Pan Macmillan, 2022. ISBN: 9781760984908. (Age:12+) Recommended.
How to spell catastrophe is the debut middle-grade novel by YA Australian author and screenwriter Fiona Wood. Like Nova Weetman's The edge of thirteen this book will be a popular choice for girls aged from 10 years as they grapple with bodily changes, hormones, friendship woes and other struggles and delights of the Middle Years of schooling. With the greatest of sensitivity, it is suggested that this book is really for girls. When talking about it with classes, it was suggested that boys could be interested only if they wanted to know more about girls... and this suggestion was met with much foot shuffling and bashful camaraderie. It is noted however that Wood dedicated this book to two boys. Perhaps she has in mind, a readership of boys who are more aware of the issues concerning girls.
Wood goes, through the first person voice of Nell, to places that girls on the brink of adolescence fear and probably don't care to talk about even with their friends. How to spell catastrophe is therefore a comforting and instructive book for every pre-teen and tween age girl. Similar to the cover of The edge of thirteen, the cover of How to spell catastrophe suggests the feminine nature of the contents. Astred Hicks, Sydney-based graphic and freelance book designer, has created a cover featuring three girls sheltering and supporting one another under a large, red umbrella against a dark blue background complete with rather oversized raindrops. Rather appropriate!
The text is very accessible to the reader. Woods has the teenage vernacular down pat. Poor Nell McPherson, a grade sixer, is our protagonist and the reader sees life through her eyes as she copes with all the worries of the world. Nell states in the prologue. 'I'm still more of a worrier than a warrior.' She keeps a diary so the narrative is interspersed with her notes that appear to be kept in a spiral bound notebook and are about various catastrophes and the solutions to them. Occasionally, we read the contents of text conversations. She loves words and occasionally she chooses a word that is appropriate to her situation, defines it, puts her problem into writing, plans, gives her week a 'fruit ranking' and writes down what she is grateful for. Openly she talks about how she has seen a psychologist all her life when she needs help with strategising and coping with the worries that stem from the death of her father when she was two. This frank and open writing about seeking specialist help with social/ emotional/ thinking skills normalises what still can be a no-no subject in some places. This too is a comfort for the large and growing group of young people who we know are struggling with anxiety.
How to spell catastrophe is a novel that delivers, through the voice of Nell, much warmth and good advice. It's full of humour and looks at life through an optimistic lens. The adults in the book, from the teacher, Alex, to the parents are real and good characters. Wood has created such an authentic view of the current typical year 6 classroom and the interactions within, one wonders whether she has been a fly on the wall. The battle that Nell takes on re climate activism and the role models that she admires constitute another contemporary component of this story.
This is my dad by Dimity Powell and Nicky Johnston
EK Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781922539076. (Age:4 - 8)
Leo's teacher announces that the class's next focus for Show and Tell will be their fathers and while this excites the other children, Leo's tummy belly-flopped. And did another one when Harper asks if their dads can come and share the experience. Because that can be all well and good for some kids, but what if you don't have a dad? And have never known one? 'How can I celebrate someone I've never met?'
So while his children's author mother hunts dragons and arrests aliens and rescues her characters from all sorts of predicaments, Leo hunts through the family photos for something he's not going to find. And then he has an idea...
Back in the day, teachers would celebrate events like Mother's Day and Father's Day with card and gift-making and all sorts of other activities almost without thought - it's just what was done. We didn't really give a lot of consideration to the Leos because two-parent families were the norm - it was rare to have students without that the traditional family structure. But that was back in the day, and now we recognise that families are as individual as the people in them and we cannot take anything for granted. Clearly Miss Reilly didn't get the memo and so this is a timely, important look into the anxiety that an announcement such as hers can make, how carefully we have to tread and how we need to change our focus so that our students are not marginalised or become anxious when what to them is 'normal', becomes apparently not-so.
This is a book to share with a class whenever one of those traditional celebrations rolls around, or the curriculum demands a focus on families. Apart from resonating with many of the children themselves, it could be a time to examine Leo's feelings when Miss Reilly made her announcement. Why did his tummy do a belly-flop? They could also look at the strategies that Leo employed to try to solve his problems. Why couldn't he just tell Miss Reilly he doesn't have a dad? Is he ashamed, angry, embarrassed? But even better, an astute teacher could involve the students in finding a big-picture question that embraces everyone's circumstances. Perhaps something that looks at the ties that bind a group of people into a family unit, rather than its physical structure and perhaps even comparing that to animal families. More able students might like to consider whether a wedding ring makes a family, and delve into the traditions and purposes of marriages, including cultural aspects.
While the structure of a family becomes more and more diverse and accepted, and the kids themselves don't look sideways at two mums, two dads, no mum, no dad and every variation in between which also reaches into the extended families, Leo's story is a reminder that, nevertheless, we need to tread carefully and between Powell's writing and Johnston's illustrations, we not only have a great heads-up for teachers but also a book which appears to be for littlies but which can enable older students to examine their own perspectives at arm's length, perhaps even reflect on their own situations and how that has shaped them.
Author combination Antonia Pesenti and Hilary Bell have written a creative and ingenious book about summer holidays. From the bold endpapers featuring a different analogue time front and back, to the collage-style brightly coloured full page illustrations, this book will remind the older reader of summer holidays past. Reminders of waiting an hour to swim after eating lunch, swooping magpies, charcoal black sausages on the barbecue, mozzie bites, bushfires, eating mangoes and Neapolitan ice-cream, these are all memories for many living in Australia. The use of highlighted time words including forever, eternity, instant, ages and evening, will provide primary school teachers with the perfect book to use an as introduction to a unit of work on Time. The rhyming text is both cleverly constructed and complex, and the book will be best shared with between an adult and child.
Themes Summer, Time, Holidays, Memories.
Kathryn Beilby
You don't have to be loud: A quiet kid’s guide to being heard by Ben Brooks
Hachette, 2022. ISBN: 9781526362872. (Age:9 - 12)
Ben Brooks, well known author of the popular Stories For Boys Who Dare to Be Different, Stories For Boys Who Dare to be Different 2, and Stories For Kids Who Dare to be Different has written this latest book for those children who do not always feel comfortable speaking to others and who would rather be alone than with company. The author has used personal experiences and feelings from his own life to share with readers. He breaks down what ‘shy’ and ‘quiet’ mean and gives examples of people with similar traits who have quietly achieved amazing things.
You Don’t Have to be Loud is begins with an introductory chapter: You’re Not Alone and the quote, 'Quiet people have the loudest minds.' (Stephen Hawking). The author reveals that he was always a quiet child, and this led to him doing some strange things. He admits he is less shy now as an adult but is perfectly comfortable being the quiet person in the room. There are seven chapters in this book with the headings: What is Shyness?, Everyone’s Different, Practice Makes Perfect, Everyone Belongs Somewhere, Your Time Online, The Glory of Being Alone and You Don’t Have to Be Loud. Each chapter has extensive information and anecdotes to share but it is cleverly interspersed around humorous images, large bold fonts, bright orange borders and features, as well quotes and important sayings. In the final pages there are lists of resources, references, as well as a comprehensive index.
The wisdom and ideas shared by Brooks in this book are considerable and may prove to be a challenge for some readers but with adult guidance and support for those who require it, there is much to be shared and learnt.
Themes Wellbeing, Personal Issues, Self-awareness, Self-esteem, Mental Health, Social Interactions.
Paws is an easy to read heart-warming book about Alex, an eleven-year-old autistic boy looking for a best friend before he goes to high school. He loves dogs and his best friend is his cockapoo dog called Kevin. I wish I had a Kevin, and I am not a dog person. Give me a cat any day. Kevin was so cool and cute and helped Alex so much. Every kid should have a Kevin. Anyone that loves dogs would really love this book.
Kate Foster has done a brilliant job getting me as a reader to see the internal struggles that Alex goes through every day to understand social and emotional cues. No autistic child is the same and this is one story of how Alex sees the world and the obstacles he goes through to belong.
Alex is in his last year of primary school and thinks he needs to make a best friend before he goes to high school so he has a friend there with him. Alex is obsessed by dogs and PAWS the Dog Show is coming to town. And what better way to make a best friend but by entering a competition and winning a trophy. You can always get a best friend if you have a trophy. The fun Alex has with Kevin is cute.
I found Paws a great book about caring and inclusion and how people can be your friend without you knowing it. It shows the struggles a boy like Alex has at school and how he tries to copes.
I think Paws is a great book to read as a class and go through the discussion questions at the end of the book. The questions that Foster included at the end of the book would be greatly appreciated by teachers.
Themes Autism, Friendship, Dogs.
Maria Komninos
Saving the butterfly by Helen Cooper and Gill Smith
Walker Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781406397208.
Older sister and younger brother have fled their homeland, the only two to survive the perilous boat trip to safer waters, where helping hands gave them sanctuary. And even though they had nothing from before, except each other, older sister said they were lucky because they could have lost so much more.
But while younger brother didn't think about that for long and began to make new friends and learn new things, older sister dwelt in the past - she felt she shouldn't forget and gradually a shadow fell over her mind, as dark and gloomy as their meagre surrounds. Until one day, younger brother captures a butterfly and brings it home. 'Set it free!' cries the older sister, but in its panic it bashes into the walls... Eventually it tires and settles on her hand and doesn't leave, as though it senses her pain. Older sister knows what she must do but does she have the courage...
This is a poignant story, sadly a repeat of so many times when people have had to flee their homes, and even today, it is happening again... It reminds us that there is so much more to starting again than the relief of reaching a safe harbour. Matching the lyrical text are stunning illustrations whose palette mirrors the mood perfectly, contrasting the darkness of older sister's thoughts and feelings with the hope offered by the bright butterfly.
With so many of our students having found themselves in the predicament of both older sister and younger brother, this is an insight into that long period of adjustment, the grief and fear that must be worked through, and the changes that must be made so we can be more sensitive to the needs of these children. It is so much more than just a story about refugees.
I am a fan of retellings of fairy tales and was immediately drawn to this slim hard back novella, a story about a princess named Imelda and a prince named Ambrose, who are married for a day and a night. Imelda is poisoned and the only way she can be saved is by forfeiting their love. Then a meeting with the witch who have cursed them, gives them the opportunity to regain that love. Facing many adventures including a beaver, strange landscapes, cannibals and a wicked fairy, the pair begin to get to know each other again.
A short book, Once more upon a time was just what I needed to get out of a reading slump as well as leaving me feeling happy and relaxed. The introduction of a talking cloak that thinks he is a horse adds many laugh aloud moments with his sharp and witty dialogue. The struggles that both Ambrose and Imelda face as their feelings grow give a contemporary feel to the fairy tale. Imelda does not want to be tied down. As one of The Twelve Dancing Princesses she has faced that with the magic slippers that her father had made them wear, and she wants to be free without the obligation of love. Ambrose, the middle brother, must learn to trust love, after being disappointed by his family.
This was a feel-good story, yet with enough adventure and danger to keep me glued to the page as Imelda and Ambrose strove to gain the potion that the witch demanded. There are many small gems of wisdom for the reader to ponder, including in the Epilogue: 'The king and queen did not live happily, but hopefully, ever after.'
Themes Fariy tale retelling, Love.
Pat Pledger
Playing at the border by Joanna Ho and Teresa Martinez
HarperCollins, ISBN: 9780062994547.
'Feet planted on the soil of one nation, eyes gazing at the shores of another, Yo-Yo Ma played a solo accompanied by an orchestra of wind and water.'
On April 13, 2019, on the US banks of the Rio Grande he played a piece of music hundreds of years old to an audience on the opposite banks in Mexico to show that building bridges is so much better than building walls.
But this is more than just a story of one man playing a cello alone to be heard by a few - this is the story of a renowned cellist, himself a blend of cultures as he was born to Chinese parents in France and raised in the US. Because his fingers were too small for a double bass, as a little child he chose the cello - and its particular blend of international origins is woven into both the story and the music. And from its strings comes the music dancing 'over rocks and rivers and walls into the sky', born in Germany 300 years before, lost, then found in Spain, and renewed in the US to unite those who had once been one but who were now separated...
Connecting cultures and countries through music was Yo-Yo Ma's ambition when he began the Bach Project in 2018, reviving the rare cello solos which 'create the sound of harmonising melodies on one instrument' there was a much symbolism as there was entertainment on that day in 2019 when the people of two nations momentarily joined together again, in defiance of the rhetoric and actions of the then POTUS. And in Johanna Ho's text, which is as lyrical as the music itself, we discover that there were many more than just two nations involved in making it happen.
As the clock ticks around, and pages are pulled off the calendar, it seems no time at all when a favourite that surely was just released yesterday, celebrates an important anniversary. Recently it was the 120th anniversary of Peter Rabbit, this time it's Bruce Whatley's The Ugliest Dog in the World. Surely it's not 30 years since I first heard the hoot of children's laughter as they pored over the hilarious text and illustrations in this classic! I particularly remember the kids labelling the 'lady next door' as Ms ... (a colleague) 'because she looks just like her!' Out of the mouths of babes, and, in this case, some things can't be unheard - even 30 years on.
This is the perfect book for teaching this generation about 'beauty being in the eye of the beholder', that everyone views the same thing differently, and that body image really doesn't matter. And even if the dog doesn't meet the standards for Crufts, it still brings love and joy to its owner and that's all that matters.
Only the best books endure, and this is one of those.
Themes Dogs, Body Image.
Barbara Braxton
Genie and Teeny Make a Wish by Steve Lenton
HarperCollins, 2021. ISBN: 9780008408206.
Grant the genie is like most other genies because he lives in a lamp and is magical, but because he gets his words mixed up his wishes often go wrong. So when he conjures up a large snake instead of a birthday cake for Queen Mizelda, he is literally tossed out of Genie Land. His lamp lands on Earth but it so bashed and battered he has to find a new home - which he eventually does, in an old teapot.
Grant is very lonely until he meets the puppy, Teeny. Then Genie and Teeny are kidnapped by the evil purple-loving Lavinia Lavender, and find themselves on-course for a rollercoaster of an adventure - when all they really want is a place to call home.
This is the first in a new series of adventures that is perfect for those just starting out reading novels. There is an invisible narrator who speaks directly to the reader inviting them into the story as well as all the textual supports of short chapters, larger and more varied fonts, and plenty of illustrations. And being a series the promise of more adventures to come is a bonus.
Andi McNulty has just turned eighteen, but when she wakes the morning after her birthday, she is alone in a motel room, unable to remember what happened - and she's covered in blood. The TV is on and Andi hears her own name - her family is on the news, her father has been murdered, her mother is only barely alive in a coma and her little brother Josh is missing. Suspect Number One is Andi, but she couldn't have done this, right? She's on the high school field hockey team, she is a caring big sister and her whole family is happy. What happened to her near-perfect life? Finding herself alone and unsure of where to turn, Andi teams up with the strange, yet sympathetic Nate who works at the motel. Andi has to clear her name, find a murderer and save her brother - who is missing without a trace.
This mystery suspense novel is told from Andi's perspective, starting out with her waking in the motel room. Questions are a constant theme through the whole book, though there is a lack of urgency, and not much action for the majority of the book. While the writing is adequate, the story lacks some depth that many murder mysteries that have been published in the last few years have had. The story also goes back and forth a few times on the same questions, seeming to go around and around without true direction, but the story does slowly move forward. While not as exciting as some other YA mysteries, still a decent read.
Themes Mystery, Murder, Suspense, Family Relationships, Secrets.
'Anatomy' is set in Edinburgh, 1817, a time of advancing medical knowledge, but also a time when the gentleman physician, learned in Latin, was highly esteemed, while the common surgeon was held in lower standing, mixing with the lower classes, and relying on the brute strength of his hands. Hazel is a young lady, destined to marry her cousin Bernard and become Lady Almont, but due to the quirks of her largely neglectful upbringing, is fascinated by the sciences of anatomy and medicine. An early scene sees her experiment on a dead frog, trying to reignite life, in the style of Frankenstein.
The early chapters set the scene for what follows. Hazel is determined to be her own self, and follow her dreams, at a time when women’s future security was dependent on securing an advantageous marriage. Austen’s Sense and sensibility was a novel of the times. Hazel, however, disguised as a man, determines to attend anatomy lectures and surgery demonstrations. Her path crosses with Jack, a resurrection man, who steals bodies from the graveyard for surgeons to dissect. This is the beginning of a romance. But the real love story in this novel is the love of anatomy, and the quest for female autonomy and independence.
This is an unusual novel combining romantic historical fiction with macabre mystery and horror. It is well written with interesting characters and keeps the reader enthralled until the last strange turn of events that suggest there may possibly be a sequel, something I think readers of this novel will no doubt welcome enthusiastically.
Dana Schwartz’s website provides discussion questions about the novel and links to interviews with the author.
Pan Macmillan, 2022. ISBN: 9781529095241. (Age:Adult) Recommended for adults.
The Atlas Six is advertised as 'The runaway Tiktok must-read fantasy novel of the year,' enough to make any fantasy fan want to pick it up. The Alexandrian Society is a secret society that preserves all the knowledge from ancient civilizations. It is an exclusive club that guarantees wealth and power to anyone who is invited to join it. Atlas Blakely approaches six young people to see if they are prepared to join. Even though they are warned that only five will survive, all agree to spend a year to try and quality for the honour of membership. All have different powers that are important to the Society:
Libby Rhodes and Nicolas Ferrer de Varona: inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds. Reina Mori: a naturalist who can speak the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali: a mind reader whose powers of seduction are unmatched. Tristan Caine: the son of a crime kingpin who can see the secrets of the universe. Callum Nova: an insanely rich pretty boy who could bring about the end of the world. He need only ask. (Publisher).
As time passes for the characters, they are given instructions and dangerous quests that test their ability to problem solve and use their unique skills. The reader, knowing that only five of them will survive, is kept alert trying to work out which one could be eliminated and how this would be done. Each chapter is told in the voice of one of the characters, giving the reader one perspective on what is happening and insights into the feelings and beliefs of that person. Like Gallant by V.E. Schwab, the book is interspersed with illustrations, this time of each of the main protagonists. They are not labelled, and it is fun to try and work out who is portrayed.
This is a very dark story with some scenes of a sexual nature that make it unsuitable for a younger audience, but adults who like fantasy will find it very intriguing with a fascinating conclusion that leaves an opening for a sequel.
Pat Pledger
Good night to your fantastic elastic brain by JoAnn Deak and Terrence Deak. Illus. by Neely Daggett
This significant new non-fiction book, Good Night to Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, written by two psychologists has been released in picture book style and is easy to read and understand. The book explains the brain, in just enough detail for children, its function and how to care for it by getting enough sleep. This well written factual story follows the journey of the brain, described as a big pink walnut, from how it works during the day to what it achieves when we are asleep. Children are initially introduced to what the brain does and then it goes on to describe the parts of the brain and their special job. The authors have used correct scientific and medical terminology (with pronunciations of more difficult words in brackets) throughout the book when describing the brain and how it functions. Double page spreads cover topics such as how your brain develops, gains control, remembers, forgets, energizers, takes a bath and dreams. Each topic is complemented with large bright and colourful images and diagrams, as well as text boxes giving further information. New or important words are capitalized and highlighted in bold colours.
This is a valuable book to be shared between children and adults, especially the section on what happens if you are unable to sleep well and how to improve your sleep.
Themes Brains, Health, Children.
Kathryn Beilby
Rainbow Grey: Eye of the Storm by Laura Ellen Anderson
Farshore, 2022. ISBN: 9781405298704. (Age:7+)
Rainbow Grey: Eye of the Storm is the second in the Rainbow Grey series, which is British author and illustrator Laura Ellen Anderson's second series of books following the well-known Amelia Fang books.
Anderson is foremost an illustrator. She is the illustrator behind the relaunch of Enid Blyton's Famous Five series and Cornelia Funke's Dragon Rider series. She created the Evil Emperor Penguin series of graphic novels for Junior primary/primary children. She is passionate about illustration. This is obvious from a brief flip through Rainbow Grey Eye of the Storm. Illustrations border pages, fly across pages, burst from dark and light backgrounds and bleed across double spreads. The exuberance of the illustrations is mirrored in the stories that accompany them but somehow it seems that the story must fit the pictures; the pictures drive the text.
Notwithstanding this, the text is energetic, the adventures bounce along and there is magic. Anderson loves to play with words. There is plenty of rhyme and rhythm, much alliteration, much nonsensical amusement and entertainment, much repetition and bouncy repartee. The fantasy/adventure storyline is like others with which children would already be familiar. There is a map of a fantasy world and accompanying descriptions complete with imaginative place names. There is a cast of characters, with funny names and there is a central character Ray Grey with her friends and opponents. Like other fantasy stories, the hero and friends have to find their inner strengths/magical powers and save the world. The point of difference with the Rainbow Grey series is that the fantasy world is located in the earth's atmosphere - not in outer space or perhaps underground as is more usual. The characters channel the powers of the weather: wind, rain, sun and rainbows. Ray develops her secret weather powers and strives to save Earth and the "Weatherlands" from destruction by evil pent-up age old forces.
The style of the narration of Rainbow Grey: Eye of the Storm is an acquired taste. The uninitiated young reader may need support through read alouds in order to accustom themselves to the unusual vocabulary and idiomatic, pun style humour. They will need the ability to suspend disbelief and a level of concentration in order to follow the antics and understand the motivations and relationships of the multiple characters. Once accustomed to the style, the reader will begin to see the serious message in the book begin to emerge - that is that the earth needs weather and every type of weather influences the other.
A lot of warmth and heart emerges from Rainbow Grey: Eye of the Storm. After restoration of the Weatherlands and the gentle treatment of the death and afterlife of La Blaze, a sun weatherling, the united friends fly on the cloud cat to a vantage point on the dark side of the Earth where they can view the stars and muse on the fact that though their enemy is still out there, they can return, strengthened, to deal with her in the next book in the series...
Rainbow Grey: Eye of the Storm is a light, fun-filled book, second in a series, which may be enjoyed by younger primary children.
