Opening with a TS Elliot quote, ‘Footfalls echo in the memory down the passage which we did not take towards the door we never opened’ prepares the reader for a protagonist who channels the memories of a 15yr old convict boy who worked as a shepherd on his Grandparents’ sheep property. The convict Will, writes his memoir in the first person but Will’s story is told in the 3rd person.
Cameron Nunn, like Jackie French before him in The White Ship, gradually weaves two stories separated by 200 years in time. Events don’t begin in the outback. Will Richard’s mother takes her own life and his father shunts him and his sister to the countryside to live with his parents. Whereas, convict William Richards, is deported to Sydney for stealing a sheet of roofing lead before being indentured to McNeil’s sheep property. Modern-day Will’s grandfather is also named William Richards and Pa has also lived with the confusion and stigma of unlived memories that connect him to the long dead convict boy.
Historically accurate, given the author’s academic interests, the reader will feel the neglect, powerlessness, social injustices and the moral struggle of a thinking person coming of age in a harsh 18th century colony inhabited by brigands. William’s scholarly ambitions are balanced with his love interest in Sarah, the pastoralist’s daughter. His empathy for the treatment of indigenous people are truly before his time, or perhaps time is not linear? Similarly, today’s Will doesn’t dismiss his grandfather as mentally ill, like the rest of the family. Will keeps an open mind and methodically resolves what he cannot instantly understand.
Echo in the memory makes a good stimulus for discussing the lesser known history of our First Nations people who became refugees in their own land when the English colonized Australia. The superb characterization will make classroom discussion of Nunn’s specialty, Convict Children, both engaging and heartfelt. The novel is supported by Book Club notes and teacher's notes.
Themes Bildungsroman, Australian History, Convicts, Paranormal, Family.
CWA Dagger in the library Award winner Griffiths has written another mystery featuring Dr Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist. Ivor March, a convicted murderer, has offered DCI Nelson a deal. He will tell him where the bodies of other young women are buried but only if he brings Ruth into the investigation to do the digging. She agrees to supervise the digging, but why is Ivor March so keen to have her back at the fens?
Ruth has made a change in her life. She has made a break with Norfolk and is now living in Cambridge with her daughter Kate and Frank. Although no longer the police’s forensic investigator she cannot resist the enticement of coming back to the place she loves and doing the work that she has been so good at.
The fens are always mysterious and the legend of the Lantern Men, who shine their lights and lure travellers into the marshes to their deaths, is a frightening one. When the investigation finds that March and his friends had acted as Lantern Men, supposedly rescuing young women, suspects abound as another young woman is killed. March could not have done it as he is in prison, and this casts suspicion on the people who surrounded him at the house where they had all lived.
There is excitement and danger ahead for Ruth in this engrossing and clever mystery that kept me guessing until the end. The lantern men was a suspenseful, nail-biting read, not just for the mystery but for the relationships described, and I look forward to following Ruth’s exploits in The night hawks, the next in this outstanding series.
Themes Mystery, Norfolk, Legends, Murder.
Pat Pledger
While you're sleeping by Mick Jackson. Illus. by John Broadley
Pavilion, 2021. ISBN: 9781843654650. (Age:4+)
Night time. Time to snuggle down under the covers, think briefly about tomorrow and drift off to the land of sweet dreams.
But night is not a time of peace and quiet for all. There is much that happens. Weather changes, animals hunt and there are many many workers who ensure that the wheels of modern life keep turning, and on the other side of the world children are going about their daytime life.
With its highly detailed imagery, which are fully explored in the excellent teachers' notes, this book introduces the young reader to another world which exists side by side with their own.
This world of the night-time worker will either acknowledge what they already know because they have a family member who works then (and thus they see their own lives in print), or expose them to a whole new concept helping them to understand how the world works and appreciate those who make it so. Either way, it opens up a realm of possibilities to explore from children sharing their own experiences to investigating what causes night and darkness. Starting with a focus on things that are close to the child, it gradually encompasses a broader perspective to show that there is always much life and activity happening somewhere, and even though they might be asleep another child will be sitting in class. Perfect for this year's CBCA Book Week theme.
This is an original concept that will capture the imagination with its intriguing cover - why is there a bed floating over the town? - and the calm, undramatic text will soothe and comfort.
Stepping inside the story of Meixing, the young Chinese migrant, we are drawn into the reality of her circumstances and her sadness, as well as in her magical imagination, as she copes in the half-light of living as a new migrant. This is both a story of coping and resilience, but also an opportunity to develop empathy for those who struggle with the weight of expectation as the hopes of their non-English speaking family are placed on their young shoulders. Meixing’s life in her new home is almost immediately turned upside down by tragedy, but she is able to escape into the imagination-charged magic of the glasshouse in her unruly garden and into the arms of the magically ‘alive’ house (that she names ‘Big Scary’). Her next-door neighbours, also new migrants, but from Vietnam and therefore still foreign to her, are the warmest and most welcoming neighbours and their son Kevin becomes a friend despite some fraught moments.
This is a very different migrant story, with cultural background woven within fantasy elements, but with the most poignant voice and melancholy of the young main character. The book is written as a second person narrative, inviting the reader to step inside the shoes and the pain of the migrant’s experience. It is hard to imagine the experience of migration and the unkindnesses and isolation that must be endured because of language and cultural barriers, but this story gives a real insight into how difficult it might be, and also the incredible resilience required by the young children who must adjust quickly to their new circumstances and also often take on ‘adult’ responsibilities in their ‘new-world’. This book will bring tears to your eyes. It is almost too heart-rending for young readers, but its power is in the opportunity to promote empathy and to see the value of imagination.
Themes Migration, Grief and loss, Imagination, Migrant experience, Chinese and Buddhist culture.
Spread across the inside of this book cover, front and back, is the image of the ‘Blue Poles’ painting by Jackson Pollock. And it is the painting that tells us the story. You might think that is bizarre, but it works. The narrator opening Part One is the painting itself, telling of its creation by the artist, the view from the barn-studio, the people it was sold to, the places it was hung, and then ultimately its purchase by Gough Whitlam, then Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam stood for a policy of social reform, free medical care, no-fault divorce, end to the Vietnam War, free university education, Aboriginal land rights, and . . . funding for the Arts. His purchase of ‘Blue Poles’ ignited conflicting views around the country.
But the painting also has other memories, of Pollock drunk, with a knife, pressing against his wife, the artist Lee Krasner. At this point the narrative is taken up by Alyssa, an art conservator, who does not admire Pollock, who researches the neglected women artists of the era, and who struggles herself with the societal expectations of woman as wife and mother. She researches the women artists who painted in Pollock’s shadow.
This is such an intriguing book! It reminds us of the amazing achievements of Whitlam, the visionary politician, but at the same time, interrogates the world of art that failed to give due recognition to the women artists of the time, and makes us consider again the imbalance of power and status between men and women, still relevant today.
I would recommend this book for students of both art and politics.
Themes Blue Poles, Art, Politics, Feminism.
Helen Eddy
The book of Australian trees by Inga Simpson. Illus. by Alicia Rogerson
This beautifully presented book draws the reader in from first glance at its appealing cover with trees surrounding the gold embossed title to the endpapers showcasing seeds and leaves from various trees. The opening page gives information about Australian trees, how they have changed over years, how many have adapted to their environment and their importance in Earth’s ecosystems. There are fourteen trees discussed in the book, each having its own double page spread with information centred on one page and striking illustrations on the next. The information presented is easy to understand and provides the reader with interesting facts about where the particular tree grows, a description of its colour, shape, height and how long the tree can live for. For example the Karri can live for around 300 years and there is one in the Greater Beedelup National Park that is thought to be 400 years old. Each tree has its own unique features and these are thoughtfully explained alongside other engaging information about the tree. The Antarctic Beech tree once grew all over Antarctica when it was joined to Australia, New Zealand and South America. It eventually moved north as the south became too cold. However during the bushfires in 2019-2020 many perished in the Gondwana Rainforests as unlike eucalypts, they have not adapted to survive fire and will not grow back.
This book would make a thoughtful addition to any school of public library as well as a perfect gift for those who love trees and plants.
The bright and colourful cover design of this new dinosaur book may trick the reader into thinking it is a fiction picture book however there is surprise in store. This book is full of facts about all different types of dinosaur related material and presented in a humorous and visually appealing manner. The end papers have vibrant cartoon-type drawings of all kinds of creatures from the time of dinosaurs. The book begins with a do you love dinosaurs section then warns the reader that before they turn the page there are ten fun dinosaur rules to be obeyed including “if you want to be in the veggie dino gang, then eat your greens!” Each double page spread focuses on one particular category of dinosaur: fearsome hunters, gentle giants, leaf loving veggies, armoured dinosaurs, the raptors, dino fossils, babysaurus and of course Tyrannosaurus Rex, who has his very own spread turned sideways to fit him in. At the end there is a dino sports day which measures how fast the more common dinosaurs are as well as dino neighbours which talks about other creatures who lived at that time. There is also a dino hall of fame which shows a picture and then fast facts about the chosen dinosaur. Each page has information presented in different fonts spread out in segments amongst the lively illustrations and humorous speech bubbles.
This will be a popular read for children in a school or public library as well as a shared read at home for younger children.
Margaret has moved into a cottage in the mountains with her parents to be nearer to her grandmother. Taken far from her friends and being an only child, she is quite lonely, so they send her to explore her surroundings while they unpack to make her room look as it did in her previous home. On her way home she sees unicorns moving across the sky and then stumbles across a baby unicorn that has been left behind. She takes it home and, with the help of her grandmother, she cares for it during the winter until its parents return in the spring. We learn all about what unicorns eat and drink as well as why they fly from the mainland to Unicorn Island each year on the last summer wind. Enough to fill many dreams for those who love unicorns.
A beautifully illustrated story that has the feel of a classic fairy-tale and offers so much more than the recent sparkly unicorn offerings on the market. It uses a mixture of double-spread pictures, single page illustrations and multiple small vignettes on the page to tell all about the magical winter Margaret spends with her unicorn. The setting of the story seems to me to be the Scottish Highlands and the illustrator has captured the surrounds and the seasons to perfection in these realistic illustrations of this rugged coastal landscape. The story is quite detailed and could have been edited somewhat but it reads well, and unicorn lovers will enjoy this one very much.
Schoolies events did not exist when I left High School…. We left school and started a holiday job and celebrated by earning some money. This book reveals that now the Schoolies event, that dominates the planning of many graduating Year 12 students, is bigger than Ayers Rock. Cohorts of ex-students gather together to celebrate their freedom from parental control and freedom from study (before they consider more study or a change of direction) by living life on the edge. The revelries are marked by a celebration of peer connection, excessive alcohol consumption and a variety of risky and messy activities that would probably horrify most parents. Into this environment Zoe, Samira and Dahlia arrive with dreams after their escape from school. Each girl comes with their own friends and their own plans, but they also must deal with the way that things don’t quite flow as they had imagined. With the heartache of a romantic breakup as the week begins; having to deal with the continuing grief of losing a friend to cancer; and the uncertainty and tension of waiting for an early longed-for confirmation of University entry, each girl contends with her own internal struggles as the wild week plays out. Gabrielle Tozer does not leave out the wild parties, the consequences of over-consumption of alcohol, the craziness of hormone-fuelled hook-ups and the threats of thefts and being separated from friends in a strange city. She also reveals the intrigues and complications of teen friendships in an insightful way and the internal battles for each of the girls.
This book highlights a slice of teen life in an absorbing story that links the three girls very loosely in their Gold Coast sojourn. The ‘live in the moment’ snapshot will appeal to young readers… but would horrify their parents. The journey though, told from the perspective of one girl’s story to another, also paints the picture of teens who are still connected to family and who still love their parents even when they are fiercely exploring independence and on the cusp of adulthood. The plans that fall into chaos, the lists of challenges to complete and the interplay of freedom and irresponsibility are all there…. a journey into the leap from childhood to adulthood – a virtual adrenaline-charged maturity ‘roller-coaster experience’ with the possibility for disaster, but with the hope that all will be well. Surprisingly for the setting and the age-group, there is little or no swearing.
Noisy Tom : A book about communicating by Jane Martino. Illus. by Annie White
Smiling Mind bk. 3. Puffin, 2021. ISBN: 9781761040078. (Age:3+)
No matter what he does, Tom is noisy. There is not an activity that he does that is not accompanied by boisterous, enthusiastic sound effects. "When I'm playing, noise just spills out of me. "
But one day at the park when he sees two girls playing on the swings and not making any noise at all, he is puzzled. When he asks them whether they enjoyed the swings because they did not make a sound, they tell him that they enjoy the feel of the movement, the sensation of the cold air on their faces and although Tom also enjoys that, he is still confused.
Although he learns that there are lots of ways to express your feelings, loudly and quietly, and it is different for each person, for him loud wins.
This is the third in this eries that focuses on young children, enabling them to understand their feelings and responses and be a pre-emptive strike towards positive mental health. Our youngest readers will enjoy its exuberance and will see themselves either as Tom or one of the quieter characters. Most importantly, they will begin to understand that being different is OK and being yourself is paramount.
Winner of the 2020 Nebula Award, this is a full-length novel in the Murderbot Diaries. For those not familiar with this series, the first of which is All systems red, Murderbot is a droid, a self-aware SecUnit who loves to watch endless entertainment channels. In Fugitive Telemetry Murderbot finds a body on Preservation Station and ends up having to investigate.
Those who enjoy the humour of this science fiction series will not be disappointed. There are many laugh out loud moments. And those who enjoy a murder mystery will enjoy following the shenanigans that Murderbot goes through, communicating with humans and covering up its high intelligence and contempt for people.
The other books in the series have been novellas, short enough to get a taste for Murderbot and clever and humorous enough to get readers avidly waiting for the next instalments. This series is a winner - fun reads with a great protagonist. Fans may well want to try the excellent Raksura series by Martha Wells while waiting for the next book.
The bull ant which unsurprisingly bites the boy on his bum is only one of the animals which invade the house in this laugh out loud verse story. Each one seems to end up in his sister’s bed, making the reader aware that each line will end with that sound (bed) so will be eager to suggest and predict the rhyming words as well as say the line along with the reader.
The bull ant is not the only unusual thing to find in the house. There’s a camel in the kitchen, a lion in the laundry, a chameleon in the closet that is very hard to find, a gorilla in the garden, a llama in the lounge room, a tiger in the toilet, a piranha in the pool and a hippo on the hallway, all of which end up in sister’s bed. But when he goes to bed he finds that his sister has taken a stand.
Readers will love the odd animals found in the house, the rhyming lines, the alliteration, the build up of animals in sister’s bed, and laugh at the outcome when the children go to bed.
The vibrant illustrations add another level of humour to the funny tale, and eager eyes will look at the detail, as well as the attributes of each animal shown and its interaction with the children. I love the looks on all the faces, especially the sister’s as they all end up in her bed. And the end papers with their reprisal of some of the details from the pages will intrigue eager eyes.
And what an introduction to an array of animals for the classroom.
Themes Humour, Animals, Verse story, Family.
Fran Knight
Lottie Luna and the Giant Gargoyle by Vivian French. Illus. by Nathan Reed
Imagine appearing to be a regular young girl but in reality you are a werewolf with powers that make you super-fast and super-strong and give you x-ray vision. Lottie Luna is just that and although she doesn't like to use her powers, preferring to be just the regular young girl, if she finds her friends in a pickle she will use them to help them out.
In this fourth adventure in the series, when Lottie's school holds its yearly talent competition, she finds that she might just have to use them, if she's going to help her friends save the day and win first prize.
Written for for young, newly independent readers who see themselves as just like Lottie - being just regular little girls on the surface, but with a heroine not too far below the surface, each story is richly illustrated with all the supports needed to carry their reading journey forward making this is an ideal series to offer those looking for something new and different.
Barbara Braxton
I really want a pet by Jackie Hosking and Shane McG
The picture book, I Really Want A Pet by Jackie Hosking, has a fun and entertaining storyline that will be enjoyed as a read aloud with many young children. The rhyme and repetition that is used throughout the book will engage the audience from the opening page. The story follows the child’s wishes to get a pet. Children will make strong connections with this story, as almost every child will want a pet at some stage or another. From dinosaurs and crocodiles, to polar bears and ponies many pets are explored with the hope of a potential pet. However, each time a suggestion is put forward by the child, her mum has a perfect reason why each one will not do. The rollicking and rolling pattern of words flows beautifully with rhyme and rhythm to enjoy as a read aloud.
Illustrator Shane McGowan compliments the storyline with beautiful clear pictures for the reader to enjoy. Cleverly hidden on each page, that the eager and interested audience are sure to spy, is the animal that is finally chosen at the end of the story. This is sure to be a favourite for many children, especially those with a love of creatures of the world. This book will support the enjoyment of a shared read aloud, as children will be able to remember repeated parts and predict the upcoming rhyming word, and join in with the story that will be read again and again.
Fans of the Graceling series (Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue) will welcome the long awaited return of another book in the Graceling Realm. Winterkeep is a land of strange beings. A huge creature with twelve tenacles known as The Keeper lives in the depths of the ocean, telepathic silbercows frolic in the waters while blue foxes bond with humans and can hear their thoughts and talk to them. When two of Bitterblue’s advisors disappear and Bitterblue is left with information that Winterkeep’s elite have been cheating her kingdom of the money they should have paid for a precious mineral, she sets off with Giddon and her half sister Hava, as well as a delegation of advisors, to find out what is happening. However, she is swept off her boat and kidnapped. Meanwhile Lovisa Cavenda is a young student who is acutely curious about what has been stored in the attic and is determined to find out what is going on with her parents, powerful members of the Government.
Cashore’s characters are stunning. Giddon’s grief when he believes Bitterblue has drowned is touching, and Bitterblue proves that she has resilience and stamina under the most trying of conditions. But it is Lovisa, that 16-year-old girl, who faces the most difficult trials and who has the reader feeling so sorry for her plight. Then the blue fox, Adventure, is an amazing character as he races through secret tunnels trying to protect Lovisa, and he too is faced with the most difficult of ethical decisions. All the minor characters are fully described and feel real. There are many twists and turns and the reader is left wondering who they can trust and feeling appalled at the treatment that Lovisa’s mother deals out to her and her three little brothers.
The world building is stunning. Winterkeep is a strange alluring place, with air ships attached to balloons, Industrialists and Scholars making up the Government and political intrigue abounding. Lovisa’s cynical take on the government – that everyone is just out to make money regardless of how it affects the country – seems to have some validity too, while environmental issues are also brought up.
This is unique fantasy, peopled with strange telepathic creatures and a fast-moving plot that makes it very difficult to put down. I now want to go back and re-read the other books in the series.
Themes Fantasy, Romance, Good and evil, Power, Corruption, Ethics.
