The fast 800 keto builds on Mosley’s successful The fast 800 and is an easy to read and follow book explaining up to date science of weight loss. The book starts with an introduction of how we got fat, why we need to eat more protein and then goes into the science of keto which I found useful in understanding how the body reacts to eating the sugar found in many processed foods. It describes the effect of a keto diet when your body goes into ketosis and burns up fat instead of sugar leading to weight loss. Mosly goes into detail about the fast 800 Keto programme. It combines keto with intermittent fasting, which readers will be familiar with if they have read The fast 800 and stresses the advantages of a Mediterranean diet. Emphasis is given to the importance of preparation before beginning the diet by having the right food on hand. Advice is also given about how to maintain a good weight long term.
The recipes given by Dr Clare Bailey are easy to follow and meal planners are set out with 3 meals a day and 2 meals a day when doing intermittent fasting. I enjoyed the Rapid bircher with apple and cinnamon, and Wok-steamed white fish with pak choi. There is a chart to record Before and after measurements of weight, waist and blood pressure, and an extensive bibliography and good index are also included at the back of the book.
The cover states that it is possible to ‘lose up to 6 kg in 21 days’ and following the advice in this Australian and New Zealand edition would give people aiming to lose weight a scientific basis to do so. The fast 800 Keto is sure to prove popular and I will be using many of the recipes included in my regular meal planning.
Ekata is just days away from leaving her home. Days away from freedom and the life she has looked forward to for years. An unimportant and forgotten middle child in a dangerous and vicious family, Ekata just wants to survive long enough to flee south and spend her days surrounded by those who value knowledge and peace. However, someone or something has other plans. Suddenly, and very much against her will, Ekata becomes the Duke of Kylma Above, tasked with ruling the kingdom, preventing an invasion, curtailing treason and discovering a cure for the magical illness which has incapacitated the rest of her family. And then there is Inkar, the girl who should have been her brother’s bride…
The Winter Duke is a satisfactory young adult fantasy offering some unique ideas and plot points. Bartlett has created a distinctive and atmospheric world. While most of the book is spent in the ducal castle, the reader gains a real sense of the cold and harsh environment of Kylma Above. The inclusion of magical elements and creatures and a complex familial and societal structure is also interesting.
Where the novel fails however is in its characters. Main protagonists do not necessarily have to be likeable for readers to be able to enjoy a book. Bartlett has clearly tried to style Ekata as a character relatable to her audience, with flaws and insecurities like those suffered by most teenagers. However, she is almost comically unconfident, reckless, credulous and petulant. As the story progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult to root for a character this exasperating. Moreover, secondary protagonists, including Ekata’s love interest and her most dangerous enemy, are more caricature than character. The book’s villain, for example, is brash, vulgar and innately ‘evil’, without much explanation or reasoning to explain why.
Overall, The Winter Duke is a solid young adult fantasy novel, which will no doubt please some readers of the genre, but it is not without its flaws.
The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-bottomed Boat by Charlie Archbold
Text Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 9781922458520. (Age:8+) Highly recommended.
South Australian author Charlie Archbold has written an exciting and entertaining novel perfect for middle grade readers. This new release, shortlisted for the Text Prize, is set in a small coastal town in far North Queensland surrounded by sugarcane fields and mangroves.
Andy and his best mate Eli are inseparable. They spend their days together, whether at school or home. Their friendship bond is strong and when Eli’s cousin Jacob is arrested for theft, the two boys decide to find out the truth before he is sentenced. They call on fraternal twins Bernie and Fletch to help them and together they develop a plan of action. However, after some clever sleuthing, they realise they will need the help of annoying classmate Harvey, who incidentally has not been a friend to Andy and Eli, and the five go on a dangerous boat journey to solve the mystery of the theft. At the red-bottomed boat half buried deep in the mangroves, they must deal with a monstrous crocodile to discover the truth and then face unpleasant adversaries on their return to the marina.
The fast action-packed pages of this engaging book will hold the reader’s interest until the end. The relationship between each of the very different young characters who come from diverse family backgrounds, consists of humour, gentle rivalry and friendship, as well as deep respect for Eli and his Indonesian family. The vivid descriptive language used to describe the surroundings in which the story is set will allow the reader to be transported to far North Queensland.
The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-Bottomed Boat would make a fabulous class novel. As well as being a great read there is so much to learn and discuss such as the behaviour of crocodiles, environmental issues, life in the tropics, friendships, bullying and importantly how to work collaboratively as a team. A delightful new book, hopefully a series, for those middle-grade readers who look for adventure, danger and overcoming challenging obstacles. Teacher's notes are available.
Stunning! Jennifer Saint really knows how to take the framework of a Greek myth and breathe life into all the characters, their emotions and motivations. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting, rapidly turning the chapters between the three characters, Clytemnestra, Cassandra and Elektra. The central storyline is the well known tale of the abduction of Helen of Sparta, by Paris, prince of Troy. But in this book, Helen is a rather vague and enigmatic creature and the focus is most definitely on the three women on the edge of the story: Clytemnestra, sister of Helen, and wife of Agamemnon, leader of the army that sailed to retrieve Helen; Cassandra, princess of Troy, doomed seer of the future; and Elektra, the stubborn young daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon.
Saint’s writing provides insight into how a wife can come to detest her husband and seek his death, how a solitary woman can be disparaged and reviled, and how a naive daughter can cling to belief in her father despite clear evidence of his cruelty. Saint brings to life the inner world of her characters, and they become very believable. And in the process, she reveals how each of these women struggles within a world where women are treated as a commodity to be won, bartered, scorned or sacrificed.
There is no man who is completely trustworthy; the world of men and women is so structured as to prevent any sense of equality or power. However, Clytemnestra, Cassandra and Elektra, each are strong and determined women and they fight against men, and against gods, to take their place in the world. It is a fiery tale of anger and passion – riveting reading!
This latest novel is even better than Ariadne – highly recommended.
Themes Greek mythology, Women, Power, Revenge.
Helen Eddy
Great big softie by Kaye Baillie and Shane McG
New Frontier, 2022. ISBN: 9781922326485. (Age:4+) Recommended.
Elliot, a monster with a great big soft heart, is desperate to fit in with the other more mischievous monsters. Those monsters cause mayhem amongst the people in the neighbourhood, so Elliot decides to join them. He trashes a shop, eats all the churros from a fast-food van, causes the swimming pool to be closed for the day and frightens a little girl with a huge growl. Elliot’s monster friends award him Monster of the Week for his dastardly deeds, but Elliot does not feel at all comfortable with what he has done and decides to make amends. He goes to the little girl’s house and returns her missing turtle. It is not enough though, so he bravely apologises to the little girl and the other people he has upset - his most daring deed ever. Elliot realises that belonging to a group needs to feel right and he learns a valuable life lesson about respect.
The engaging illustrations in this book are bright and colourful with diverse characters.
Fire truck Santa by Nic McPickle and Nathaniel Eckstrom
Albert Street Books, 2021. ISBN: 9781760526894. (Age:3+)
A very apt book published at the end of 2021, depicts Santa visiting children across Australia in his large very red fire truck.
Dedicated to all our wonderful volunteers, especially in this incredible time when fires raged across many parts of Australia, this very welcome addition to the range of books published at Christmas, will enthuse readers with the story of kindness and helping others.
A nod to the iconic Christmas poem "Twas the night before Christmas….” This story is of a great Aussie adventure as Santa, in his old and worn out fire truck, is delivering presents to all the children around the town. When something on the truck breaks down, the children are there to work out a solution. But when a final pop is heard the the truck seems to be finally totally broken down the problem seems insurmountable.
Nic McPickle and Nathaniel Eckstrom have combined together to create a funny Christmas story for everyone to enjoy. The story encapsulates the real meaning of Christmas, of hope and kindness of sharing and helping others. A funny, rollicking read aloud, children will ask that it be read again as they predict the rhyming words and enjoy scanning the pages for the detail Eckstrom includes.
The Lockett Street Squad are 11-year-old friends that stick together through thick and thin, bonded by their mutual love of graphic novel series - ‘The Screensavers’. They are so keen about this comic book series that they re-enact storylines and post them on You-tube. This story is told from the perspective of ‘Sticks’ and it is a powerful tale of friendship amid the serious issues of life. When Tommy’s usual life comes crashing down, Sticks, Maki and Jed combine to devise a plan to protect Tommy from being relocated far from Lockett Street. The plan also includes heading to the Gold Coast to audition for roles in the new ‘Screensavers’ movie, kidnapping, and evading police and many other exciting, risky and devious side hustles. This is a story with heart, but it also addresses some quite heart-rending life situations and introduces some wonderful characters and does it with an unexpected twist.
The graphic novel/comic strip launches the book revealing a quirky storyline before the you-tube adventures of the children takes over the narrative. This entry point into the book will immediately appeal to lovers of graphic stories. The hidden reveal in the story involving the character ‘Sticks’ is worthy of secrecy … a clever plot twist that readers need to discover themselves. Although there are serious issues addressed in this story, the Lockett Street Squad are really just a warm and inclusive friendship group who do not let problems get in their way. This was a very enjoyable story – but the intra-family abuse and death of a family member may be confronting for some young readers, so be careful to consider the personal history of children when recommending this.
Ross Welford was born in a small seaside town in the north-east of England. This is his 7th book since his popular debut Time travelling with a hamster was published in 2016. With his previous books Welford has firmly set himself as an entertainer of readers 10+. His stories all include elements of sci-fi/fantasy set against a realistic backdrop based around the town of his birth.
Into the sideways world follows this formula and introduces two 12-year-old outsiders, Willa and Manny. It is the year 2031 and they are investigating sightings of a mysterious animal in their town. One night they suddenly find themselves in an alternate world.
Willa and Manny are stunned – while their own world has survived a pandemic but is close to war, this one is perfect. There’s no pollution, no rundown properties, no family arguments, no diseases and no global conflict.
Willa has a contact who may be the key to figuring out the link between worlds, if only she can get back home. But do she and Manny even want to leave this ideal place? And if they do, will anyone believe what they have seen?
This story is full of adventure and humour while also being thought-provoking and including some difficult relationships and tough choices. There are references to environmental issues, history and global politics. The chapters are short with lots of cliff-hangers – be prepared for desperate pleas to ‘keep going!’ if reading aloud.
There are no teacher resources for this book as Welford is of the opinion that teachers know best. But in an interview with The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education in the UK he said 'Into The Sideways World could, I imagine, provoke some interesting class discussions on how we might begin to 'change the world'.' It also raises the question of whether you would opt for your own loved yet imperfect reality when faced with the choice of a perfect world instead.
Surviving the Wild 2. Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781760526849. (Age:6-9) Recommended.
Star the Elephant is based on the true story of a small group of Indian elephants that swam across the Johor Strait from Malaysia to a small island off the coast of Singapore after losing their home due to deforestation. In Remy Lai's (Pawcasso) retelling, five-year-old Star and her family have to split up; there simply isn't enough food in any one place to accommodate them all. But when Star and her mum and aunt get back to where they are expecting to find banana trees, they are faced with fallen trees in amongst the sea of palm oil trees. They decide to flee to an island that aunty knows of, but when they get there they are faced with more humans, and because of their experiences to date they are very scared. When Star's mum and aunty are shot with tranquiliser darts Star runs but is eventually peacefully captured and taken to a sanctuary where she is reunited with her family.
Full-colour illustrations and simple dialogue and narration told within a graphic novel format make this perfect for young readers. However, some of the content, including Star almost drowning, the animals distress as they try to find a safe place and Star being separated from her family is quite confronting. This is one of three already published in the Surviving the Wild series, all of which look at the perils of the natural world and what we can do to protect it. Also included at the end of the story is the true story behind Star's adventure, some elephant facts and ways we can help. This is an important book for anyone to read but will especially be appreciated by children interested in animals and environmental conservation.
Alice-Miranda is on the way to Egypt with the Queen’s Colours Leadership program. This will be incredibly exciting as they explore Egyptology and archaeology, and display leadership qualities. However, before they leave London, they discover that the school they attend could potentially close down and their teachers may be involved in a scheme that could have dreadful ramifications for the school community. While in Egypt they also discover another Egypt-based scam that could have serious consequences for their local guide’s family. Alice-Miranda and her friends cannot let any of this proceed quietly without solving the problems that are raised. The young leaders from a variety of schools are also just working out how to best get along, and some of the boys are starting to show an interest in the pre-teen, but wise-beyond-her-years, Alice Miranda.
This is book 20 in Alice-Miranda’s story, and so many readers will have followed her friendships and problem-solving detective skills over the years. Jacqueline Harvey continues to give Alice-Miranda a wise exploration of life and in this book a wonderful setting for her understanding of the world. She does always seem to be older than her years, a wonderful friend and relates to adults almost as a peer. With some interesting discussion of Egyptology, this may intrigue young readers. This is a book for those who love the series, aged 9-14.
I was drawn to The way from here because it promised ‘a mystery from the past’ on the front cover, and following a friend’s recommendation, I picked it up and was not disappointed. The mystery gradually unfolds, revealing family secrets from the past about her grandmother, mother, and sister.
After the sudden death of her sister Susie, Camilla is given a bundle of letters that directs her to scatter her ashes in various parts of the world. The first letter grabs the reader’s attention giving an insight into Susie and her life. The second letter sends Camilla off to London to view a painting of a horse in the National Gallery, and then the third letter has her travelling to the beautiful French Ile de Clare, where she finds more strange events to puzzle over before moving to a manor house in Devon. The settings are vividly described and leave the reader wishing to travel with Camilla.
This is a story about three generations of women, Nellie, Margaret, Susie, and Camilla all having secrets which have been kept from their families. The story is written from the viewpoint of Susie, telling her story set in 1998 when she has left the family farm to travel overseas, and of Camilla set in the present day following her as she reads the letters. Margaret, their mother, also gets to give her viewpoint of living in London in the 1960’s as does Nellie towards the end of the story when all is revealed. It is beautifully written and makes a compulsive read, with its themes of family, grief, secrets, truth, and love.
Fans of mysteries will be drawn to it, and may be surprised at the twists and turns, while readers who enjoy family sagas are sure to find it compelling.
Pat Pledger
Wise quackers by Renee Treml
Ollie and Bea. Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781666330984. (Age:6-10) Highly recommended.
This new installment in the sensational graphic novel series The Super Adventures of Ollie and Bea series (It's Owl Good, Squeals on Wheels, Bats What Friends Are For) is perfect for young, independent readers or for read alouds. It will appeal to fans of the Duck, Duck, Porcupineseries by Salina Yoon, the Elephant and Piggieseries and Renee Treml's other graphic series, Sherlock Bones. While accessible to a younger audience, its content and format will be equally appealing and relevant to an older age group.
Ollie the owl thinks he is too old to play with stuffed toys...but as soon as Bea ducks off to fetch something Ollie can't help but play Super Duckie with Bea's toy. He gets so into the game that Super Duckie soon ends up stuck in a tree. Ollie manages to keep the secret from Bea with some clever distracting but try as he might he cannot get Duckie out of the tree. When Bea and the rest of the team finally discover the truth Owl expects them to be angry at him. But they understand it is an accident and work together as a team to solve the problem.
Children will love the jokes and world play that come thick and fast ('I'm hoppy to try it', 'let's get quacking') and the story is told exclusively through sharp, fast-paced dialogue. Renee Treml's (Sleep tight, Platypup) full-colour illustrations are crisp, clear and sparse with a superb focus on the changing emotions of Ollie and Bea.
This is such a wonderful series that explores the real problems children have within friendship partnerships and groups. It's a beautifully honest look at those emotions that most kids have but many find it tricky to talk about. It also models wonderfully positive and uplifting ways to be a friend (and the fun of friendships) without glossing over the times when it is hard or uncomfortable.
Nico Cloud’s life in London in 1832 is not easy. As the girl in the family, she must only consider ‘female tasks’ like embroidery and must not explore education, science and complex ideas, like her aunt had pursued before her. Nico’s parents make her life so difficult and restricted that she decides to escape briefly and meet up with her aunt aboard her research sailing ship. Unwittingly she becomes a stowaway and when she is discovered she finds that not only is she sailing with her aunt, but she must keep her aunt’s identity hidden – a female scientist should never exist! An aunt, she aren’t! Scientific research into Paleobiology can only continue if her aunt works as a man. Nico’s passion for seeds and science becomes woven into her aunt’s research, but first they must escape pirates and work out how the myths shared by the crew impact them and connect the past and the future.
This is an interesting tale highlighting the plight of intelligent girls, women and scientists from the patriarchal world of the 19th century, but it is also an adventure on board a sailing ship, a friendship tale and a slightly fantastic meshing of myth and science, with a few fossils thrown in for good measure. Young readers can cope with the excursions into myth, especially as history almost seems like fantasy to them. The historical context of life for women in the 19th century may also be surprising for them. Mostly this book is about a feisty girl from another era who is passionate about science and learning new things. The scattered illustrations in the book sometimes contain small details that do not match the text but they are child-friendly and do not distract from the story. Science-loving readers aged 9-11 will be happily engaged by this different adventure.
Themes Paleobiology, Female scientists, Adventure, 19th Century, Mythology.
Carolyn Hull
My Peppa adventure
Penguin, 2022. ISBN: 9780241543498. (Age:2+)
Little children who love Peppa Pig have the opportunity to look at the pictures on the pages of this book, and choose their own adventures for Peppa.The very detailed and highly coloured pages start with the reader choosing where they would like to go – to a desert, to mountains, on a train trip, underwater and so on, giving adults an opportunity to talk about many different environments with their youngster. On the next double page spread the reader chooses which of Peppa’s family and friends to take on the adventure and from there the reader chooses what clothes to wear, what to eat and how to travel there, all making a story for the young child to decide on. Then there is a playground adventure and a choice of places to live, musical instruments to play, and a party and work adventure.
This is a great book to stimulate the imagination of young children and to extend their vocabularies, while giving them the opportunity to think about their preferences and make choices for themselves.
This collection of love stories was inspired, for Trent Dalton, by a time in which he was profoundly moved by a love story that someone had told him. Deciding to set up a table and some chairs on the footpath of a busy intersection in the city of Brisbane, Dalton added an advertisement: stating that he wanted to hear and collect people’s stories of love, if they were willing to tell these to him. Many people stopped and he was amazed by the tales that he was told, which led him to decide to include these in a book. Some stories are short, and others longer, as he writes the stories with a dedication to the idea of love, and to its profound effect on people’s lives.
While every story that he narrates, as told to him by the storytellers, speaks of love and its role in human life, others go further, and speak of the profound importance and effect of love on people’s lives. Each story reflects our human desire to experience love, to find romance, and for so many people this means sharing their lives with someone whom they love. So moved by the stories that he hears, he imagines and writes a powerful and moving creed for living in response to people’s ideas. Profound notions of what love is, and how powerfully love can move us to our deepest core, lead to his long statement about love, beginning with his revelatory understanding that changes his own thinking: beginning with 'I believe we are not alone in the universe …'. Over two pages his newly realised creed challenges the reader to both wonder and question what life is, what love is, and how we should live our lives. His eloquent language challenges us, to consider finding out what is our own idea of what life means, and what love is: moving, uplifting, and quite challengingly constructed.
Written during the time of 'Covid', Dalton’s work displays his notion that we should all be kind, compassionate and understanding of others, seeking to take our minds off the fear of illness and its aftereffects, to make the world at least appear as a safe and good place. His work reflects his character, and his sense of loving kindness as the heart of human experience and need, in turn reflecting the best example of humans rising above the evil, the awful experiences that so many people have been through, and most of all our capacity to offer goodness, kindness and love to others, in love’s many different forms. It is a different and wonderful book, appropriate for adolescent reading, and certainly an inspiring book for adults of all ages.
