Text Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 9781922458346. (Age:14+) Highly recommended.
Finn is a highly driven swimming champion, constantly running, challenging himself to the extreme. It’s not long before the reader realises that maybe there is something he is running from, a reason why he is constantly pushing himself, never slowing very long to stop, think, and recollect things from the past. The face that he sees in the crowd and leads to him losing a swimming competition, is not just a chance mistake. There is something seriously wrong that Finn just does not want to face.
There are three people who care about Finn and challenge him to delve into his motivations: his older sister Connie who remains loyal and committed to supporting him, the confronting feminist student Aaliyah with her probing questions, and his new friend Loki who seems like the perfect mate until he reveals that he is gay.
Hendrick’s novel is fast-paced and keeps the reader engaged. Gradually the pieces come together and we realise that there are serious issues being depicted here: domestic violence and coercive control, and the child’s problem of trying to reconcile two opposing images of the loved father and the violent abuser. And then there is the horror of realising that Finn himself is at risk of perpetuating the same abuse that his father enacted towards his mother.
All of this is explored within the framework of a mystery novel, with a revelation that is not quite unexpected at the end. It is a well crafted story that keeps the reader engaged, though some might seek a better resolution of some of the issues raised.
This combined effort by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny is a political thriller based around the experience of a U.S. Secretary of State trying to defuse global terror attacks. It is a taut and tense fight against time to discover the whereabouts of nuclear bombs, and track down the mastermind behind them.
Secretary of State Ellen Adams and her counsellor, best friend Betsy, work together in an environment where it is impossible to know who is trustworthy and who is suspect, as it becomes apparent there is a high level leak in the government.
Followers of world politics will enjoy the references to former President Dunn (or Dumb) whose foolhardy policies have jeopardised U.S. security, and the British Prime Minister Bellington with hair askew. There are probably many more inside jokes for those in the know. What the novel does reveal is the high level of clever diplomatic strategy required working in foreign relations. Ellen Male is incredibly astute, calm and calculating in her exchanges with world leaders. She and Betsy are two strong women of intelligence, working together to outmanoeuvre their enemies.
Penny’s writing keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, as the clock ticks down, and Ellen and her offsiders desperately try to put the clues together, following twists and turns of subterfuge. And while the major villain seems to be an international terrorist, there is possibly an even greater evil within America itself, radical right wing groups who see themselves as true patriots, neo-Nazis, willing to destroy the country in order to perpetuate their vision.
State of terror will be of interest to readers who enjoy a good thriller, and also to those interested in world politics. The issues are very relevant to current times.
Themes World politics, U.S. politics, Terror, Secret intelligence, Extremism, Revenge.
What a book! Beautifully bound in a red, hard back cover featuring a golden key and a scattering of gold stardust, with illustrations by Kristina Kister, the presentation of The book of stolen dreams is a credit to its publishers- Usborne Publishing Ltd. The care taken with the publication of this book is surely a measure of its literary worth; The book of stolen dreams is a treasure.
This is the debut book for young people for writer, director, producer David Farr who has always wanted to write for children.The power of his storytelling and the tightness of the plot and structure suggests that the idea of The book of stolen dreams has been with Farr for awhile. Such is the action and the atmosphere, one can see that this book could be well adapted to the screen and theatre. It is set variously in a kind of dystopian world complete with strange airships, like something from a Shaun Tan painting, in olde worlde English bookshops and crumbling orphanages and in a city that has had the life crushed out of it by a totalitarian military regime.
Eleven year old Rachel Klein and her brother, thirteen year old Robert are orphaned. Their once beautiful land of Krasnia is in the hands of an evil dictator, Charles Malstain, whose regime smacks of certain regimes of the past and of our time. The contemporary nature of this can only add to the interest of the middle years readership. Rachel and Robert, receive the book of stolen dreams into their care from their father who was captured and taken away. The book of dreams, which gives the power of immortality, is missing one page and the two children must track it down whilst keeping the book out of the hands of Malstain and his henchmen. They have to call on deep reserves of bravery and trust as they face terrible dangers,grief and dilemma... and a family of ghosts.
The theme of censorship, fear, the crushing of freedom and the courage of those who fight against evil regimes envelops this story. This is all heavy stuff but dear reader we have our character narrator to help us cope with the horror. Is it David Farr? It doesn't matter. The story is fearful. We need a storyteller who speaks straight to us; tells us to look up, tells us what we see, calls us "my dear friend and reader...dearest and most fond reader..." stays with us until the end and finishes the story beautifully. Such a narrator is a comfort.
Interlaced between the chapters, most of which are dedicated to our main protagonist Rachel and some to Robert, are the fifty exquisitely illustrated poems that are found in the magical book of dreams. On completion of the mission, Rachel is faced with a very, very difficult dilemma where her moral compass and belief in service to the other over herself is tested to the max.
As readers will be wanting more of the adventures of Rachel Klein, the news at the end of the book that there is more to come from the world of David Farr, is very welcome indeed.
The book of stolen dreams is highly recommended not only to the individual reader but also as a read aloud in the classroom or school library.
Themes Immortality, Dictatorships, Grief, Courage, The moral compass.
Wendy Jeffrey
The secret of Splint Hall by Katie Cotton
Anderson Press, 2022. ISBN: 9781839131967. (Age:10+) Recommended.
Eleven year old Isobel and her family, older sister Flora, and mother Julia, are moving to the country to live in the family home, Splint Hall, after their home was destroyed by bombs during the War - WWII. While the war has ended, the impacts are still being felt with rationing, rebuilding and adjusting to life without their father. Moving in with their aunt and her husband, the dreadful Mr. Godfrey, they find the hall to be miserable and mysterious. The girls begin to explore and start to uncover secrets and a family legacy - leading them on a adventure to discover the truth of the legacy.
Starting out with the family moving to the country, the scene is set for mystery and hardship straight away. While accurately depicting the hardships of post war life, this lovely historical fantasy adds intrigue and interest through having a variety of characters, some loveable, some detestable. The first part of the book details the new life the girls find themselves in, and sets up multiple mysteries. The second part of the book reads quickly, as answers are found and the most adventure occurs in this part of the book. The chapters aren't too long, perfect for middle grade readers. The tone throughout the book is pleasant even with some unlikeable characters. Would suit fans of The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea series by Thomas Taylor and the Land of Roar series by Jenny McLachlan.
Themes Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Great Britain, Post WWII, Mystery, Adventure, Relationships.
Melanie Pages
Grow! A children's guide to plants and how to grow them by Riz Reyes and Sara Boccaccini Meadows
Grow: A Children’s Guide to Plants and How to Grow Them has a striking cover that will immediately catch the eye of the reader. With the cover showcasing vibrant and colourful plants and insects, as well as embossed floral vertical letters spelling out the word ‘grow’, this book will appeal to all budding horticulturalists and gardeners. It is written by Riz Reyes, a horticulturalist, speaker and educator who grew up in the Philippines on a fruit plantation and eventually moved to the United States with his family. He studied horticulture at the University of Washington and is passionate about sharing his love of growing plants with others.
The book begins with a heartfelt introduction from the author which is followed by the contents page which has fifteen four-page chapters beginning with the mint and ending with orchids. Other plants studied are lettuce, mushrooms, daffodils, tomatoes, apples, kale, carrots, aloe vera, tea plants, maple, bamboo and pumpkins. Each plant has their hero status explained as an introduction. For example, mint is the hero of aroma and remedy, and apples are the heroes of heritage and history. Following on from this is general information about the plant set out clearly, surrounded by white space, and beautifully detailed labelled illustrations painted in watercolour. Important facts are contained in separate text boxes. Each chapter also contains information about family members, how to grow your own, as well as a potted history. On the final page is a glossary and plant classification table.
This book has a place in all libraries and would make a perfect gift for a young gardening enthusiast.
When your students are introduced to those who opened up this country to others, do their investigations focus on those of the 18th and 19th centuries who trekked into areas they thought were unknown, in search of whatever they could find to make them (or their sponsors) more money?
Or do they go beyond the usual familiar names and discover the indigenous people who first trod the 'native roads' and guided those following? Do they meet the women and the teenagers who also forged paths? Do they consider how those people whose names we know found their way, collected food and water, found shelter, coped with the weather, measured distance and all the other issues and problems that needed to be addressed as they made their way into unknown and inhospitable territory?
Originally published by the National Library of Australia in 2009, Australian Backyard Explorer won the 2010 CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, this work combines history with science and technology to give readers an insight into who the 'explorers' of Australia were, what they did and how they did it. This is the 2021 updated version that takes the reader further as the author has delved deeper into the stories behind the stories, but like the original still has Peter's gift for winkling out long-lost information and uncovering deep dark secrets that bring the people and the text to life. Chapters are arranged according to issues rather than specific people, beginning with 'Who were the explorers?' and there are all sorts of devices to engage the reader including projects that they can undertake to test a theory or see how something works for themselves. (A list of these is provided for easier navigation.) There are also all the illustrations of the original from the vast collection of the National Library of Australia.
For example, Chapter 9 is devoted to staying alive and although Ernest Giles believed that this involved being able 'to take, and make, an observation now and again, mend a watch, kill or cure a horse as the times may require, make a pack saddle, and understand something of astronomy, geology and mineralogy' we learn about how repairs were made; the disasters which befell expeditions and the need to stay calm and collected in their face; how to get help in a time long before personal safety beacons and mobile phones were invented; and how accidents and illnesses were treated without the aid of a helicopter and medivac team.
This unique approach means that students will really engage with this country's past, will understand the courage and determination it took to travel beyond city limits and perhaps put themselves in the shoes of those who have gone before as they try to solve the problems for themselves. They will be active investigators rather than passive consumers of facts, figures, dates and distances. The imaginative teacher could devise an inquiry unit using any of the chapter headings as the exploratory question and then let the students have at it...
This is a must-have book to ensure that what can so often become ho-hum become engaging and exciting.
Themes Explorers.
Barbara Braxton
Camp Canberra by Krys Saclier. Illus. by Cathy Wilcox
Wild Dog Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781742036120. (Age:9+) Highly recommended.
A school trip to Canberra for older primary students is almost a rite of passage in Australia. It is the trip the children talk about in their preceding years and the one they most look forward to. This new release by the author and illustrator of Vote 4 Me, which explained Australia’s preferential voting system, is a fun, fact-filled adventure for a class from a fictional school.
From the cleverly presented endpapers to the day-by-day account of the trip, readers will be engaged by the information accompanying the photographs that are overlayed with detailed graphic images of the students. This is book full of humour, interesting facts and visits to an array of well know Canberra tourist destinations including the Australian War Memorial, Mount Stromlo Observatory, Questacon, Aboriginal Tent Embassy, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Australian Mint, High Court and Parliament House.
The three-day itinerary is clearly set out at the beginning of the book and the children are divided into three groups named after famous Prime Ministers: Menzies, Holt and Gillard. Throughout the trip, the students have the opportunity to role play, engage, interact and learn about important people and significant events in Australia’s history. There are anecdotal asides on the pages that will appeal to the age of the readers.
My 12-year-old granddaughter snaffled up this book as soon as I brought it home, bemoaning the fact that her school trip to Canberra had been cancelled due to Covid. She loved reading through it and showing me the places she would have visited! An excellent resource for school and public libraries.
Themes Australia, Canberra, Schools, Camp, Friends, Tourism, Places of Interest.
Fans of Rainer Telgemeier will devour this this new book in the Click series. Camp is an honest portrayal of a typical young friendship. The characters are artfully and honestly drawn as are their changing emotions, the highs and lows of their relationship and the intricate dynamics of being best friends but having such different personalities. Olive is outgoing, confident and sporty. She has no trouble making new friends at summer camp, but Willow is reserved and dependent on her friendship with Olive. She doesn't want to try new things or make new friends. Their journey throughout the two weeks of camp is a rollercoaster story, intricately told through both illustrations and dialogue. At times the drawings are doing most of the heavy lifting, showing the emotions of the two friends in a way that is extraordinarly evident. The story ends sweetly, with Willow managing to overcome her low self-esteem, try something new and make new friends. Both of the main characters are highly believable and relatable.
There is so much to love about this story, from the positive and encouraging support of the camp counsellors to the honest portrayal of human behaviour and the inner life of a young person in turmoil. These things are hard enough to put into words but Miller manages to nail it with just pictures and dialogue. Regardless of its American summer camp setting the themes here are just as relevant for an Australian audience. In addition, the characters depicted are physically and culturally diverse.
Themes Summer camp, Friendship, Graphic novels.
Nicole Nelson
Cress Watercress by Gregory Maguire. Illus. by David Litchfield
Set within a country locality, this is the story of a rabbit family mourning the loss of the father of the growing rabbit, Cress Watercress, and her younger brother Kip. The father’s loss is never explained with any detail, but it causes the family to relocate to a strangely inhospitable and meagre accommodation in the basement unit of the ‘Broken Arms’… an old tree overseen by the owl landlord. Their new fellow apartment dwellers and the other animals nearby slowly become more than neighbours. Cress is the storyteller of this animal fantasy tale, and is learning to find her place in her family, in their new locality and with the waxing and waning grief of living without her father. There is a sweet innocence in the story, and it is easy to grow fond of the maturing Cress as she learns about life, love and family, and tries to be the best rabbit that she can be.
Written by the writer of Wicked, which inspired the musical of the same name, this is a simple fantasy tale and reminiscent of Watership Down, but perhaps without the allegorical overtones. It is naive and will be enjoyed by young readers. The dangers of the local fox, bear and snake, and the friendship with the playful squirrels are just part of the ebb and flow of life in the animal world. Children aged 7+ will recognise the struggles of growing up when things do not go smoothly or when fear enters one’s life. This is worth reading for its simplicity and heart. Illustrations are simple but reveal details that will appeal to young readers.
Bored, book 1. HarperCollins, 2022. ISBN: 9780733342035. (Age:8+) Highly recommended.
In the first volume of the series, Milo finds $105 in his street and despite his stepmum Liz pronouncing ‘finders keepers', he is his mother’s son with an attack of the guilts after she tells him to find the owner. There’s so much narratively and structurally to love about a character/narrator solving his small but pressing ethical problem.
The story arc follows Milo's reluctant investigation into who might have lost the cash – no easy feat when you are at the bottom of the food chain in your street, with one exception – the unknown quantity, the new kid who goes by 'Frog'.
The street bully Rocco Santos attends a private school because his father is a plumber and can afford the fees. Rocco claims ownership with an implausible explanation according to the worldly Frog. Zak & Louisa are siblings who live in the same street, chime in.
Milo’s love interest is Evie Watson who has two little sisters. Mrs Katz is the street stickybeak. However wise Frog, with his martial art moves, is his main ally. One by one, Milo tests out the group’s theories until the children coerce Milo into counterfeiting another $105, to trick their suspects into revealing themselves. Adding to his troubles are classmates Hendrick, Izzy and Asa who are Mr Patel’s Favourites.
Louisa plants doubt about Frog's strange family, and Milo invades his new friend”s privacy to fit in with the older kids in the street, some of whom attend his school. We suspect Milo is missing his older brother Henry who enlisted in the army, leaving Milo behind.
Again Milo succumbs to peer pressure, betraying Frog yet managing to solve the riddle of the lost money through open communication with his new friend. Stanton’s clever choice of prepositions to articulate Milo’s feelings, his short active sentences, and short focused chapters (between 3-5 pages) force reluctant readers to gather the pace towards a first taste of plenitude for a burgeoning book worm.
The Bored kids series will be back and next time Frog will be telling the story! Classroom resources are available.
Saying hello is one of the first things a young child learns. However, in the picture book Say Hello? which has been translated from Korean, we learn of what happens when neighbours do not say hello. The Fox family has moved in next door to Mr Wolf. On the first morning of being neighbours Little Fox and Mr Wolf do not begin the day well and ignore each other when leaving the house at the same time. Both recognise they have not done the right thing but think it will be easy to make amends. This does not happen and through a set of unfortunate circumstances do not really find the opportunity to connect. Eventually Mr Wolf moves away and both breathe a sigh of relief. They do come across each other again and both make an effort to say hello and realise it was not so hard after all.
While the story seems simple, it is a powerful reminder that often we misinterpret situations and actions, and this can lead to misunderstandings and estrangement. The detailed illustrations in this story are cleverly drawn. The use of black and white outlines with bold tones for the two main characters will appeal to readers of all ages.
An ideal book to share with younger children when friendship issues arise.
The lovely scene on the front cover of a family group of elephants will make the story inside all the more devastating as younger reader learn of Seree, kidnapped at just two years old, and put into a circus. Her life becomes one of loneliness and betrayal as she is taken from her family and the mushy banana she loves pulling from the trees.
She was made to perform three times a day, throwing darts at a balloon, kicking a soccer ball and dancing on her hind legs. In between she was chained and alone, rocking from side to side in her stall. She lived like this for years, dreaming of her mother, her aunts and grandmother in the herd she left behind. But one night three people came in with treats she had not tasted for a long time, they whispered promises in her ear and put her aboard a truck. When she stepped from the truck she could smell the fresh air and the flowers and fruit from her past. She spied other elephants and finally she heard her mother. She was home at last.
This story parallels the lives of many elephants taken from their herds and put to work. Many are beaten into submission, chained for the rest of their lives, not allowed to lie down and sleep. Some work many hours a day in the illegal forests in Thailand, while others ferry people and are used as entertainers like Seree.
The vivid illustrations parallel the story, showing Seree content with her family, unaware of the life she will be forced to lead. The images show elephants in their habitat, part of a herd, doing things as a group, always reiterating the close contact a group of elephants has with each other. Little wonder elephants in captivity sway from side to side.
Information at the end of the book gives facts about the elephants and their endangered status in Asia. Once plentiful their herds have been reduced by two thirds, through habitat loss, killing, capture and illegal use. In Thailand only 2000 now live in the wild with an estimated 2000 in captivity. The author, Irma Gold is an ambassador for the Save Elephant Foundation and puts her heart on her sleeve in this heart warming story. Seree means freedom and is an appropriate name for a little elephant who dreams of her home while forced to live away from her family. Classroom ideas are available.
Lolli knows the house and what it contains. It makes her anxious just going inside, but she knows that if she gets to the hearth in the downstairs kitchen, she will be safe. But Freya’s grandmother knows that Lolli has depths that she does not yet understand and although she can sense the ghosts that live in the house, she refuses to admit this.
Lolli has promised herself that she will never again set foot in the house in Spitalfields but Freya has brought her from Singapore to help set up the next door house for Christmas. Freya is Loli’s mother’s best friend and she rescued her after Lolli’s mother died at her birth. Loathe to be ungrateful, Lolli agrees to go to London, convinced the she will never set foot in the house. But she cannot avoid it, even though she knows the older woman is unwell and needs to tell her things about the house before her illness overwhelms her. Lolli prevaricates, spending time with her new found cousins, avoiding any confrontation with Elsie, and while she is with them, picks up a book she knows well, but has never read, the story of the house. She leans of Madame LeNoir and Clara, the ideas of mesmerism, hypnotism and clairvoyance, used by the LeNoir family to dupe vulnerable people using Clara’s skills to rope them in. It is the ghosts of these two people that Lolli can sometimes see, one good, the other bad, but both wanting something of her.
So Lolli must talk to Elsie and she learns all that she knows. She goes into the house, contacting Clara and learns more about this girl she thought had been murdered, and when she ventures further, feels the older woman’e menace, and so retreats to the kitchen. Here she tells Jada of what has happened and so enlists help from another source. And just when we all think the end is nigh, a twist occurs which puts Lolli on the back foot.
A wonderful mystery story, Lolli’s journey will have middle school readers entwined with the story of memories and ghosts.
I loved Rushby’s trilogy beginning with The Turnkey set in the inner cemeteries in London and have read all that Rushby has published since, looking forward to each one. Tales about spirits take me to realms I usually do not visit, but they are told with such convincing settings and characters, that they are are hard to put down.
This editing collaboration by Sudanese author Rafeif Ismail and Mununjali Yugambeh/ Dutch author Ellen Van Neerven has produced a remarkable collection of futuristic short stories set in another time or space, often dystopian, but which draws strongly on a shared respect for Country, the land, water, and air of their ancestral spirits. The writers are of varying backgrounds, with some established names like Ambelin Kwaymullina and Claire Coleman, while others are emerging new writers published for the first time. Yet all identify in some way as First Nations people, Afro-Black or Aboriginal. And while the stories are all quite different, that underlying spiritual connection, tapping into family, country and culture, pervades them all in some way.
I was especially drawn to Jasper Wyld’s story 'Thylacine' particularly in light of recent renewed interest in resurrecting the extinct Tasmanian tiger. Wyld asserts that whitefella cloning can not alleviate the guilt of mass extinction. The artificially created thylacine has no soul. Its life is just as miserable as the last living thylacine in its concrete cage. Wyld writes that the 'Thylacine are gone, extinct, and they have more than earnt their rest'.
Other story titles will draw readers in: 'Fifteen Days on Mars', 'DIS/SIMILATION', 'The Prime Minister', etc. They are all intriguing, enlightening, well-written. The last pages have short biographical notes about each author, so you will know which writers to look out for in the future.
Themes Care for Country, Culture, Future, Connection, First Nations, Aboriginal.
Skydragon: Brave the Storm written by Anh Do is the fourth book in this series for middle grade or older reluctant readers with graphic images by James Hart that add to the appeal. The latest adventure begins with Amber and her beloved carer Irene travelling in a campervan to escape the city and Amber’s ever-growing number of evil nemeses. Amber has concussion and has lost her power to attract insects. Irene suggests that they travel to Sennam in Asia to be free of danger and to help Amber heal and reconnect with her power. Needless to say, danger is not far away and stumbling upon a closed trail while on a rainforest hike, leads Irene and Amber into trouble with Indigenous peoples of the area and dangerous mercenaries. Amber is captured by a local girl Lin whose grandfather Khan is the Chief. He and his people are constantly trying to outwit the squad of EverCorp mercenaries who are destroying the rainforest while searching for rumoured lilac diamonds. Lin, who will inherit Khan’s chieftain role, suspects Amber is working for EverCorp and the girls get off to a rather unfriendly start. Both girls join forces to protect the diamonds and rescue Khan who has been forced to take the mercenaries to where the diamonds are. After outwitting EverCorp through sheer determination and skill, Lin and Amber, with her power restored, saves the diamonds but sadly, Khan has passed away. Running parallel to this story is Firefighter’s own search for his true identity and Amber’s belief that he may be her brother. Agent Ferris also plays an evil role in this story and is suspicious of Amber’s whereabouts however he has more pressing things to deal with when he is informed that Firefighter is missing. More will be revealed in Book 5 which is coming soon!
