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.
Ernest is the baby in a herd of elephants. Each day they walk and talk, eat and drink and at night they sleep. Ernest begins to think that perhaps there is something more to life. One day passing a jungle he asks his mother what it is. She tells him it is only a jungle, but intrigued with something different Ernest breaks off from the herd and goes to investigate. He is terribly excited by all he sees and walks on, unaware that he is going deeper into the jungle. His excitement begins to wane as he becomes a little concerned, the shadows become darker and he becomes a little frightened. It is then that he notices there is no path out of the jungle, so he decides to ask the animals for help.
The answers he receives are not helpful: the gorilla tells him to go away, the lion tells him to leave him alone, the hippo refuses to help, and the crocodile dives under the water. But a noise at his feet offers help. Ernest, unsure whether the little mouse can help at all, lifts him onto the head because that is the polite thing to do. And it is better to be lost with someone than be alone.
Despite his size the mouse is able to direct Ernest back to the herd and the little elephant is reunited with his mother.
A wonderful tale of exploring and getting into difficulties, Browne’s understated text reveals how frightened Ernest becomes when he finds himself all alone and lost in the jungle. Browne’s apt words reflect the elephant’s initial excitement and growing discomfiture as he ventures into the jungle, wonderfully supported by the glowing illustrations full of life and detail. Children will love reading about Ernest, using the story as a springboard to talk of their own adventures, where they may take risks but with the surety that there is always someone to welcome them back home.
Author and illustrator of over fifty picture books Browne was Children’s Laureate from 2009 - 2011. Learn more about him here.
Moose the Pilot by Kimberly Andrews is a very different sort of book for the Australian child to read. It takes the reader to beautifully detailed and varied destination landscapes by plane. The reader frequently sees places from an aerial perspective. The main character, Moose, is very much an anthropomorphic delight- a well-meaning, capable, can-do fellow who walks around on skinny moose-like legs with his moose antlers sticking out from his aviator's hat. He wears a tartan lumberjacket and his rolled up sleeves indicate that he is a creature of action. He is friendly, happy and helpful.
The storyline unfolds as Moose is called by a speaker on each page to attend to the needs of people (animals dressed as people) in different locations. Most of the people/animals that he meets speak to him via speech bubbles as Moose travels to different beautifully illustrated double page destinations.
For the beginning geographer there is a double page map showing the route taken by Moose; for lovers of planes there is a wonderful illustration of the cockpit of a plane from the inside perspective. There is so much detail to be pored over within the illustrations. To encourage even closer inspection there are 17 butterflies hidden throughout the book which the reader is encouraged to spot.
Kimberly Andrews manages to combine her great artistic skill with the ability to write warm and compelling stories about capable, loveable characters. There is much for the young reader to look at and learn from on every page. Andrew's previous book, Puffin the Architect(2018) was a finalist for Best Picture Book in the NZ Book Awards for children and Young Adults and won the NZ Booklover's Award for Best Children's Book. Moose the Pilot, likewise, has collected 3 prestigious awards.
A group of four meets every Thursday to revisit cold cases. Worldly wise Elizabeth their leader was once involved in the secret service and is able to gain access to the most extraordinary people and information. When the builder of their retirement village is found murdered, an opportunity too good to pass up presents itself: a real murder to investigate.
An astute and funny look at life after retirement, Osman delivers his characters with an archness that is salutary as well as excruciatingly funny. Self deprecating retired nurse Joyce is the diary keeper, Ron, a former labour leader and troublemaker is forthright and does not take no for an answer, while Ibrahim is a retired psychiatrist with a house full of files. Each of the four brings a different set of skills and abilities to the group, and a few days later, Ventham the owner of the village is also murdered, right in front of their eyes.
And then the new builder, Bogdan, takes Elizabeth to show her what he has found in the cemetery and was told to remove.
Osman creates a marvellous scenario. The young constable who lectures the villagers on personal safety is drawn into their circle, and Elizabeth and the others get her on the investigation team at the local police station. A priest comes to the village meetings, concerned about the razing of the cemetery on the adjacent land, bought to extend the housing, while Ron’s son is a former boxer, and it is his photo that is found at one of the murder sites.
And the relationship between PC Donna and her boss, Chris, tingles with possibilities. The mix is intoxicating, the threads numerous and the writing thunders along, taking the reader happily along for a joyous ride.
A second outing for this group, The man who died twice has been recently published.
Themes Murder, Retirement homes, Old age, Corruption, Humour, Crime.
Fran Knight
Winner winner bin chicken dinner by Kate and Jol Temple. Illus. by Ronojoy Ghosh
A sequel to Bin Chicken, our lively and resilient ibis is back again for the new book Winner Winner Bin Chicken Dinner. Once again, our poor bin chicken is in search of some food, but along the way he encounters many obstacles that inhibit his search. Despite these encounters and setbacks, the ibis tenaciously continues on his adventures to satisfy his hunger. When finally, he finds the feast of all feast, what will he do?
The ending brings up great discussion points and learning opportunities around friendships and how we treat others. It is a great read aloud for young children, with rhyme and rhythm to convey the story. With opportunities to engage the audience with dialogue and theatrics, the audience feels like they are joining our bin chicken on the journey. Stimulating vocabulary and language are intertwined and expertly used throughout, in an exploration and appreciation of the Australian wildlife within our local environment.
Ronojoy Ghosh has used entertaining illustrations throughout the book, which adds extra hilarity to the storyline for the audience. His great use of colour and simple drawings complement the picture book and enables the audience to gain a greater understanding of the storyline.
This is an appealing and entertaining story that ingeniously encompasses areas from supporting our local wildlife to friendships and how we treat others. A very clever and enjoyable sequel. I look forward to seeing what our friend Bin Chicken will get up to next!
With the series Shadow and Bone on Netflix, fans of the Grisha books will be delighted to see the King of Scars duology coming to its conclusion. The story is once again told in three voices, that of King Nikolai, his general the stormwitch, Zoya Nazyalensky and Nina Zenik, a spy deep undercover in Fjerda. The reader is taken on a fast-moving adventure as they try to keep their enemies out of their country. Nikolai must face the demon within him and attempt to control the darkness, while Zoya must recognise the power that she has been given and use it to defend her country. Meanwhile Nina faces the deception of her life as she pretends to be a young peasant girl accompanying Hanne, the wealthy daughter of Brum who is active in the politics of Fjerda.
Each of the narrators’ voices are distinct and sometimes it is tempting to flick over and just follow one main character as the action is so exciting, but of course Nikolai, Zoya and Nina’s stories are all cleverly interwoven, and hints are given in each section of important things that are happening. Bardugo’s characters are all finely drawn and even the minor characters stand out each with distinctive characteristics.
Much action and suspense will keep the reader engrossed as the trio fight for their country. The political intrigue, romances and surprising twists are all very gripping. And readers will be left satisfied with the clever wrap-up of all the threads, while a hint about Kez Brekker and the Crow Club from my favourite of the Grisha books, Six of Crows hopefully leaves room for another adventure.
Themes Fantasy, Good and evil, Conspiracies, Quests, Magic.
Pat Pledger
Three weddings and a proposal by Sheila O'Flanagan
Delphie manages to secure a surprise plus one to her brother's wedding - most of her male friends are now married and unavailable, which doesn't help her case as her family keeps asking why she's still single, pointing out that she'll miss her chance, she's going to be lonely if she doesn't settle down soon. But Delphie has been career-oriented for years, and it has been paying off. She loves her job at Cosecha, working directly for her millionaire boss, Conrad Morgan. Then she gets a phone call while at the wedding, a bad news call that shocks Delphie and changes everything. After years of loving her life, job, friends and her dream house, what do these changes mean for Delphie?
This was quite an enjoyable read - set in Ireland, this contemporary novel shows a strong woman taking care of business. Determined, good at her job and happily single, Delphie sets a great example for young women today. O'Flanagan's writing style is appealing due to its simplicity, with interesting characters, various relationships and an Irish setting (as well as the occasional Irish slang – or swear word!). Written in a relatable way, Delphie and the other characters are easily conjured in your mind. As readers will be immersed into Delphie's life and that of those around her, this book is ideal for fans of Marian Keyes. Through the navigation of dealing with loss and changes which are universal themes, this novel encompasses human relationships, career direction and life choices, and doing what is best for you.
Themes Ireland, Career, Self Determination, Loss, Death, Weddings, Human Relations.
Melanie Pages
Pranklab by Chris Ferrie, Byrne Laginestra, Wade David Fairclough
This highly readable and engaging non-fiction book will provide hours of enjoyment to those children who one: love the idea of a prank and two: are fascinated by science and the many experiments that arouse curiosity and questions. The detailed introduction prepares the reader for a careful and fun-filled pranking time. However it is stressed that the prankster needs to choose the right moment, plan and take care - it can get messy.
The book is divided into four chapters: Making a Mess, Wanna Bet?, Clean Classics and Messing with a Mind. Every experiment comes with a list noting the Victim, Mess, Danger, Funniness, Difficulty and Science rated out of ten. There is also a shopping list and on the following page a section titled “Warnings to Future Me”. The pranks are clearly set out in a numbered step-by-step manner with excellent visuals. There are ‘Did You Know?’ sections, humorous comments, emojis, notes, fast facts and prank reviews. The science behind each experiment is explained clearly and there is anecdotal information throughout often showcasing a person of history in the study of Science. There is a very detailed glossary explaining a myriad of scientific terms.
This book would be a valuable library and classroom resource for writing a procedural text as well as engaging students in science experiments. It is a refreshing and contemporary look at how children can learn Science through having fun.
