Illus. by Shane McG. Allen and Unwin, 2020 ISBN: 9781760524487.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Howler Monkey loves nothing more than
to swing through the trees in the jungle with his friends, but one
day a branch gives way and he falls to the ground, damaging his
tail. His bandaged tail stops him climbing. He laughs with the
others, but laughter cannot mask his fear that he will not climb
again. One day Oldest Monkey sits next to him and says that he has
noticed he is sad. Howler Monkey shares his biggest secret with the
older monkey. Oldest Monkey asks him how he learnt to climb and then
what most satisfies him about his ability to climb. Howler Monkey
realises that it is his friends and family who make him want to
climb. He loves playing with them in the trees and helping others
climb just as well as he can. He loves how proud he makes his family
by being good at his climbing skills.
But surely your friends and family will be just as friendly and
proud of you even if you don't climb anymore, Oldest Monkey
suggests. You can still play with your family and friends, you can
still help others to learn to climb, you can still make people laugh
and be happy.
Howler Monkey sees that it is not what you do that counts but why
you do it that makes more sense. Howler Monkey parallels Alex
Rance's own story of having a season ending injury in the first
round of the 2019 AFL year. This story is about a life changing
injury causing serious self doubts, while sharing these with others
lessens their impact. Family and friends have a role to play in
helping overcome concerns while Howler Monkey learns to stay
positive to overcome his sadness caused by his injury. Tiger's
roar (2018) by Rance and McG promotes the same level of
understanding about things going wrong in one's life. A trailer
with Alex Rance is available. Themes: Monkeys, Disability,
Overcoming fear, Wellness, Mental health.
Fran Knight
Our Dark Secret by Jenny Quintana
Pan Macmillan, 2020, ISBN: 9781509839476. 320pp.
(Age: Adult) Our Dark Secret is a dark, slow moving story
focussed on complicated families, angst-filled teenage and adult
relationships and deep mysteries. Beginning in the late 1970s,
introspective Elizabeth, a bulimic teenager, who is bullied by her
classmates narrates her story as her home life disintegrates. When
angel-like Rachel and her family move into the village, Elizabeth
seeks her out as a friend. A fortuitous accident leads the girls
into an awkward friendship, and Elizabeth is overly self-sacrificing
to ensure the relationship continues. As their parents' marriages
fall apart, the teenagers seek refuge in a hidden den in the
orchard. Unfortunately, a murdered man's body is discovered in the
girls' hang-out spot, with long-lasting consequences.
Twenty years later, Elizabeth is a troubled adult, still dealing
with her bulimia, moving from job to job, lonely and struggling. She
wants to leave memories in the past, but when another body is
discovered in the village, she must confront the deep far-reaching
truths. She still connects with Rachel, their friendship strained,
but the consequences of their past actions play heavily on both.
Quintana's introspectively draws on the psychological aspects,
exploring themes of bullying, separation, divorce, abuse, secrecy
and obsessive friendships. She descriptively captures the details of
village life, food, music, gossiping and rumour spreading, in
simpler yet still difficult times. The year references form chapter
titles as she weaves the threads of the story between the
twenty-year gap. Our Dark Secret is a multi-layered
introspective drama, confronting and raw, patience and perseverance
are needed to finally gain insight into the connections between the
two murders. Themes: Friendship, Coming of Age, Mystery, Identity,
Family relationships.
Rhyllis Bignell
Red Day by Sandy Fussell
Walker Books, ISBN: 9781760651886. 240pp.
Highly recommended. Red Day is a coming of age story that
takes the reader into the world of Charlie, a young girl who is in
year 7 in a school in Cowra, NSW. Charlie interacts with the world
as a likeable, well balanced person of her age, with all the usual
struggles and fun. However, Charlie has an additional aspect to her.
She is a person with synaesthesia. This interesting condition,
little known but not wholly uncommon, results in the joining of
normally unconnected senses where stimulation of one sense can cause
involuntary reaction in another sense. Amongst other capacities,
Charlie sees colours in days and attitudes in numbers. People, to
Charlie, are surrounded by auras of different colours. Charlie's
enhanced sensitivities, which when really tested, result in physical
pain and near collapse, hold a mirror to the past and drive the
actions of Kenichi (the Japanese student who is being hosted by
Charlie and her mother) and herself in their efforts to right wrong.
For Charlie there is an additional motivation for solving the
mystery and that is to avoid another Red Day which is associated
with terrible pain and grief.
The other aspect to this book that is not particularly well known to
most Australians is the fact that Cowra was a POW camp and scene of
the largest and bloodiest prison escape during World War 2. The
story unfolds through Charlie's eyes. Her mother has insisted upon
hosting a Japanese student (Kenichi) and his arrival triggers the
subsequent unfolding of intertwining cross cultural family
histories. Charlie and Kenichi work together to pierce together the
pain of the past and make it right for the future of their families.
The story is unrelentingly gripping and haunting too. The pain of
the Japanese POWs and the mystery surrounding both families unfolds
within the settings of such places as the Cowra Japanese War
Cemetery, Garden and Museum.
Readers of this wonderful piece of historical fiction, will learn of
an important and sobering part of Australian history and also of an
interesting neurological condition whilst enjoying the development
of strong cross cultural friendship through the collaboration of
Kenichi and Charlie. Hope for the future (an informed future)
springs from this story.
Teacher's notes are available.
Wendy Jeffrey
Phoenix by Kelly Gardiner
The Fire Watcher Chronicles book 2 Scholastic, 2020. ISBN:
9781742994284. 272pp.
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. What's not to love about a fascinating
time slip novel set in the London blitz and Lundenwic, where the
Saxons are facing an invasion by the Vikings? Fans of both
historical novels and adventure fantasy will really enjoy the story
of Christopher who owns an ancient phoenix ring and an anchor
pendant which have the ability to send him into the past at times
when London is facing devastation by fire.
Gardiner makes it easy for new readers of the series to catch up
with a brief summary of what happened in the first book Brimstone,
as well as reminding others of the main characters and adventure.
The historical background to London in both time periods is
engrossing. The descriptions of the London Blitz and Christopher's
bravery as a firewatcher and as a messenger between fire outbreaks
from bombs really brings the horror of the bombings to life. And
when Christopher time slips to the ruined Roman London with
Lundenwic, with its wooden buildings just across the Thames, he
meets the Vikings and readers will be holding their breath as
Christopher plays the part of Loki the trickster in an effort to
stay alive. The humour of the dialogue will bring smiles to readers'
faces as he tries to joke his way out of danger.
Gardiner's exploration of the role of women and race during war is
subtle and interesting. Christopher's father has come home from the
war badly injured and finds a different place with women taking on
many roles which he at first finds difficult to understand.
Christopher's Mum is a brave firefighter and women like
Christopher's teacher are taking on the war effort. What was of most
interest to me was in Gardiner's Author's note she writes about
research showing that there were women who were Viking warriors and
her portrayal of Longsword and the Saxon girl Elda add to knowledge
of life in London over a thousand years ago.
This is a very exciting middle grade series that is carefully
researched, and Christopher's thrilling adventures will keep the
reader totally engrossed. I can't wait for the next in the series.
Pat Pledger
What a lot of nonsense by Sheena Knowles
Illus. by Jonathan Bentley. Angus and Robertson, 2020. ISBN:
9781460756140. 32pp.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. From the author of the internationally
bestselling and awarded Edward the emu (1997) and Edwina
the emu (1987), comes a book that offers readers a quest - to
find the anagrams hidden on the pages. Dear reader, please take time to note
Two ways to read this book I wrote.
The first way is for everyone,
Just read the book, enjoy the fun.
The second way will challenge those
Who like to look beyond the prose.
Who'd like to ACT just like a 'cat'
(And that's an anagram, in fact).
Follow the rhyming sentences on each page and the antics of an odd
lot of animals, to answer the question of why a bear doesn't want to
be bare, or a seal goes to a sale, and why a dingo is doing a dance.
And for those not wholly sure that they have found them all, a list
appears at the end of the book as an aid.
With this offering, Sheena Knowles has teamed up with renowned
illustrator Jonathan Bentley to create a funny book that not only
stirs the imagination but gives a whole heap of fun with words.
Readers are encouraged to predict the rhyming words along with the
anagram, the funny illustrations offering clues. Themes: Anagrams,
Animals, Nonsense verse, Humour, Word play.
Fran Knight
Duck, apple, egg by Glenda Millard
Illus. by Martina Heiduczek. ABC Books 2020. ISBN: 9780733340185.
24pp.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Widely respected Australian writer Glenda
Millard well known for her middle school novels, especially the
wonderful Kingdom of Silk series, has worked with
illustrator Martina Heiduczek to create a picture book that
celebrates a child's imaginative life in his sprawling backyard. It
is a lovely sunny day and the scene is set for some playing with
words.
'Duck on the green, sun in the sky, egg in the nest, apple on the
tree and me', is repeated through the picture book but with slight
variations, making the reader watch carefully to see where the duck,
apple and egg are placed as they turn the pages. The changes ensure
that children will take note of the way words can be used to create
a different scene.
Martina Heiduczek works with layers of scanned material, coloured
pencils, water colours and gouache and here she creates a very
European scene with its vistas of green grass and trees, stone
walls, box style house and apple trees, the meadow with its patches
of naturalised flowers. The endpapers display the different things
found in the book: a duck, flowers and butterflies, a lot of eggs,
and apples for readers to count. Young children will enjoy
discovering the different places where the duck, the egg, the apple
and the child turn up, satisfied at the end when he eats his apple
pie under the tree. But who made the pie? Eager eyes will find
images of an old fashioned Mum in the background. Themes: Farms,
Apples, Word play, Childhood.
Fran Knight
Say cheese! by Frances Watts
Illus. by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall. Scholastic, 2020. ISBN:
9781760664046. 32pp.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. When a group of students at the South
Furriest Public School, line up to be photographed, Maxwell Mouse
and his two co-workers know that their work is not going to be easy.
They have been here before. At first they do the individual
portraits, but all sorts of things seem to go wrong. The giraffe
just doesn't fit into the frame, the frogs are too small and
insignificant in the frame, while the snakes lie along the platforms
without anything interesting to snap. The assistants need to come up
with solutions so that the photos can be taken, and each time they
find a neat resolution the results of which are shown on the next
page with the words, 'Say cheese!' and a picture of the image taken.
Children will adore the animals and the problems with taking their
photos and laugh at the solutions found by the mice. The next
problem involves the cheetahs and tigers. And again children will
laugh at the depiction of thee animals: the striped ones with
striped tops and the spotted animals with spotted tops not happy at
being photgraphed together. The solution? change some of the tops so
the stripes and spots can coalesce. The meerkats will cause laughs
of recognition as the trio turn up with mobile phones aloft, taking
selfies, while the monkeys simply will not look a the camera.
All the hassles of the photographers will be easily recognised by
the readers as they will have all been in school photographs,
waiting for someone to smile, or look a the camera, or stop
wriggling or not wearing the right clothes. Each solution is simple
and funny, while the last few pages show the hardest photo of all to
take: the class photo.
A whole lot of fun will be had reading this book aloud, while
readers will laugh at the illustrations of the workaholic mice,
trying to work under extreme difficulty. The animals are all
identifiable making this a starting point to talk about different
animals of the world. I love the paraphernalia of photographic
equipment littering each page and the endpapers with their happy
snaps of the animals in the room. A very funny look at a school
event children will know well. Themes: Animals, School photographs,
Photography.
Fran Knight
The wife and the widow by Christian White
Affirm Press, 2019. ISBN: 9781925712858. 320pp.
(Age: Mature 16+) Recommended for fans of the mystery genre. This
thriller kept me reading to the end to try and work out what the
twist was that was mentioned in the Author's Note. I often skip to
the end to read this type of note and when warned to turn back, I
did so, with a heightened sense of anticipation. The story is told
in alternative chapters from two perspectives, that of Kate whose
husband doesn't return home when promised and who has been deceiving
her and his family, and that of Abby a woman who works at the
general store on the island where Kate's husband John has a holiday
house. As Kate investigates her husband's disappearance, secrets
emerge that will change her life forever.
This is a quick and easy read and what keeps the reader going is not
just the mystery about why Kate's husband lied to her and who killed
him and her connection to Abby, but the detailed description of the
characters of the two women and the people who surround them. Kate
is a passive stay at home wife until she feels compelled to uncover
the mystery of her husband's death, and Abby has the unusual hobby
of being a taxidermist, using road kill as her specimens.
The atmosphere of the island where the locals rely on rich summer
tourists but resent them, also adds to the feeling of secrecy and
deception. The reader is continually wondering what has happened to
bring Kate's husband back to the island which he said he didn't
like.
Author of The
nowhere child, another thriller, White certainly
knows how to keep his reader in the dark about what is happening and
the twist at the end is certainly not one that I expected - the sign
of a really good psychological mystery.
Pat Pledger
Scribble Witch: Notes in Class by Inky Willis
Hodder Children's Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781444951653.
(Age: 6-9 years). Molly Mills is a nine year old girl who loves
pencil toppers and pencil cases but finds school a challenge. She
and her best friend, Chloe, do not like their teacher Mr Stilton and
Molly seems to put him offside throughout the school day. Tasked
with planning a pirate story Molly just does not know where to
begin. She is given a very old dictionary to help with her spelling
and after dropping the dictionary Molly finds a paper drawing of a
witch. Molly decides to cut the witch out and place it in her pencil
pot. This is the beginning of the magical Veronica Noates aka Notes,
a scribble witch. She knows that Molly is sad about her pirate draft
but that is minor in comparison to the bombshell that Chloe drops on
Molly. Chloe is leaving to go to a school closer to her house and
has one more day left at Dungfields School.
Molly spends the rest of the day in shock and cannot even talk to
Chloe. Chloe is hurt so spends time with Emily who Molly does not
like. Meanwhile Notes is getting Molly into more trouble with her
teacher by writing notes that are meant to help but do not.
Eventually Chloe is let into the secret of Notes and the two girls
spend the rest of the day watching Notes and her magic. Chloe's
final day with Molly is one of fun and togetherness with Notes and
Molly wishes Chloe could stay but it is not to be. However after
disappearing for most of the day, Notes has come up with a clever
way for the two girls to keep in touch.
Throughout the story are pencil drawings and handwritten notes and
words by Inky Willis. The change of font and emphasis placed on
special words creates a fun and entertaining read for younger
students. The notes and scribbles written by Notes are written in a
childlike and at times, confusing way and may need an adult to
explain the meaning initially to the reader. A second book in this
series, Scribble Witch: Magic Muddles is due out soon.
Themes: Best Friends, Leaving School, Friendship, Magic, Witch,
Pencil Toppers, School Life.
Kathryn Beilby
A perfect little monster by Penny Morrison
Illus. by Simon Howe. Scholastic, 2020. ISBN: 9781742999944. 24pp.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. When Iris and her twin brother Fang go to
school, mad things may happen. The children are monsters. Mum has to
cover Iris' third eye and tuck in Fang's tail to make them look more
like the other children, but Iris knows that her brother's behaviour
will be embarrassing, because when he arrives he makes eye contact
with the children, smiling and saying hello as they walk through the
gate. During story time Iris rips into the books while the teacher
reads a story, but he says thank you when handed an instrument
during the music lesson, shares his toys with the others, plays on
the playground equipment without damaging it, and doing craft
leaving the pencils and paints as he found them. Iris is aghast,
this is not what a monster should do, and readers will laugh out
loud at the mayhem she causes as the story progresses, the hilarious
illustrations showing the world of difference between good and bad
behaviour, showing Iris and Fang to be complete opposites. Iris is a
whirlwind of bad behaviour, reflecting some of the behaviour
children will be exposed to when they reach school, but also showing
children that this behaviour while totally unacceptable, will leave
the person without friends.
A very funny look at expectations when children arrive at school,
the story also quietly exposes new arrivals to the range of lessons
and play they will have. Through Iris' bad behaviour, they will
learn the sort of behaviour that is acceptable, not only to the
teacher, but also their peers.
I love Mum's appearance almost out of sight, and the looks on the
other students' faces are worth watching out for. This is a
wonderful read aloud, encouraging children to join in as it is read,
miming Iris' bad behaviour, realising that Fang is the better
student. Themes: Monsters, Behaviour, School, First day at school,
Twins.
Fran Knight
Anzac girl: the war diaries of Alice Ross-King by Kate Simpson and Jess Racklyeft
Allen and Unwin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760637019. 32pp.
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Interspersed with telling and
informative illustrations the diary entries of Alice Ross-King give
a gruelling account of what she saw and suffered during World War
One in France. Leaving from Melbourne in 1914, the young patriotic
Alice was first stationed in a hospital in Cairo where she attended
the many wounded and dying from Gallipoli. She was shocked, as were
all the staff at the numbers and severity of their wounds. She was
transferred along with the hospital to France early in 1916. Here
many thousands of Australian troops were wounded at the Battle of
Fromelles, her fiancee Harry one of the dead. She found it hard to
carry on with this overwhelming news, but did so, eventually being
transferred to a clearing station near the front. Here she spent a
frightful night sheltering in a bomb crater after checking that her
patients were all okay.
At Rouen many were convinced that the Germans were breaking through,
and Alice's diary reflects her sombre thoughts and saddened state.
But suddenly Armistice was signed: everyone was able to go home over
the next few months.
This involving story, revealing the depths of despair and jubilation
that Alice felt as she plied her trade amongst the worst
battlefields of Europe will be easily read by the youngest of
readers as well as bringing understanding about war and its
brutality to older readers. The pages bristle with history, from the
postcards and drawings of the men and the battles they fought, to
the photographs and maps, letters and newspaper accounts. Between
these illustrations are excerpts form Alice's dairies, bold, clear
and unflinching. They allow us to view her life, one lived in the
most straightened of circumstances beyond our experience but her
words give us a glimpse of the world at the time and the sacrifices
people made, many without question.
The almost naive illustrations by Rackyleft are amazing:
unsentimental, unambiguous and revelatory. They enhance the text as
it shuffles between the author's writing and the diaries of her
great grandmother, the use of sombre colours making a clear
statement about the situation Alice and her peers are in. Themes:
Australian history, World War One, Nursing, Fromelles.
Fran Knight
Atticus Van Tasticus: The Map of Half Maps by Andrew Daddo
Illus. by Stephen Michael King. Penguin Random House, 2020. ISBN:
9781760892913.
(Age:7-11) Recommended. Silliness, pirates, and eccentricity combine
in a rollicking tale of treasure maps divided into pieces that need
to be reconnected. Atticus is the ship's captain, and his rag-tag
crew get on well despite, and because of, their individual
capacities for strange behaviours. When they are at risk of attack
from another pirate ship - the Pegasis, and then from a marauding
Viking ship (with an Abba-esque singing captain), they must escape .
. . and do it quickly. A chance encounter with a raft containing
another eccentric, but nearly dead character named Half Map, gives
them hope of finding the missing piece from their treasure map.
Before they know it, they are back under attack and must go all out
to save their own ship.
Daddo has created a book of piratical lunacy with some rather sweet
moments, and some typically boy-friendly yukky moments, in
combination with quirky humour to entertain younger readers. There
are some hidden quirks, for example the Abba references and jokes
related to Abba songs; some naive poetry; the 'resurrection' of Half
Map a number of times; and the somewhat incorrect map in four
halves! Stephen Michael King's distinctive illustrations and
inserted pieces of visual comedy add to the sense of fun in this
book. This is a book just for the fun of it! Young readers will love
the pirate attacks, swinging from ship to ship and the knowledge of
conflict at close quarters (but sensibly there is very little
violence described in any detail).
Recommended, not as literature, but for amusement . . . for readers
aged 7-11. Themes: Humorous fiction; Pirates.
Carolyn Hull
Little Bilby's Aussie Easter egg hunt by Yvonne Mes
Illus. by Jody Michelle Pratt. Lothian, 2020. ISBN: 9780734419910.
16pp.
(Age: Pre-school) A group of bilbies is on an Easter egg hunt. They
trundle through bushland and areas of scrub, finding other
Australian animals and their eggs, begging the readers to identify
what they see.
In rhyme, this solid board book encourages young children to think
about the rhyming word, to watch out for rhythm and repetition. The
words in bold will encourage the audience to call out the noises
made by each animals, and to note the words in bold, teaching
children the difference between high and low, near and far.
The book shows the animals in their natural habitat, offering a
level of discussion after the book is read aloud.
This colourfully illustrated picture book showcases the diversity of
Australia's egg-laying animals. Each page opens to reveal an egg in
its natural environment asking the reader 'Whose egg could this be?'
One that the audience will love to answer. Themes: Board book, Read
aloud, Bilbies, Eggs, Easter.
Fran Knight
Beyond reasonable doubt by Gary Bell QC and Scott Kershaw
Elliot Rook, QC book 1. Raven Books, 2019. ISBN:
9781526606136. 352pp.
(Age: senior secondary/adult) I have three crime fiction books on
the go, but once I picked this up, they were all set aside. Elliot
Rook, fifty or so years old, a QC in a prestigious London practice,
a successful old Etonian, is approached by a solicitor who tells him
that his client has asked only for him. Billy Barber is an
acquaintance from Rook's days in the Midlands, a product of the
disgruntled ex coal mining towns in the shadow of Thatcher's
Britain, a criminal who blames immigration for Britain's woes. Rook
would prefer to forget all his dealings with this man, the brother
of his closest friend through school and early adulthood, but Barber
knows things about his past and he is forced to represent this
racist thug when he is accused of murder. But he will not answer any
questions from the police or Rook which forces Rook to make his own
inquiries. The Girl was found naked, badly beaten and strangled
along a disused railway track, and Barber's phone records tell the
police he was nearby. His racist threats, known to all via media
posts and action groups outside the mosque, make him a prime
suspect.
At a loss to defend his client, Rook and his new junior, Zara
Barnes, travel to Cotgrave in Nottinghamshire to trawl through some
of his past. Here Zara is reminded of why she wanted to get out of
the place, and Rook follows leads into Barber's life which get him
almost killed.
A non stop breath taking journey sees all the work done by Rook and
Barnes coming together at the Old Bailey, Court Number One, Zara's
first case. Here the routines of the courtroom are explained as the
case proceeds, making the reader fully aware of just how the system
works without being overwhelmed with information. Bell makes it all
so readable, so I was thrilled to see that this is the first in a
series about the wonderful Elliot Rook a man whose past has
implications everyday, making his decision making all that more
complex. Themes: Crime fiction, Law courts, Trial, Racism,
Prostitution, Trafficking.
Fran Knight
Never forget by Clare Hallifax and Simon O'Carrigan
Scholastic, 2020. ISBN: 9781743835050. 32pp.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. A unique look at World War 1, the
illustrations in this book won't be forgotten easily by any reader.
Dark brown colours and black outlines bring to life the story of the
hardships and horror that the soldiers faced during wartime. The
reader is taken through scenes of trench warfare, of wounded
soldiers and the nurses who cared for them, of death and longing for
the familiar blue skies of home.
It is not until the reader comes to the end of the book and reads
the Illustrator's note by Simon O'Carrigan that it is realised that
the illustrations were inspired by actual drawings and photographs
by soldiers and war artists depicting what was happening around
them. There are two pages of artwork reference material
acknowledgements at the back of the book, and reading through them I
was astonished at the depth of research that had gone into the book.
References range from the works of well-known artists like Arthur
Streeton to those of Elias Silas, a soldier. This realisation that
the illustrations were based on the work of people who were on the
battlefields makes it all the more poignant and the words below are
a strong call for peace: When you're lifting the fallen
amidst grieving goodbyes
it's home skies that beckon
as we ask ourselves why
those who urge us to fight
are not by our side.
Never forget.
As the section above reveals, the narrative is very powerful and
could be read aloud slowly and carefully to help people realise the
horror of war. The refrain 'Never forget' is repeated throughout and
adds to intensity of the message about war.
There are many books about the Anzac tradition but this one stands
out as original and heart-breaking. It is an important addition to
any library collection. Themes: World War 1, War in art, Anzac Day
Pat Pledger
