A celebrity aspiring to write a picture book is sure to gain many people’s opprobrium, but this will not stop the book being bought. The usual critical evaluation taken over a book purchase for home and library will be suspended because the author is well known.
The theme of this book has merit: a father and son sit on the bench together, making up games, dressing up, riding a bicycle, watching for the bus, waiting for dad to return home. Each new page reveals a moment on a bench, and the story lauds the presence of a father in a child’s orbit promoting mental wellness as father and son connect.
The unfussy, simple verse structure reiterate the relationship between father and son, stressing the positive influences one has on the other.
You’ll love him. You’ll listen. You’ll be his supporter.
Are the lines on one page and over the page finish with:
When life feels in shambles You’ll help him find order.
The illustrations by Caldecott winner Christian Robinson, are lovely. They show the early years in a boy’s life from birth to primary age. The baby is held by dad, marvelling at the child in his arms. We see the child growing - learning to ride a bike, dad tying his son’s shoelaces, dressing up, having a picnic in the park. When the boy goes off to school dad comforts him. All the while dad tells his son that he is loved and we spy mum on the last pages reflecting a strong family unit where each member supports the other, and no one is ever alone.
Readers will think about their own experiences. They will enjoy predicting the rhyming word in each couplet, perhaps providing ideas of their own, accepting the sometimes unusual word combinations. And overall will enjoy seeing the relationship between fathers and sons taking centre stage.
Themes Fathers, Sons, Family, Growing up, Verse.
Fran Knight
The rainbow connection by Vanessa Parsons. Illus. by Angela Perrini
Little Steps, 2021. ISBN: 9781925839913. (Age:4+) Recommended.
The Rainbow Connection is a very gentle picture book which deals with the first lockdown experienced by families across the world due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. This story focuses on a nuclear family of five, three children and their parents, who take the reader through their stay-at-home activities. Initially it was an exciting and a new experience to be at home with both parents but gradually that enthusiasm begins to wane. The discovery of rainbows being shared around the world opens a community connection for the young family which then leads to forming new friendships and relationships. On their many daily exercise walks around their neighbourhood, the family discovers unique rainbows in amazing places e.g footpaths, windows, bricks, even an old lady’s hair! The children also connect with grandparents and cousins and share in their day. Online learning and working from home become the norm for the family. The story finishes with lockdown still in place but hope for the future. The colourful illustrations by Angela Perrini are quite striking and complement the text perfectly. The author has also thoughtfully provided a Rainbow Cake recipe at the end of the book. As lockdowns continue throughout Australia in 2021, this book will be a worthwhile addition to a library collection.
The Good Wife of Bath is an absolute delight. Karen Brooks has created a riveting and highly entertaining feminist reimagining of the story of Alyson, from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. ‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale’ is one of the most famous of Chaucer’s stories, highlighting and at times critiquing the misogyny present in medieval English society. In The Good Wife of Bath we meet Eleanor, later known as Alyson, who has just been married off at the age of twelve to an elderly farmer with a reputation for killing wives and driving off servants. The deal was brokered by her distant cousin ‘The Poet’ (Geoffrey Chaucer) against her will, after she was found in a compromising position with a member of the clergy. Eleanor’s situation is not helped by the filthy living conditions she finds herself enduring or the animosity from her new husband’s daughter.
However, what follows is an enjoyable tale of Eleanor’s growing maturity, understanding and agency. Over an extremely eventful life we witness her triumphs and failures, as she takes husbands and lovers, survives difficult times, creates successful businesses, and goes on the pilgrimages made so famous by The Canterbury Tales. The Good Wife of Bath is not always an easy read, the time period alone ensures that Eleanor is a regular victim of violence, injustice and hardship common to women of the era. However, her strong willpower, intelligence and resilience result in a mostly triumphant story. Eleanor is an extremely likeable and well-developed character and it is easy to cheer her on as the novel unfolds. The Good Wife of Bath also presents a positive representation of female friendship and sisterhood and the insertion of Chaucer into the story as a character in his own right is extremely clever. Brooks has created a brilliant and entertaining piece of historical fiction.
Text Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 9781922330925. (Age:16+) Highly recommended.
If you are after a complex, dark, dystopian novel, with the world devastated by fly flu and swarms of flies devouring all living things, then this may be the novel for you. It is one that left me wondering just what happened, trying to work out the complicated plot and wishing that I had time to reread slowly and carefully to find clues to what has happened.
It is told by three narrators, Nico, an 18 year old young woman who has been sent on a quest to find a portal by her father who will ring a mysterious bell when she arrives on the 8th day; Kit a young boy who has been brought up by Dakota in an abandoned cinema and carries a key in remembrance of her, and the Deliverer, who lives life after life, bring essential supplies to a few survivors. All the surrounding characters are fully developed. Nico is accompanied by her dog Harry, while Kit leaves the cinema with Monty and Lakie on a trip to try and find a colony of survivors on an island. They meet up with Loretta, Pringles, and Lennon on a quest to get to Boston and decide to go part of the way together. There are hopeful moments as love develops, and heart wrenching ones as the flies attack.
It was very easy to become invested with each of the characters as their circumstances and trials, loves and hopes are described, and I was left hoping that each would survive in such terrible times. The plot is intricate, the writing lyrical and the themes of storytelling, eternal life, art, survival, and love are ones to ponder. Teaching notes are available from the publisher.
I will be sure to pick up other books by David Arnold after reading this highly original book.
True Tracks is a guide to a respectful relationship with Indigenous knowledge and culture. Lawyer and Meriam / Wuthathi descendent, Terri Janke has put together protocols relating to Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP), 10 principles for ethical Indigenous engagement: respect, self-determination, consent and consultation, interpretation, integrity, secrecy and privacy, attribution, benefit sharing, maintaining Indigenous cultures, recognition and protection. She explains the significance of each of these when considering copyright and intellectual property, and how the protocols should be applied in different professions and industries.
For students interested in the law and Aboriginal culture, the book is essential reading, made more accessible by Janke’s story of how she became engaged in this work. For teachers and librarians, the most relevant chapters would be those on Indigenous languages, arts appropriation, Indigenous voices in writing and education, and issues for libraries, archives and museums. However all the chapters make for interesting reading, as Janke describes the inadequacies of Western law to protect a shared traditional and often secret sacred culture.
Each of the chapters is clearly set out and includes stories and case studies of both Australian Indigenous people and other First Nations, with resource lists and reference notes. Each also concludes with practical suggestions for ‘what you can do’. The index at the back is also useful for researching specific people and examples. The book as a whole provides a very readable resource based on Janke’s 2019 PhD thesis, the culmination of many years working in the area of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property.
There seems to have been an explosion in closed circle thriller mysteries of late, particularly those set in isolated and dangerous environs. Similar to the bestselling books One by One by Ruth Ware and The Guest List by Lucy Foley, Shiver, by debut Australian author Allie Reynolds, takes place in a frozen landscape. The novel follows a group of former professional snowboarders who are meeting up for the first time in a decade. They lost touch after one of their friends, Saskia, disappeared in a devastating tragedy. The former friends are meeting in their old haunt, a ski resort chalet in the French Alps. Things begin to go wrong very quickly however: their phones disappear, they are running out of food, there is no way off the mountain and someone is playing dangerous games…
Shiver alternates between the present day, as the group attempt to both escape and figure out who has trapped them and the past, narrating the events of that fateful snowboarding season when Saskia disappeared. Unfortunately, the continuous switching between the two timelines is jarring at times and while its intention is to build suspense, it ultimately results in frustration. Shiver is also heavy on the snowboarding detail and technical knowledge, unsurprising considering Reynolds is a former professional snowboarder. However, this may become slightly tedious for the lay reader. Despite this, Shiver is a well-plotted thriller and is a welcome addition to the closed circle mystery renaissance. The novel will more than satisfy fans of the genre.
Themes Thriller, Mystery, Missing Persons, France, Alps, Snowboarding.
Rose Tabeni
Amnesia Road by Luke Stegemann
NewSouth, 2021. ISBN: 9781742236728. (Age:16+)
Amnesia Road : Landscape, Violence and Memory written by Luke Stegemann is a non-fiction book exploring the natural landscapes of both rural Australia and Spain, along with their histories. While a seemingly random pairing, the two countries share a common theme in their history: violence, which has been forgotten. Stegemann explores this through his book in a comprehensively literary way. These violent occurences range from massacres to civil war, both with untold victims.
This heavily detailed non-fiction work is filled with descriptive narrative for both history and landscape of Australia and Spain, as Stegemann has travelled the locations he writes about numerous times, in addition to researching the forgotten histories. More accurate telling of Australia's true history has been something the literary world has required for sometime, and Stegemann has done an admirable job in getting the specifics lined up. As the book progresses, more anecdotes and historical writings are included to give the book greater depth, with the book moving between personal narrative to historical retellings. This would be an ideal book for those researching the specific geographic areas, or honest information about Australia's sordid past - in particular the victims of settlers and foreign government taking over a land that was already inhabited. Perhaps those interested in reconcilation could pick this book up to learn some hard truths, as it is a brutally honest book, which is not suitable for younger readers.
Themes Australian History; Spanish History; Australia; Spain; South West Queensland; Landscape; Rural Australia; Forgotten Histories.
Melanie Pages
The shadow arts by Damien Love
Rock the Boat, 2021. ISBN: 9780861540860. (Age:9+) Highly recommended.
The Shadow Arts, sequel to Monstrous Devices, written by Scottish freelance writer, now new novelist Damien Love, feels like a run away blockbuster novel. It has a similar effect on the reader as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone did when first read in terms of its cinematic potentiality. This book, rich in visual imagery and non-stop action is made for the screen.
Damien Love's previous articles for magazines, journals and newspapers focus on music, film,TV and photography. It is no surprise then that his writing maximises the visuals so magnificently.
Alex, our protagonist, is dragged in the dead of night by his reappearing grandfather from his normal life of school, bullies, homework and family. He is immediately caught up in a life and death struggle of great brutality against forces of unparalled evil dating back to the dark ages of forested Europe and having the power to bring the world as we know it to an end. There is a puzzle to be solved and it is intertwined with the presence of evil and magic. Alex thinks that his father was killed but was he...? What is this unknown super power that he seems to have and how does he control it? What has happened to Harry?
Not only does this novel delve back into age-old mythology, there is a continuity - a thread (although what it is is uncertain) that ties the evil past to the terrors of the present. AI, in the hands of evil is all powerful. Life sizers (robots the size of humans) and vicious fliers form an army of relentless, unmerciful assassins controlled by humans with a lust for something that is gradually understood. The last stand is at the sinister Chateau de Saint Clement- a fitting setting for the revelation of the dastardly master minds and their plans.
The reader can revel in the hilarious, clever patter of the idiomatic Scottish/English dialogue between Grandfather, Alex and Harry as they scramble for survival. Although the situations are dire, the droll and dry humour, reflective of the wit and intelligence of our protagonists permeates the perilous situations and contributes to the delight of this book.
This novel is break-neck, it is adrenaline-pumping and it is also a lesson on acceptance and getting on with dealing with life. This series must continue...after all The Shadow Arts finished enigmatically...with" a trick of the light."
Themes resourcefulness,deadly peril, trust, identity, heredity, ancient lore, secret societies and AI.
Planet Pancake is the second book in the Super Geeks series, written by James Hart. The story is about a boy named Zeek Emerson, his best friend Arnie and his loveable pet fish Eleanor. Zeek has a one tracked mind for ‘World Domination’. His friend Arnie is kind, reliable and inventive; ingeniously creating imaginative models. Eleanor is Zeek’s shrewd pet fish, but she hasn’t been sparking on all cylinders since his last attempt at world power.
While seeking world power and control, Zeek hears of treasure that can be found at the edge of the world. He sees this as a full proof way to fuel his world supremacy. But how will he get there? His supportive friend Arnie and he work together to invent and build a super ship, that they name the Enchilada. Together, with Eleanor, they set off on an adventure to find the much-anticipated treasure. How will they go in their quest? Will they encounter problems or prizes? Will Zeek finally find the success and power that he seeks?
This novel is extremely fast paced with a highly energetic storyline. At times it has so much going on that it is hard to keep up! Cleverly, the author introduces the main characters at the beginning of the story. This is a successful technique, so if you have missed reading the first story you are able to catch up and read this one without any major gaps. An easy read, it will keep the reader interested with each page featuring great black and white cartoon pictures and speech text. This book contains adventure and fun and would appeal to anyone who loves to also use their imagination and invent new ideas. Zeek and Arnie are quirky, yet relatable characters and the storyline will keep the reader intrigued as to what is going to happen next.
Themes Inventions, Problem solving, Friendship, Humour.
Michelle O'Connell
Pedro the Puerto Rican Parrot by Beverly Jatwani and Sunita Chawdhary
Little Steps, 2021. ISBN: 9781922358684. (Age:4+) Highly recommended.
Pedro The Puerto Rican Parrot is the first book in the Together We Can Change the World series. This is a new picture book series of seven stories, covering seven continents with seven important virtues being showcased while children show care and responsibility for Planet Earth. In this opening book the virtue is love. Dominic and his mother visit Mr Gonzales who runs an Animal Rescue Centre and offers him some food for the animals. They hear an incredibly noisy endangered Puerto Rican emerald-green parrot squawking in distress. Dominic would like to take the parrot home, but it has been injured and requires special care. He offers to volunteer at the rescue centre and care for the parrot daily. He is warned by Mr Gonzales that he will need patience and love to make a difference. Over time the parrot named Pedro gradually begins to accept Dominic’s care and settles down. One day Dominic arrives at the rescue centre to find the parrot has been given to a new home until he is ready to be released back into the wild. Dominic is saddened and disappointed but there is a surprise waiting for him at home.
This is a lovely story that younger readers will enjoy. They will appreciate the connection between Dominic and Pedro and will learn something new about a bird from another country from the thoughtfully included facts about Puerto Rican parrots on the final page. A welcome addition to a home, school or public library.
Themes Endangered Species, Wildlife Vets, Love, Families, Care, Puerto Rico, Parrot, Animal Rescue.
Kathryn Beilby
Devils in danger by Samantha Wheeler
University of Queensland Press, 2021. ISBN: 9780702263293. (Age:9-13) Highly recommended.
11-year-old Killarney is not an academic superstar and although she has friends, they only seem to appreciate her hair-braiding skills (her hairdresser mother has shared this valuable talent). When strange things start to happen at her Tasmanian home, with loud blood-curdling noises, Killarney seeks to solve the mystery. Unfortunately, she does not seem to have friends to share the discoveries that she makes and sometimes it seems that she is being actively shunned. A connection with a local wildlife expert gives Killarney insight into the Tasmanian devils that have become resident in her community and stirs her to environmental action despite her initial reticence, her own insecurity and the devil’s poor reputation.
This is an engaging story with the main character being outshone by the local wildlife. Killarney though is also charming as the student who struggles with both academics and friendships, and yet has a heart for the devils with the ‘bad reputation’. With a naïve simplicity and a positive environmental message this is a book to recommend to readers aged 9-13, and hopefully they will appreciate the insights into our own Australian animals. Wheeler manages to do this so well, and the rest of her books with environmental themes should also be devoured.
Sequel to the very popular Little Gem (2020) in which the little orphan witch, Gem was introduced, this will be equally read and enjoyed, touching as it does on the theme of bullying. Failing at Witchcraft School and landing in a small town, Elsworth Pining, one hundred years into the future, Little Gem is expected to stay in the Witch’s cottage as the town’s resident witch. She cannot let them know that she has not completed her studies and with the ghost, Henry to help, tries to be what the townsfolk need. But not all of her spells work they way they are expected to, and the townsfolk are very polite and encouraging, allowing her to practise her craft. Despite the setbacks, with the Midsummer Festival approaching, Gem is asked to do the special effects, but people are dismayed at the results of some of her spells.
And when letters in yellow envelopes arrive, stating that they are unimpressed with her failures and that they want her out of the town, she is distraught. The unwanted letters are horrid, undermining her confidence and sapping her energy. She and Henry resolve to find the anonymous culprit and suspect one person then another, finally unmasking the perpetrator at the Midsummer Play, in front of the whole town.
Readers will be thrilled to see how the story of Henry the ghost is incorporated into the Midsummer Play, a play acted out each year for four hundred years, detailing what happened to Henry.
Henry and Little Gem, along with their town friends solve the puzzle, even working out why Little Gem’s spells are going awry, and why there is an outbreak of trees growing in the town attracting a specific bug to drink its nectar. All comes right in the end, the wonderful illustrations underlining the humour of the story, giving a face to all the characters that readers love.
Little Gem is a character to be admired: resilient and determined, she shows tenacity in the face of adversity, striving to be the best she can be.
Claudine “Claude” Henry has it all planned out. In one week, she will graduate from high school and go on the road trip of a lifetime with her best friend Saz; one final trip before they go to different colleges and their friendship is changed forever. With the potential to hook up with her long-time crush Wyatt Jones, this summer is looking to be the best yet. That is, until her father drops the bombshell that he’s leaving Claude and her mother, dissolving their perfect trio and removing the floor from beneath her feet. To make matters worse, Claude learns that she and her mother are being exiled to a remote Georgia island where there is no phone service and no chance at the romance she was so desperately looking forward to. Grieving for her perfect summer and the fractures in her relationships caused by being forced to keep her parents’ separation a secret, Claude stubbornly decides that she will stay inside and read books until the summer is over. Then she meets Jeremiah Crew. Enigmatic and free-spirited, Jeremiah makes her feel like anything is possible. They both know what they have can only last for one summer, but with adventures to be found in every day and on every corner of the island, maybe one summer might just be enough.
Niven creates an island paradise, with an eccentric mix of characters that serve to accompany Claude on her journey to discovering that she is the one who gets to write her own story and that to do so, she must own her feelings and sit with each emotional wave that hits her, no matter how overpowering. Claude’s relationship with her mother is a highlight of the novel, demonstrating a healthy and empowering mother-daughter relationship in the face of adversity and challenging situations. While Claude’s coming of age journey is aimed at young adult readers, there is substantial triggering content in the novel with profound themes involving sexual references, descriptive sexual scenes, and sexual assault, as well as graphic descriptions and themes of suicide and death. It is also to be noted that there is content that would be triggering for readers recovering from or experiencing eating disorders. Themes of divorce and parental separation are also substantial within the novel. For these reasons, a reading age of 16 years is recommended.
Themes Coming of Age, Love, Teenage Love, Divorce, Parental Separation, Sex, First Love, Relationships, Heartbreak.
A Perfect Pig is a perfectly entertaining book to read and share with younger children. Anton loves everything to be perfect - from his perfectly parted hair to his perfect party planning. Off he sets to purchase items for a perfectly organised birthday party for his best friend Lola who loves surprises. Along the way things do not go perfectly with rain, mud, queues and sold out birthday cakes. Children will love the fact that what could go wrong does and will be listening intently to what happens next. So many things do happen to Anton and the perfect party does not go according to plan. But Lola loves the surprise and Anton adapts very well to his not so perfect day. The illustrations are bright and colourful and very expressive. The highlighted words and bold text create scenes of impending imperfection and disaster.
This is a book that children will love to read over and over again.
Sawyer Dodd has just lost her boyfriend, Kevin, in a tragic car crash, and she's now back at school. Suffering through the glances and whispers of fellow students, she finds a note in her locker, attached to the news clipping of Kevin's accident, with two words : 'You're welcome'. But no-one knew what Kevin did to her, how he treated her, right? With her parent's divorce and her father remarrying and expecting a baby with his new wife, Saywer's life is already upside down. But the note sends Sawyer into a head spin, and then her Spanish teacher shows his true colours, her best friend is attacked and more notes appear in her locker. Where are they coming from, and how does the person seem to know her every move?
This rollercoaster YA mystery thriller is fast paced and has plenty of suspense and drama. Told entirely from Sawyer's point of view, the book starts up at the funeral of Sawyer's boyfriend, giving us our introduction to Sawyer, which is of a broken and hurt teenager. This is further shown when her life is described in more detail - Kevin's controlling and abusive behaviour, her parent's sudden divorce and her new stepmother trying to be her friend, and broken friendships. The book begins with a warning about many of these aspects, as well as suicide and drink driving, hence the older age range for reading this book. It reads really well, as the fast pace enables readers to quickly progress, and the mystery on top of mystery keeps readers guessing. With relatable characters, Truly, Madly, Deadly is compelling and ideal for fans of People Like Us by Dana Mele, All Eyes On Us by Kit Frick, and anything by Karen M. McManus.
