cruelly rules all. Is this what her mother wrote about in her journal? Is this where her father came from?
Schwab is an expert at building up tension and describing ghostly places. Olivia is intrepid, an unforgettable hero, and Gallant has a ghostly presence. There are dark moments, sad scenes, and complex decisions to make, but the reader is swept along with the vivid writing and fascinating illustrations.
Gallant is for an older audience than City of ghosts and Tunnel of bones, and will be welcomed by fans of Holly Black and Neil Gaiman. Readers wanting more gothic fiction may like to try Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl or move to books like Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfeld or Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.
Sal, Gabriel, Reese and Heath are four gay boys, a close friendship group, in their final years at school and taking the opportunity of the summer break to explore potential career paths. They have been good friends throughout high school and keep in touch via text messaging and facetime when they are not spending time together. At first it is a little difficult keeping track of the different characters as the chapters alternate between the four points of view. But reading becomes easier as they move into their different fields of interest: Sal has an internship with a politician, Gabriel is volunteering with Save Our Trees, Reese is heading to design school in Paris, and Heath is working at a beach bar run by members of his family he hasn’t met before.
The summer break is not an easy time; the friends are separated for the first time, catching up isn’t easy, and they each encounter challenges in the paths they’ve chosen. And . . . there are new friendships, even romances, potential threats to their previous close-knit relationships.
A strong theme in the book is the pressure placed on young people in the voluntary roles they take on; job experience opportunities turn into workplace exploitation where they are driven to work longer hours for little or no money in the hope of a good reference or the entry to a paid position. Sal’s proposed 20 hours a week placement turns into 50 hours unpaid work, Gabriel finds his volunteer opportunity turns into street collecting, Heath’s casual work is high pressure, and even Reese’s short term course is much more demanding than he expected. This is all something that young people are only too familiar with.
However the main take-away from this book, is the value of true friendship. There are many stories of young friendship groups, but it must be a welcome discovery for young LGBTQI+ teenagers to read such a warm and positive story of 4 young gay people finding their way at an age when every teen struggles to work out their future path. With themes of identity, self-expression, parental expectations, youth exploitation, and career choices, Golden boys would make an engaging and enjoyable read, for all young adult readers regardless of their sexual identity.
This small but powerful collection of eighteen stories about real-life people, many familiar and unfamiliar, will be an inspiring read for those upper primary/early secondary children who enjoy reading about others. The book begins with a definition of grit: firmness of mind or spirit; unyielding courage in the face of danger or hardship and a publisher’s note encouraging the reader to find out more. Each four-page story begins with an animated portrait and quote, as well as a question or two for further consideration. Some of the diverse people discussed include the well-known Jesse Owens, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller and the lesser-known Satoshi Tajiri, Elizabeth Blackwell, and Bethany Hamilton. One very recent story is about Li Wenliang, the Wuhan COVID-19 doctor who first discovered this devastating virus. He alerted his colleagues and eventually the world but sadly passed away in 2020. Another story is about Corrie Ten Boom who helped over Jewish 800 refugees escape from Germany but was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to a concentration camp. Corrie survived to spend her life after the war as a public speaker, inspiring others with stories of hope.
These biographical vignettes present a simple snapshot of the real lives of some brave and courageous people. The stories are both readable and easy to understand and lend themselves to further research in greater detail.
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781534492530. (Age:5+)
Bob is a very chatty, humorous and likeable bird but he has a big problem. He cannot fly. No matter what he does and how hard he tries, he just cannot get off the ground. His flock are off on their first flight of the day and Bob is left alone. He practises and practises repeatedly and starts to worry he will never fly. He becomes very despondent but a kind and helpful crow passing by notices Bob crying and offers to help. He also had trouble flying so he knows exactly how Bob is feeling. He tells Bob to take a breath, but Bob is not convinced, after all he is breathing! However, the crow insists that Bob does deep breathing and teaches him how to do it. After a few failed attempts at deep breathing Bob finally masters it and feels great. He continues to practise his flying and it does get better.
This picture book has detailed instructions on how to breathe deeply and would be best read and shared by a teacher or parent with younger children. Learning to breathe deeply can help in times of stress and worry. The appealing yet simple illustrations will delight young children and add to their engagement in the story.
Themes Self-esteem, Wellbeing, Birds, Deep Breathing, Persistence, Friendship, Humour.
Kathryn Beilby
Lift-the-flap questions and answers about racism by Jordan Akpojaro and Ashley Evans
Usborne, 2022. ISBN: 9781474995825. (Age:7+)
While the issue of racism has bubbled along in the background of schools for decades, the recent rise and focus on the Black Lives Matter movement has brought it forward into the lounge rooms and lives of our students and many have many questions. This is to be expected if we accept the premise that 'race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of colour' particularly when 'race' itself is defined as 'the idea that the human species is divided into distinct groups on the basis of inherited physical and behavioral differences.' (Britannica, 2022)
Therefore this book is a timely release that uses a simple lift-the-flap technique to answer children's questions in a way that they will understand. For example, while the Britannica definition can be easily unpacked by an adult here it is explained as 'treating people differently and unfairly based on their skin colour, where they're from, their religion or their family traditions.'
From 'What's wrong with the idea of 'race'? and 'Why is life harder for people with darker skin?' to 'Don't ALL lives matter?' and 'What's racism got to do with me?' this book tackles powerful, pertinent questions in a direct, accessible and thought-provoking way. Even if the reader has not encountered racism, they learn why it is everyone's problem to solve, and how we can all be part of the solution.
There is also a blog post that offers guidance about how to talk to children about racism because "even by the age of two children begin to notice skin colour and other differences in appearance" and there are also the usual Quicklinks to help the reader understand more deeply.
Themes Racism.
Barbara Braxton
The calling of Jackdaw Hollow by Kate Gordon
University of Queensland Press, 2022. ISBN: 9780702263484. (Age:10+) Highly recommended.
What a strange, otherworldly read The calling of Jackdaw Hollow is and how good it is for children to leave their everyday worlds and travel to whimsical, parallel worlds within the pages of a book. Readers of Tasmanian author Kate Gordon's books, particularly the two companion books: The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn and The Ballad of Melodie Rose would notice recurring themes and motifs. The setting of Direleafe Hall is faintly gothic. There is the massive old boarding house, the ghosts of boarders of the past and the adoption of orphans. There is continuity between the books with lonely orphaned protagonists coming to Direleafe Hall after various tragedies happening to their parents. Each of these characters is full of self doubt and troubled by friendship issues and self worth. Each grows to fullness of character and destination.
Jackdaw Hollow, a lonely orphan, is an odd birdlike boy. Parallels are drawn to the birdworld both in his appearance and his pursuits and interests. Kate Gordon has a great fascination with birds; the various ways birds appear and the meaning that they hold would be a study in itself. The front cover illustration by well known artist and visual communication designer Rachel Tribout, presents a portrait of an unusual looking boy- not unfriendly but quite arrestingly haunted looking. The border surrounding him includes thistles (very symbolic), a wooded landscape and an old house with a turret complete with blackbirds flying against a sky which is struck by jagged lightning. The author must be well-pleased and relieved when an illustrator evokes the atmospherics of their story so effectively.
Jackdaw Hollow is a fully rounded character. The reader feels for him as he overhears conversations that make him feel worthless and as he struggles to find a calling. Kate Gordon is able to present the shy, socially struggling, deep thinking type of character so well and reading about the struggles of Jackdaw Hollow would elicit empathy from many young readers as they struggle with the same kinds of self doubt. Kate Gordon's books deal with friendships, with dreams, with breaking hearts, with finding, knowing and staying true to oneself. There is much wisdom dispensed through the voice of various characters including living the life you have, taking up opportunities when they come up even if they don't all work out and knowing when it is best to let go.
The epilogue is powerful and brings the book and the series to a perfect conclusion which points to life, death and another world beyond our understanding. The characters in The calling of Jackdaw Hollow demonstrate courage, tenderness and love. Jackdaw Hollow, although it takes him a lifetime, discovers what is truly important and also something about the fullness of time and continuity.
The calling of Jackdaw Hollow, as a stand alone book or as companion to The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn and The Ballad of Melodie Rose is a somewhat unusual but very worthwhile read for young people.
Highly recommended.
Themes Finding life's calling, Friendship, Being true to oneself.
Wendy Jeffrey
Wayside School is falling down by Louis Sachar
Bloomsbury, 2022. ISBN: 9781526622044. (Age:9+)
Originally published in 1989, the Wayside School series has certainly held up but also shows its age. While still incredibly funny and clever, there are many elements that may concern parents and teachers, making the series more appropriate for the upper levels of primary school. Not only does the book contain name-calling and bullying (fat, dumb jerk), one of the stories involves a student bringing a 'hobo' to school and in another the students discuss why one child is favoured by the teacher: 'Maybe Mrs Jewls got drunk!...And then she danced on top of her desk...And Myron took her picture. And so now Mrs Jewls has to let Myron do anything he wants, or else he'll show the picture to Mr Kitswatter!'. In other incidents a child kicks another in the 'rear end', another wants to knock her teeth our so that she will look 'cute', one of the children declares his love for the teacher and the teacher reciprocates the sentiment, a child is teased for being emotional and the teacher gets angry and holds a yardstick threateningly above a student's head.
On the flip side, none of this is supposed to be taken seriously; these are completely wacky stories full of puns, illogicality and irrational arguments. Like all the others in the series, this installment is comprised of 30 interconnected short stories that all take place within the realm of the absurd Wayside School: 30 floors, each with a single classroom, a cafeteria whose food nobody will eat and a nineteenth storey that does (or doesn't) exist. This is an undeniably fun read for a more mature reader, which will be throroughly appreciated by fans of other dark comedy writers such as Andy Griffiths and David Walliams.
University of Queensland Press, 2022. ISBN: 9780702265464. (Age:8-12) Highly recommended.
This heart-warming verse novel expands the story which started with Kathryn Apel’s 2017 CBCA Notable book Too many friends. In that book, popular Tahnee befriends Lucy, a quiet new girl at school. What Snail knows explores Lucy’s own tale via a first-person narrative.
Lucy moves around a lot with her dad. It’s just the two of them since her mum died – they don’t have much, but Lucy’s dad always says they don’t need anyone else. She finds a snail (a treasure of her very own!) and takes great care of him. Snail is her only friend, and she can tell him anything.
Lucy and Dad do okay on their own, but Lucy is lonely and desperate to put down roots, make friends and fit in. When Lucy starts in Year 2 at yet another new school she quickly finds that kind-hearted and confident Tahnee makes an effort to get to know her, and almost inexplicably seems to enjoy spending time with her.
When Dad is suddenly unavailable Lucy gets a glimpse into settled family life. For the first time she feels what it’s like to have others who care and on whom she can rely. She allows herself to consider if this new community might be a place she and Dad could stay.
This book’s chapters are each made up of multiple short verses. The verses hold interest throughout in varying ways: sometimes the words are in shapes (e.g., snails, a car, a jellyfish); some of the verses rhyme; there are numbered lists, recipes, play-like dialogue, and variations in font size. The illustrations by Mandy Foot are beautifully sketched in the ample empty space on the pages – Lucy (complete with her knotty hair) comes to life while Snail leaves lazy trails across the pages.
Lovely themes of community, environment, bravery and belonging wind throughout this gentle and moving story which gives a real insight into what it’s like to be the disadvantaged new kid who doesn’t fit in, and the enormous difference that kindness and friendship can make.
Comprehensive teachers’ notes are available including discussion of themes and writing style.
Australia’s First peoples have the longest continuing culture on Earth and this colourful and informative book written in consultation with communities and elders provides many fascinating facts to ponder over. This book showcases not the perceived science of white lab coats and experiments but looks at contributions of First Peoples in areas such as bush medicine to bush trackers. Important and innovative thinkers such as SA’s own David Unaipon are also discussed.
The book begins with the AIATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia with smaller maps interspersed throughout to enable the reader to understand where the science discussed is taking place. The traditional Indigenous sciences covered include astronomy, engineering, forensic science, chemistry, land management and ecology. The first scientists passed on the lessons of the land, sea and sky to the future scientists of today through stories, song and dance. The book ends with detailed pages of references and acknowledgements.
The author Corey Tutt is a proud Kamilaroi man and Young Australian of the Year for NSW 2020. He is the CEO and founder of Deadly Science, which provides science resources, mentoring and training to over a hundred remote and regional schools across Australia with a particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. https://deadlyscience.org.au/about-us/
This book, shortlisted for the CBCA 2022 Eve Pownall Award, is an enlightening and important addition to all school and public libraries.
The Locked Room is Number 14 in The Ruth Galloway series, and Elly Griffiths still manages to produce an intriguing mystery and some very interesting historical details about the medieval plague, all set within the COVID-19 pandemic. When Ruth is clearing out her mother’s effects, she comes across a photo of her cottage, with the words ‘Dawn 1963’ written on the back. Coming back to Norfolk she is determined to find out why her mother had a picture of the place, but Covid erupts, and she finds herself organising course work for her university students, via Zoom, and trying to home school her daughter Kate. Meanwhile Nelson has become suspicious about a suicide which does not feel right, and the team finds a series of suicides that family members find very difficult to believe. Add in a mysterious ghost called The Grey Lady, bricked into a house during the plague, a new neighbour, Zoe, whom Ruth is drawn to and the ramifications of Covid, and readers will be drawn into this mystery.
Griffiths exploration of life during Covid will be familiar to all her readers, who will identify with the loneliness and difficulties of working from home and teaching a young child. The awful anxiety of having a loved one come down with the virus is vividly told when Cathbad is its victim. Police procedures during lockdown are described as well and Nelson finds himself at home alone while Michelle is in Blackpool with their son, and this provides an opportunity for Nelson and Ruth to develop their relationship.
The links between The Grey Lady, the apparent suicides of women, her new neighbour Zoe, a woman locked underground and the body that Ruth has excavated are all tied together with some enthralling twists in a dramatic and dangerous climax. Readers like me who love this series will be longing for the next book. Griffiths does give enough background for the book to be a stand-alone for readers new to the series. This includes a page summary of each of the main characters at the back of the book. However, the series is well worth the effort to start from the beginning with The crossing places, winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award 2011.
