Cristy Burne and Denis Knight have brought us a second book featuring Wednesday Weeks and her friend Alfie (apprentice protector of the realms) and Bruce (the Skull), Grandpa (Abraham Mordecai Weeks, Protector of the Realms, Sorceror) and a new friend- Adaline. This team battles to save yet another realm from Gorgomoth the Unclean. The same characters are transported from the same ordinary science classroom as in the first book in the series (Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Terror) into a fantasy world where good magic, science and cooperation between friends are pitted against evil.
When computer programmer/science fiction and fantasy author (Knight) and science communicator/author(Burne) team up, the resultant book is going to be interesting. Not surprisingly, Wednesday Weeks and the Crown of Destiny, is a highly visual sensation for readers with the action being easily translatable to screen. The narrative is action packed. The dialogue is sassy and witty. The heroes are trapped by one seemingly impossible situation after another. Escape from certain death has to be very fast and requires the ability to cipher codes, solve riddles, use logic and scientific knowledge - skills that a savvy primary school aged reader may just have if they have been focusing in Maths and Science lessons. The action races along but cycles back helpfully at times to help readers who might have become lost.
The settings are fantastic. After escaping the inside of a lifesize pinball game they travel through a worm hole to the evil lair of Gorgomoth where Grandpa has been transformed into a frog and Queen Shard is trapped. The Crown of Destiny, the ruby ring and the captives must be rescued from bizaare settings all before a very important dinner in the real world. Wednesday gradually refines her magical skills of levitation and transformation as she learns that true magic has to come from the heart.
The repartee between the friends and their responses to Gorgomoth and his "grey uniformed, gum-chewing goblins' " is wickedly naughty and snortingly funny. Traditional fairy stories, modern day performance reports, faery realms and the human realm are mixed together and out of it all friendship and being home in time for dinner matters most.
Embedded seamlessly amongst all the entertainment and adventure are STEM concepts including acids, bases and acid-base reactors, life cycles, codes and ciphers and sound and resonance. Activities based on these concepts are included at the end of the book. As in book 1, it is knowledge of science (with a touch of magic) which really saves the children every time.
Readers will be eagerly waiting to see how Wednesday Weeks and her friends will manage saving the nine realms in the upcoming book in the series - The dungeon of fire.
The Sweetest Egg of All is the third book in the beautifully presented Tales from the Bush Mob series. Indigenous author Helen Milroy has captured the characteristics of the bush animals in a story about a community of animals who continue to learn to live and interact with each other peacefully.
In this story Gecko wants to surprise Bungarra for his birthday with the best present ever but has trouble deciding what to get him. He foolishly listens to King George Brown (KGB) who encourages him to steal Willy Wagtail’s egg which is supposedly ‘the sweetest egg of all’. Gecko enlists the help of Thorny Devil and Scrubby Python and together plot their dastardly plan. While KGB distracts all the birds with a birthday song practice, the egg is snatched. It is stored in a safe place, but KGB has hatched his own evil plan with King Toad and the egg is taken away to an island where it is guarded by cane toads. Meanwhile Willy Wagtail has discovered the missing egg and seeks help from Dingo and the Council. The egg is eventually returned to Willy Wagtail after the animals all use their own unique characteristics to collaborate and rescue the egg. Gecko, Thorny Devil, Scrubby Python, KGB and the cane toads have all learnt a valuable lesson. They realise what they did was wrong and try to make amends in the best way they can.
This book is clearly set out in narrative style with three separate sections: Bungarra’s Birthday Surprise, The Plan and The Plot, and The Big Rescue. The bold and colourful illustrations with white text are visually appealing and engage the reader’s attention. The double page introduction at the beginning of the book with the labelled animals is a handy guide for readers to refer to. A great story to share with children of all ages.
Themes Aboriginal stories, Australian animals, Bush stories, Cooperation, Greed, Problem solving, Harmony, Friendships.
Kathryn Beilby
What is an election? by Caryn Jenner
DK, 2020. ISBN: 9780241439920. (Age:5+)
So far this year, in my little part of the planet, we have had both local government elections and a state by-election, and a federal election looms within the next three months, So local young readers have been bombarded with advertising and so forth with vocabulary like 'party', 'candidate', 'vote' and 'polling booth'. But do they understand what an 'election' is?
This book, part of the DK FindOut series, provides a simple but comprehensive explanation of where and how democracy began and how it has developed over the years and just what happens when people are required to exercise their vote every so often. Beginning with a close-to-home scenario of school elections for class president, it moves beyond to national elections and while the photographs are predominantly from the US, it does embrace the procedures in other parts of the world.
Because this is a levelled reader, ostensibly for 'beginning readers', the explanations are clear yet comprehensive giving the young person who at least has an awareness of the process being undertaken an insight into what actually happens. Therefore, IMO, the target audience would be those who might be involved in class elections who know that it is more than a popularity contest. Rather than an individual read, its importance lies as an introduction to that which will dominate our news bulletins in coming months shared and discussed by the class teacher, so students begin to understand what is meant by 'Let's have a vote' and the concepts of 'majority rules' and living with the consequences of the choices.
As we mature we begin to realise what a precious thing a vote is, and the need to exercise our rights in an informed manner. This book begins our students' understanding of that privilege.
Themes Elections.
Barbara Braxton
What big teeth by Rose Szabo
Titan Books, 2021. ISBN: 9781789097818. (Age:16+) Recommended for readers who like gothic horror.
Eleanor Zarrin has been sent home from boarding school after an undisclosed horrifying incident. Her grandmother had sent her away and she has had no contact with her family for years. When she arrives at her home, it is difficult for her to fit in with her strange family – a mother who has weird skin and sits in a bathtub of water, a grandfather and cousin who howl in the woods, a sister who has grown away from her and a father who is ineffectual. Then there is Arthur a being that some members of her family are in love with. When her grandmother dies reading the tarot cards, Eleanor is left in charge of the family and must learn about the darkness that she knows lives inside her.
This is a dark and complex tale that would appeal to fans of horror. The reader is constantly trying to work out what is going on in this monstrous family and just what skills and background each of the family members has. The arrival of Eleanor’s other grandmother and the way that she can manipulate people deepens the suspense and provides even more horror to the story.
A tale for older readers, its great cover and title could make an effective centre piece for a display of horror stories. Readers may also enjoy The forest of hands and teeth by Carrie Ryan, The woods are always watching by Stephanie Perkins and the collection of short stories in Hometown haunts.
Themes Horror, Gothic, Werewolves, Good and evil.
Pat Pledger
Dragon City by Katie & Kevin Tsang
Simon & Schuster, 2021. ISBN: 9781471193125. (Age:9+) Highly recommended.
Dragon City is the third book in the amazing Dragon Realm series, written by Katie and Kevin Tsang. Once again, the story will keep you enthralled until the very last page. This novel will appeal to readers who loves mythical stories and adventure, while beautifully entwined with the power of friendship, trust and determination.
After Billy’s dragon, Spark betrayed him and chose to join the Dragon of Death, Billy and his friends Charlotte, Ling-Fei and Dylan are thrown into the devastation of Dragon City, a place of true dragon dystopia. Both the Human and Dragon Realm have been destroyed and this is the only place where humans and dragon can live. But this is far from a safe place, as it is filled with danger and devastation around every corner. With nox-hands and nox-wings to be wary of, Billy and his friends must overcome their fears of betrayal and evil to work together and trust each other again. Together they must find their beloved dragons and try to overpower the Dragon of Death. How will Billie and his friends be able to survive in this dangerous city? Will they ever see Xing, Tank and Buttons to reunite and share their special bonds? Could Billie reunite with Spark to change her back to the dragon she used to be, and he still heartbreakingly loves, or will they be lost to each other forever?
Katie and Kevin Tsang have written another amazing sequel in the Dragon Realm series for those lovers of fantasy, adventure and suspense. Dragon City is filled with expectation, excitement and enjoyment with vivid text to make an easy read, creating clear imagery for the audience. As you turn each page you feel as if you are actually there on the adventure with Billy and his friends! A definite great read, and one that won’t disappoint… especially for all those mythical loving, adventurers!
This colourful new Bluey board book tells the story of the Heeler family visit to Hammerbarn, a huge hardware store. Next door neighbour Lucky points out his new pizza oven to Bluey and Bingo’s dad Bandit who decides that he just must have one. The whole family travels to the hardware store and the two highly competitive sisters squabble over who gets what as Mum puts items in the trolley. Inevitably an item is broken and Mum must intervene to keep the peace and point out ‘that you can’t have everything.’ At the checkout there is more commotion from Bluey and Bingo when the checkout operator takes items out of the trolley for scanning. The pups are then pacified by being allowed to use the beeper. Dad’s pizza making is not quite up to scratch but he and the family enjoy sharing the pizza.
Themes Bluey, Shopping, Family.
Kathryn Beilby
Amazing Meals of Martha Maloney by Margaret Wild and Dan Wild. Illus. by Donna Rawlins
Martha Maloney is on an excursion with her class to the Museum of Famous People - it's a visit she has looked forward to all term because she has a unique way of exploring the life and times of those who have gone before. Although her long-suffering teacher Mrs Souza warns her that 'eating and drinking is absolutely, totally forbidden here', Martha doesn't hear a word because she is off having meals with the various folks she finds - King Henry VIII, Princess Marie Antoinette, Queen Nefertiti , Emperor Claudius, and Emperor Puyi travelling not only through time but also countries.
Accompanying the spectacular illustrations is a commentary by Martha about the person and the banquet she finds herself at as well as the menu and fascinating endnotes that give a few facts about her host and the food of the time, all held together by the increasingly overwhelmed Mrs Souza who, as any teacher knows finds keeping lids together on an excursion is like the proverbial herding cats.
So far this review year, there has been a thread of discovering history:
Our Country: Ancient Wonders, BANG! The Story of How Life on Earth Began, Earth is Big, Australian Backyard Explorer and The History of Everywhere, each giving a different perspective and offering ways to help our students explore times past through their various lenses and interests. The Amazing Meals of Martha Maloney continues this trend offering a new way to investigate a people and their times, either expanding on those offered by the creators or by selecting someone at a different time who interests them. They could even compare the tables of the rich and famous of the time with those of the ordinary people, investigating the choices and the differences; compare the banquet of Henry VIII to that of Emperor Puyi and examine the menu's variety and what were considered delicacies where while comparing them to a similar occasion here... For those wanting a more modern and immediate focus they could compare what were considered festive foods in the time of their great-grandparents to what they eat (in the 50s, roast chicken was the Christmas table treat) and perhaps even develop an extra entry for the book based on a 21st century treat. They could investigate the food of their classmates and how it varies from what their own dinner table looks like, perhaps even culminating in an international food fest and recipe book!
If we consider food to be the essential common denominator across time and place, there is endless inspiration in this unique book that I believe will feature in many awards lists this year.
Rusty the Rainbow Bird is the third book in the popular Endangered Animals Tales series. The author, Aleesah Darlison, continues to share her passion for educating younger readers about Australian animals that are in danger. In this story Rusty the Rainbow Bird is a Gouldian Finch, native to the top of Australia from the Kimberley in WA to Far North Queensland. The reader is introduced to Rusty flittering and fluttering about near a waterhole which is shrinking due to the dry season. Water is an important habitat for these finches, and they never roam far from it. Rusty meets Olivia and after a courtship dance, they make a cosy nest and six eggs are laid. Both finches share the care of keeping the eggs warm. The babies hatch naked and blind with colourful patterns on their mouths so the parents can find them in the dark. Rusty’s family is under threat from bushfire and he quickly moves them to safety.
The short sentences of the story along with the Fact! information shared on each double page provides younger readers with the opportunity to successfully read this book independently. The vibrant full-page illustrations are both detailed and appealing and successfully complement the text. The final page of information about the Gouldian Finch with a location map, labelled diagram and dot points of important facts is an excellent introduction to using non-fiction to find out more about the world we live in.
Young children are inquisitively drawn to books about sharks and this beautifully illustrated new factual narrative release will provide them with a glimpse of many of these amazing creatures from all over the world. The reader follows the story of Shark, a black-tipped reef shark, as he explores his natural ocean environment while he searches for the place he calls home. His journey begins in the waters off the west coast of Australia, and he travels the oceans of the world encountering different varieties of the shark species. Along his journey he warily meets a tiger shark, whitetip shark, tunnel-mouthed basking shark, angel shark, blue shark, lemon shark, hammerhead shark, Great White shark as well as other captivating sea creatures. Shark eventually reaches the Great Barrier Reef where he finds others of his very own species.
The gentle language used by the author is both rhythmic and descriptive. Combined with the vibrant and stunning full-page illustrations, this book will fascinate and delight its younger readers. In the final pages are a map of the world showing Shark’s journey as well as a double page spread of shark facts and information about the other sea creatures Shark met along the way. A wonderful story to share with young children. Teacher notes available.
Stunningly plotted, trawling between the disappearances of a woman and a child twenty years ago and the present, this crime story had me glued to the last page. Charlie Deravin, a police officer suspended for giving information to a juror during a rape trial, has always gathered evidence about his mother’s disappearance. His brother, amongst others think their father, a retired police officer, killed her but her body has never been found. At the same time, a young boy went missing, believed drowned. But when two bodies turn up in the same grave in the beach side suburb, accusations are pointed yet again at Charlie’s father and the enmity between the two brothers resurfaces.
By this time, Charlie has begun a relationship with the juror, Anna, and the two are targeted by the friends of the person on trial, a talented young footballer, accused of rape.
When Anna and Charlie are involved in a hit and run, Anna ending up in hospital, Charlie becomes aware of the involvement of his former boss, and some of his cronies. When that man’s son is hospitalised after a hit and run, he blames Charlie.
In the meantime, Charlie’s mother’s car is found and forensic evidence taken, the inquiry moving closer to Charlies’ father, Rhys. But he and his wife Fay, are on a cruise, and when Rhys contracts the China virus, he ends up in a Tokyo hospital, his wife in quarantine on the ship.
Meanwhile Charlie is warned off collecting evidence and talking to witnesses, but in talking to his counsellor, finds he can view past events with greater clarity.
His former boss ambushes him at home, leaving him dazed and bruised, after finding that his son has gone into a coma and is unlikely to be revived. He takes it out on Charlie, who he suspects ran the boy down, and then targets his family.
An amazing number of threads make up this involving story, and the background of the small communities around Port Phillip Bay and the nearby Victorian coast breathes life into the setting. People all know each other, and watch, holding what they know close to their chests.
Trailed by a pair of journalists making a podcast about the murders, Charlie is torn between loyalty to his father and a niggling worry about the past.
A classic lift the flap book about Spot will be welcomed by all young readers. The board book fitting snugly into small hands entices with a picture of Spot kicking a ball on the cover. With its preponderance of primary colours and deceptively simple outlines, the book will be readily absorbed by children.
A stress on friends and family has Mum asking Spot to go the park as it is such a nice day. But Spot has to get something out of the toy box before he leaves with Mum and Helen the hippo. Lifting the flap reveals what it is he is looking for. He rushes off through the garden gate with Mum calling that he wait for them. He chases the pigeons, and kicks the ball, losing it amongst the many things in the park. Children will love looking at the array of things to be found in the park, and talk about what they see there to do.
Children will thrill seeing other animals hidden in the undergrowth and playing with Spot and Helen.
A delightful afternoon at the park not only shows children what they will do at the park, but also models good behaviour of getting along, of playing together and of thanking the duck who retrieves the ball for Spot, an afternoon of fun with friends and family, and learning some lessons that will stand them in good stead when being with them.
First published in 1991, this book encourages using fine motor skills as well as the fun of exploration and adventure as Spot and his friends play and learn together.
Themes Play, Spot, Lift the flap, Family, Friends.
Fran Knight
Pearly and Pig and the great hairy beast by Sue Whiting
The excitement of this adventure starts immediately in this novel. Pearly is a 10-year-old who is very concerned that her parents have not returned home. The special Adventure Phone continues to ring but should she answer it? This is a test of whether she too can be a member of the Adventurologist Guild, like her parents. She makes the right decision and her mother answers and tells her she must immediately take Pig to the jetty at Port Clementine. Pig is a pig with an extraordinary sense of smell and Pearly can communicate with him. But there’s something very fishy going on and when she arrives at the jetty her parents aren’t there. Just the beautiful Emmaline Woods and some burly men and a ship called the Mighty Muncher. Pearly doesn’t trust this woman who intimidates her. When Pig is Pignapped Pearly tricks her way onto the ship which is headed for Antarctica in search of the Great Hairy Beast. Of course, she is discovered on board and she also realizes Emmaline's true villainy. But where are her parents and how will Pearly and Pig survive the harsh Antarctic environment?
This is an entertaining mystery with a light touch and an array of colourful characters. Pearly is an earnest girl trying to stick to the rules of RAG (Rules and Guidelines for Young Adventurologists) and not give into her fears. Fortunately, she is a gifted linguist and communicates with animals which helps the animals and gets her out of tricky situations. Pig is endearing with his OINKY! OINKY! NO!-NO! and AROOing warnings. There’s a subtle thread of climate change, anti-hunting and you get a sense of the Antarctic environment. Whiting’s RAG as an appendix is a nice touch and worthy of discussion with children. Pearly will work well as a read-aloud for 7- to 9-year-olds.
The novel Interned is based on true historical events that took place in World War One. This devastating practice of internment is an often-forgotten aspect of the war which touched and impacted lives on our Australian shores. Author Pamela Rushby has sensitively dealt with this disturbing topic in a well-researched and careful manner. Two stories of two families with two young girls on the cusp of adolescence, both of German heritage but poles apart in circumstances, are brought together in this heart-wrenching tale of a shameful period in Australia’s history. The story reveals the prejudice and ill-treatment of innocent families as they try to adjust and cope with the propaganda and hysteria created by the Australian Government of the time. Gretta has lived a privileged life in Singapore but with her family is sent to Australia as an ‘enemy alien.’ Tilly is Australian born and bred but as the daughter of a German-born baker she and her family are subject to the laws surrounding the internment of those with a German background. Both girls eventually form a bond in a rural township in country NSW and forge an unlikely friendship. Their respective journeys are not easy, and both are shared in alternative chapters that are interwoven and connected.
This book has lighter moments amidst the heartache, but it is compelling reading and an excellent commentary of social times during the First World War years. A fabulous class novel or text to support History students studying World War One.
Themes WW1, Internment, Families, German Culture, Australian Culture, Displacement, Racism, Suspicion, Enemy Aliens, Propaganda.
A solid board book, vibrant and durable will be a treat for all mums and dads with young children to entertain and encourage. Morgan’s seemingly simple text is rich in meaning, spurring a child to think beyond what she sees. The opening line, ‘I can fly high like a shooting star’, reveals possible worlds outside her own, encouraging the child to look up, to see beyond. Accompanied by Morgan’s distinctive highly coloured illustration of a shooting star crossing the night sky, the text will be read and read again.
Each double page presents a positive statement about what the girl can do, ‘I can follow my heart’, ‘I can stand strong’ followed by a simile which compares the statement to something in the environment - a mighty tree, a shining river, and a wise bird.
But then the text changes and becomes statements in the reverse. ‘Like the shimmering sun, I’m proud to belong’ accompanied by an illustration of a family. Over the page, ‘Like the magical moon, I dream big dreams’, and lastly ‘This is me!’
Each page sings with possibilities, encouraging the child to be proud, to stand up for herself, to follow her dreams. The book celebrates the child and all that she promises to be.
The board book will withstand the multiple readings it will have, passed from hand to hand as children read of the positives in their lives and what they can achieve.
Morgan uses her illustrative techniques to place the child at the centre of each page: we turn the page looking for the girl, and then view her surroundings, satisfied that she is at the heart of all she surveys. And each page reveals a bird shadowing her statements about her self worth.
Simon & Schuster, 2022. ISBN: 9781398502239. (Age:Secondary - Adult)
This is a story about our desire, as human beings, to handle food in a way that we can enjoy eating, and it is firmly about our love of food. This novel, constructed as an historical tale, takes us back in history to Avery Conifer, a woman who was well educated and loved expressing her creativity in writing poetry. When the publishers, who had been focussing on her writing poetry, and had released her poetry book in 1826, asked her to write a book of recipes, she decided to construct and to write her recipes in detail, and the resulting collection is believed to have been one of the earliest cookbooks. She stated that cookery had not been her forte and she wanted to refuse, but realised that she would not have an income if this were to happen. So she taught herself to cook and became one of earliest persons, it is believed, to publish a cook book in the English language. Her determination to recover from her feelings of discomfort enabled her to find the mental strength and imagination that would lead to her becoming a famous chef, initially in England and later having an effect on cooking across the English speaking world.
Beginning her new career in the creation of recipes, Conifer is determined to support herself and focuses on the notion of how to cook and what to cook. As her food becomes notable, she realises that she is enjoying both the creation of recipes, the cooking and the creativity that unexpectedly becomes part of her life. Her assistant becomes fascinated with the poetry, stunned by someone able to write such beautiful works, but she is also stunned by Conifer’s capacity to produce recipes and cook beautiful food. In reality, Conifer’s first cookery book was published in 1845, entitled Modern cookery for private families. Published a number of times over the first year, this book began the notion of the ingredients being listed, the exact amounts stated, and the method of cooking clearly explained.
Mrs Beeton, a famous chef, is alleged to have ‘filched’ some of her recipes, but she certainly introduced the practice of listing the ingredients first, at the top of the recipe, rather than the older practice of listing them last. Rather interestingly, Eliza Acton appears to have been the first person to have suggested nutrition as an important aspect of health, focussing on using fresh ingredients, and following the idea of considering what people cooked in different cultures at the time. Rich in detail and full of the love of food and cookery, this book takes us into a past world where the imagination was at the fore, prior to the exchange and sharing of global cookery that we know today. It would certainly be enjoyed and appropriate for secondary students interested in the art of cooking, and the historical invention of constructing recipes for others to use. An interesting and revelatory novel about the history of how humans changed in the consideration of preparing and cooking food.
