Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760525132.
(Age: 9-13 years). Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Myths,
Legends, Dystopia, Adventure, Power. 'Some heroes are legends.
Some legends are real. The tyrant known as the Soul Collector
desires to own everything that is beautiful, unusual, or unique.
Kelly Swift is trying hard to be an average teenager, to keep her
head down and her hoodie up. But every day her powers are growing:
she can run faster than the wind, she can hear people's thoughts,
she is not normal. When her mother is taken by the Soul Collector,
Kelly can't linger in the shadows any longer. But who is she
really? Can she be the one in the prophecy? Is she . . . The
Golden Unicorn?
The Golden Unicorn, the Minotaur and the Griffin -
Only these three united to a common purpose
can fell him who seeks to triumph over all . . .' (Publisher) Golden Unicorn by Anh Do is the first book in the Rise of
the Mythix Series. This dystopian adventure is set in
Australia in a time when there is an absolute tyrant who rules by
wielding cruel and brutal power over his people. His army of
bullies, the GB, have control of the city with cameras everywhere.
The population lives in fear as anything out of the ordinary becomes
a magnet for the Soul Collector to add to his immortal canvas
collection achieved by Lucifer's Ring and the complete power that
ring allows him. By facing the ring at the person or setting, the
Soul Collector is able to drain the colour and immortalise it
forever on canvas.
As well as the Soul Collector, the other main characters, Kelly
Swift and Stanley Solomon are introduced thoughtfully into the story
and you gain an understanding of the roles they will play in
defeating this evil leader. Kelly is a teenager who has become aware
that she has just lately begun to develop unusual powers of speed
and mind reading. She grows a unicorn horn and is caught up in a
battle when she is attempted to be captured. Stanley Solomon, the
Chief Archaeologist, discovers a prophecy that will involve him and
trying to save the kingdom. He has a personal reason for joining
forces with Kelly and support her as much as he can.
The clever graphic illustrations by Chris Wahl help support the
reader's understanding of the storyline. The illustrator gives us a
clear vision of the characters' unique traits and adds a touch of
drama to the text. Those reluctant readers who struggle with the
amount of words on a page will enjoy the fact that the illustrations
break up the text and keep the reader engaged.
Anh Do's popularity as an author will be further enhanced with this
new series. It is exciting, full of action, and quite unique in its
plot and characters. I look forward to the second and third books.
Kathryn Beilby
Clancy the quokka by Lili Wilkinson
Illus. by Alison Mutton. Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760634711.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Quokka, Verse, Food, Western
Australia, Picnics. In four lined rhyming stanzas, Wilkinson tells
the story of a quokka who waits until he hears the tell-tale noise
of campers, holiday makers and tourists to make his way to their
campsite to grab some of their food. He is well practised in taking
food from the picnic tables, and when he sees a beautiful birthday
cake sitting in the middle of the table, he wants it for himself.
Pitting himself against the children and adults at the camp site,
mayhem follows as the little quokka becomes entangled in ribbon, and
the humans dive and weave around trying to prevent him taking the
cake.
When he at last is able to grab the cake, he hears loud crying as
tears fall from the children's faces. Chagrinned, he returns the
cake to the family. Instead of being very cross, the birthday girl
calls out 'look at his face and those cheeky cheeks' before having a
selfie with the animal. Selfies finished the quokka leans back in
his chair with a slice of watermelon, but turning the page sees him
return to eyeing off something more inappropriate.
A delightful story about quokkas but also about native animals and
the food they eat, particularly when they live close to tourist hot
spots where food is available on tables and in bins. The story begs
discussion about the appropriate feeding of native animals in such
places at Rottnest Island as well as camping places where kangaroos
and others may come visiting.
The funny illustrations serve the story well, revealing the range of
children in this particular party, their faces alight with the
experience they are having, while entranced with Clancy at the end,
despite his behaviour almost ruining the birthday party. Food
figures prominently in the illustrations and readers will delight in
recognising party food of all descriptions. And with all that
ribbon, wrapping paper and paper plates, it is good to see it all
cleaned up at the end before they leave.
A funny tale about the interaction between humans and animals will
have children looking more closely at the quokka, and laugh again at
the myriad of selfies posted on the internet of humans and this
little animal.
Fran Knight
Scars like wings by Erin Stewart
Simon and Schuster, 2019. ISBN: 9781471185991.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: Burns, Survival, Identity,
Resilience. Ava is slowly recovering from a house fire that killed
her parents and her cousin Sara; she is the sole survivor, but
survivor is hardly a word she likes because she has burns to 60
percent of her body and a face that is changed forever. Gone are her
friends, her boyfriend, and her future as a singer in the spotlight.
Instead she is forced to wear a body compression suit, and a bandana
to cover her patchy head and missing ear; her left hand is a stump
with a toe to replace her thumb; and her face is a patchwork of skin
grafts, with eyes that have loose hanging underlids. Her survival is
thanks to her father pushing her through the window to safety below
- a survival she claims was never a choice on her part.
Her uncle Glenn, and aunt Cora, Sara's parents, are now her carers.
To please them and the 'Committee on Ava's Life', Ava reluctantly
agrees to try out at a new school. There she finds a budding
friendship with another burn survivor, a car crash victim, Piper,
who takes a gutsy defiant approach to dealing with her
circumstances. Ava becomes involved in the backstage crew for a
school musical production and another tentative friendship leads her
to hope that one day romance might return to her life. However there
are always the looks of horror and disgust to deal with, the
whispers, and then the bullying. It takes Ava a while to understand
she can't just block people out of her world, she is actually in
need of the love and support being offered her by people who care.
The wings of the title are the wings of the phoenix rising from the
ashes, Piper's totem. Ava has to find her own wings, and her own way
towards a new future. It is an incredibly hard journey. The author Erin
Stewart spent time listening to the stories of burns
survivors, children who suffered the torture tank of skin peels and
multiple skin graft surgeries, and somehow managed to go on and find
joy in life again. So the story is heart-rending in its
authenticity. Scars like wings shares many of the themes of Sean William's
2019 YA novel, Impossible
music - the anger and isolation of the sufferer, the
loss of identity, bitter rejection of well meaning outsiders, the
path to humility and self acceptance, and the struggles to find a
new life that can somehow incorporate the passion of the life they
lost. Scars like wings offers insight into suffering, and
overcoming adversity, and finding personal strength and resilience.
Highly recommended for teenage readers.
Helen Eddy
Tulip and Brutus by Liz Ledden
Illus. by Andrew Plant. Ford St Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9781925804348.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Ladybirds, Insects, Stinkbugs,
Relationships. Tulip is a ladybug and lives with the other ladybugs
amongst the flowers, while Brutus is a stinkbug, and stinkbugs live
in trees. Each gets its nourishment from the plants quite
differently. A ladybug nibbles and sips, while a stinkbug bores and
sucks sap from the tree. One day it begins to rain. Each insect uses
smell to warn the others, so stinkbug lives up to his name and lets
off a whopper, while ladybug lets out a small pong. The rain sweeps
them away and they all end up together in a sticky pile of debris.
Here a dragonfly hovers overhead assured of a meal, but the ladybugs
and stinkbugs evade the invader, letting off a combined pall of
smell, sure to deter any possible threat.
After their near misadventure, both groups live happily side by
side, the ladybirds sipping the flowers and the stinkbug boring the
trees.
A funny tale of two different groups working together to overcome a
common enemy, the humour about letting off smells will be a treat
for younger readers, initiating discussion about why animals expel
air and how it is an aid to digestion as well as a way to warn
others. This seemingly little story gives a great deal of
information about insect life and will initiate discussion about
insects in the classroom. Students will see parallels between the
two sets of insects in the garden and the various different groups
playing in the playground at school, in the classroom or at home. A
warm tale of friendship, or working together to overcome a common
problem and of diversity, exemplified by Andrew Plant's hilarious
illustrations depicting the human characteristics of these two tiny
insects as they survive in the garden.
Fran Knight
1, 2, BOO: A spooky counting book by Paul Howard
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781526612052. Board book.
(Age: 3-5) Recommended. Themes: Halloween, Counting. Young children
will love this counting book with its funny illustrations and will
be happy to count along when it is read. Two little children go
trick-or-treating, finding all sorts of amazing things as they go
along, including 'one hairy, scary wolf, howling at the moon.
Aroooo!' and 'nine snazzy witch's cats, looking for some fun' until
they find 'Ten giant bags of treats. Let's eat them! Yum, yum yum'.
This is a variation on Howard's I
went trick-or-treating and its sturdy board structure
makes it perfect for younger children. The illustrations are very
humorous and not at all scary, as all the characters have happy
smiling faces. I loved the cute expressions on the faces of the
three green, friendly, smiley ghosts, complete with little hats and
even a bowtie, and the four dancing skeletons are a hoot. The brother
and sister decked out in their Halloween costumes are a treat to
follow as they have lots of fun encountering monster boogie kings,
smiley ghosts, silly skeletons, wizard's owls, creepy spiders, warty
toads, spook-wooky bats, witch's cats and giant bags of treats. The
multitude of amusing details beg for a closer look at the
illustrations and could result in children not only counting the
figures but examining the expressions on the children's faces and
what all the characters are doing on each page.
The rhymes and humour in 1, 2, Boo! make this a wonderful
book to share and great to read aloud. It is sure to become a firm
favourite to read before Halloween.
Pat Pledger
Gulpilil by Derek Reilly
MacMillan, 2019. ISBN: 9781760784973.
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. Non-fiction. This is a beautiful
book. It tells of the life of David Gulpilil, esteemed Aboriginal
actor, dancer and performer, through conversations with Gulpilil
himself, and through the shared memories of the many people who got
to know him - people like Paul Hogan, Jack Thompson, Margaret
Pomeranz, Natasha Wanganeen, and others who have wonderful stories
to tell. Sadly, Gulpilil is now suffering from lung cancer and is
not expected to live much longer; he is being cared for by close
companion and experienced aged care nurse, Mary, in Murray Bridge,
not too far from the treating Adelaide hospital, also near to the
site of one of his earliest films Storm Boy, but very far
from his Yolngu homelands in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory,
featured in his later films Ten canoes and Charlie's
Country.
Did you know that Gulpilil is a first contact Aboriginal who didn't
see a white man until he was eight? He is a living link with a
culture that is 60,000 years old. Brought up in the traditional way
of life, he first ventured into the 'white' world winning the Darwin
Australia Day Eisteddfod dance competitions a number of times. Then
his charismatic performance in the film Walkabout saw him
set on a career in films. Actors and directors alike describe his
intuitive ability to convey meaning with a look or a stance, a
presence that just feeds the camera. He brought the face of
Aboriginal Australia to film and is remembered for films ranging
from Crocodile Dundee to Rabbit proof fence to The
tracker. His contribution to Australian cinema was recognised
in 2019 with the NAIDOC lifetime achievement award.
However, the difficulty of straddling two worlds has taken its toll,
just as in earlier times it did for Bennelong, feted by Governor
Philip in the late 18th century, and, the more recent, Namatjira,
famous landscape artist of the 20th century. Gulpilil, like them,
has battled with alcohol, and has given away everything he has to
extended community.
Gulpilil's words on winning the NAIDOC award were 'Never forget me.
While I am here, I will never forget you. I will still remember you,
even though I am gone forever, I will still remember.' In that
spirit, Reilly's book makes a fitting tribute to an Australian now
regarded as a national treasure, a man of amazing charisma, much
loved by friends and family and the wider Australian audience. This
is the book he wanted written; it will help us to remember him.
Helen Eddy
Mr Chicken all over Australia by Leigh Hobbs
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760296964.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Australia, Geography, Travel.
Encouraged by the number of letters he has received from children in
Australia suggesting places he might like to visit, Mr Chicken does
his research, reading a book about Australia for polite visitors.
Those who have read Mr Chicken before, are well aware of the in
joke, as he is likely to be gruff and demanding. Previous books
about his travels to Rome, Paris and London will have given many
insights into his character as a tourist, so readers will be
surprised when he takes his book to heart, and remains a polite,
interested tourist.
He travels across Australia, visiting the places children have
suggested, listing them all as he goes, adding an attraction or two.
And most of the time he has a smile upon his face, except of course,
his face of abject fear on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, or
running from the Tasmanian Devils who see him as lunch, or the
aftermath of eating a whole pavlova.
Readers will get lots of laughs recognising places known in
Australia, combined with the sorts of things tourists want to see
and are offered to them, and reading about places they have never
heard of, their interest whetted by the inclusion. He visits many of
the 'big' things, the big Galah in Kimba, the Big Boxing Crocodile
at Humpty Doo, the big Koala at Dadswells Bridge while seeing such
animal attractions as the quokka, koala and crocodile. Well known
physical attractions are flown over, walked around and swum: Great
Barrier Reef, Uluru, Bungle Bungles, to name a few. Each place will
bring either a sigh of recognition or a 'where is that' question,
begging a large map of Australia to be poured over by the readers.
I thoroughly enjoyed Mr Chicken's outing in Australia covering so
many places that I wonder he was still able to unveil his statue at
the end.
Leigh Hobbs' distinctive illustrative style will intrigue and
delight all readers, as they look for Mr Chicken's offsider, a
helpful koala, on each page, and spot the myriad of places, people
and events that make Australia, Australia.
Leigh Hobbs dedicates his book to the children, teachers and
librarians he met as the 2016-2017 Australian Children's Laureate.
Fran Knight
Outwalkers by Fiona Shaw
David Fickling Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781788450010. 422p.
(Age: 11+) Recommended. Themes: Dystopian fiction, Survival, Dogs.
Opening with a daring escape from a horrible school for children, Outwalkers
finds Jake, a 12 year old boy, on the run from the authorities. Set
in a dystopian England, where everyone is microchipped and there is
a threat of catching a killer virus, Jake sets out to find his dog
Jet and a home. Then he encounters the Outwalkers, a gang of young
people who are also on the run from the government system, and
together they go on a massive adventure, travelling from one end of
England to another in their quest to get to Scotland and freedom.
This was a gripping read with a setting in a future England that to
an adult felt eerily real and plausible as the government
microchipped their citizens and watched them non-stop, controlling
their actions and imprisoning children in so called Academies that
were like detention centres.
Jake is the central character in the story and his love for his dog
Jet is a highlight of the story and adds a touch of poignancy as he
tries his best to struggle through the nightmare of his world and
work out who to trust. The portrayal of Swift carefully carrying her
sick sister Cass, and the picture of the motherly Martha, the strong
Poacher, twitchy Davie and young cook Ollie, all make this gang come
alive and the reader is invested in the survival of all of them.
Each contributes a special skill to help the gang move from safe
house to safe house and forage enough food to eat.
Children will read it as a gripping adventure and survival story
with its motley crew of young people vividly drawn. Readers
will also identify with the loyalty and determination that the gang
needs to keep going on their dangerous quest for freedom.
A small window for a possible sequel at the end left me hoping for
another novel from Shaw.
Pat Pledger
Slay by Britney Morris
Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9781444951721.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Themes: Computer games, Virtual reality,
Black power, Cyberbullying. Teenage college student, Kiera has
created her own original computer game, 'Slay', built around
black heroes and familiar concepts in black American culture. Her
idea was to create a safe place for black gamers to play together
without having to deal with the racist stereotypes and the bullying
too frequently encountered in other computer games. And she finds
success, with more and more people joining in around the world. But
suddenly things start to go wrong, when a student is murdered and
the motivation seems to be an argument over Slay coins.
Keira, as developer, feels targeted by news reports that label the
game as racist against whites, and then to make things worse, an
online troll seems intent on bringing her down.
Although the context and jargon may be initially off-putting to
non-American readers, the novel soon draws you in, and readers will
find themselves swept up in the tension of the story, as Keira
juggles both real life relationships and the threat in the
cyberworld.
The novel deals sympathetically with LGBTIQ+ relationships and
recognises that the online world has the potential to be a safe
place for some people to explore their identity. It also recognises
that gamers may not only be young students, but may include people
from all strata of society - video games may increasingly be a
source of relaxation and social interaction, an escape from real
life pressures.
And as far countering cyberbullying goes, the main message seems to
be to stand strong, and to call them out. When Keira makes a stand,
she finds she has many more supporters than she realised, both
online and in the real world.
With many themes in common with On
the come up by Angie Thomas this book will appeal to
readers interested in exciting stories dealing with black power,
virtual worlds and overcoming injustice.
Helen Eddy
Elbow Grease vs. Motozilla by John Cena
Illus. by Howard McWilliam. Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9781524773533.
(Age: 3-10) Brightly coloured illustrations draw the reader into
this picture book depicting five monster truck brothers competing in
a demolition derby against Motozilla, 'that gnarly monster who turns
trucks into crunch sandwiches'. He is pretty scary. The book will be
a useful tool to generate conversation about a variety of emotions
and relationship skills.
Definitely one to read aloud, as the language in the book varies
from quite simple to very complex words and information. The book
uses both conventional text and speech balloons to convey its overt
message of the value of cooperation, encouragement and hard work.
The book will appeal to 3 to 10 year olds, particularly those who
enjoy a story with conflict, trucks and a dose of competitiveness.
Jan Barwick
Elbow Grease by John Cena
Illus. by Howard McWilliam. Penguin Random House, 2019. ISBN:
9781760894658.
(Age: 3-8) Board Book. Themes: Monster Trucks, Persistence,
Determination. This is the board book edition of the same title
published in 2018. The series features five monster truck brothers:
Flash is all about speed, Pinball is intelligent and strategic, Tank
is big and tough and Crash is courageous. The littlest, an electric
truck named Elbow Grease, doesn't have any of these obvious
characteristics but he remains optimistic and cheery because he has
gumption and never, ever gives up. Their mechanic is a young woman,
a welcome departure from the usual image of car sports being a
male-only zone. When Elbow Grease shares his dream of one day being
a monster truck star his brothers laugh and jeer: 'You're too slow';
'You're too small'; 'Your technique and experience are insufficient
. . . ' Determined to prove them wrong Elbow Grease zooms off to the
Grand Prix by himself. He is 'bashed and smashed and even caught on
fire a little bit, but still - HE KEPT ON GOING!' The other trucks
then realise that they can only learn new skills if they stick at
it: 'a little Elbow Grease goes a long way!'
There are many speech bubbles showing the dialogue of the trucks,
which highlight their individual personalities, but these are
disjointed from the main text and make the pages very busy. Apart
from one page the story can be read and understood very well without
them so they seem a completely unnecessary addition, especially in
this board book format aimed at younger children. In addition, some
people may be uncomfortable with how Elbow Grease calls the other
trucks 'jalopies', a word which many children may be unfamiliar
with, but is clearly meant as an insult. Additionally, it is hard to
preach not to stereotype and to broaden your skills when you have
stereotyped your characters by name, appearance and behaviour. There
is a nice message about persistence though and young kids who like
monster trucks will love the illustrations and the action.
Nicole Nelson
Moonfish by Graeme Base
Puffin Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780143791409.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: China, Fable, Family, Dragons,
Power. A stunning modern fable using Chinese symbolism, paralleling
stories of foundlings, this story by Graeme Base is luminous in its
depiction of growing up as an outsider. The wondrous illustrations
encapsulate the story, wrapping it in the most detailed landscapes
of life above and beneath the sea overlaid with the warmth of
family.
An elderly couple finds a foundling fish and raise it as their own.
He is bullied at school because he is different and leaves to find a
place where he belongs. He asks those he meets: a frog, a dragonfly
and a group of eels, concluding that they do not know either and he
decides to head back home. When he reaches places that are familiar,
he is relieved, but he sees herons overhead. With that he turns into
a dragon, the ancient Chinese symbol of good luck for those worthy
enough to deserve it, and reaches out of the water towards the
birds, scaring them off forever. Now his family is at peace, and
never need fear the heron again, and he is home.
The ethereal world beneath the water's surface is simply awe
inspiring. Shades of blues and greens permeate each page. A panda
like fish hides in the background on several pages; we spy Chinese
symbols and buildings, lanterns and bridges, Chinese script on the
blackboard, the frog sits on a wonderful seat, a tea set behind him.
The dream world Base creates is meticulous in its detail and
interest, creating a world that begs to be discovered and examined.
Base has produced a timely fable about family, of belonging, of the
kindness of strangers, of standing up for yourself, of finding your
place. I kept on reading and looking, gleaning more of the dream
like world he has created, pondering the creatures drawn, the
background against which they live. The yin and yang symbols on the
endpapers entwine the dragon and the fish, each dependent on the
other, playing a part in the peace the dragon has wrought to his
world.
Fran Knight
The weekend by Charlotte Wood
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760292010.
(Age: Senior secondary to adult) Highly recommended. Themes: Age,
Friendship, Death, Interaction. Four women, friends for over four
decades, rocked by the death of one of their group, Sylvie, are on
the way to her beach house, the scene of so many wonderful weekends,
to ready it for sale. As they make their way to the coast each is
apprehensive, concerned that Sylvie was the one who held them
together, worried that the weekend will be a disaster, seeing them
go their own separate ways after their long years of friendship.
Jude a former restaurateur is first to arrive. She gets to work
immediately with her rubber gloves and bin bags, bemoaning the
lateness of the other two, expecting on past experience that she
will be left with most of the work.
It is Christmas, and the group always spent this time together, Jude
waiting a call from her long term lover, trapped elsewhere with his
own wife and children for Christmas.
Adele, a once well known actor, arrives by train. Out of work and in
her seventies she is hoping that some money will miraculously appear
in the bank account and steels herself to ask one of her friends for
a loan to tide her over.
Wendy arrives in her battered broken down car, exhausted after
waiting several hours for roadside assist to get her back on the
road. She has her ancient dog, Finn with her, a gift from Sylvie and
in its frightened state waiting in the car, has weed over Wendy's
lap. Jude is appalled at the dog's inclusion and insists it stay
outside.
The day does not start well, and Jude allocates each a room to clear
out. Full plastic bags go down the travelator on the side of the
house, to be dumped on the road below. Memories stall their work.
Breaking for coffee at a local cafe, they bump into a rival actor,
Sonia and her producer, Joe Gillespie, and when these two arrive at
the beach house the next day for Christmas drinks, tempers flare.
Old wounds surface between the two older actors, the producer
mischievously provoking the two women, while Wendy and Jude become
protective of their old friend, but heat and tension, fuelled by
champagne, sees truths said which cannot be unsaid.
This is a wonderful read reflecting the delicate bonds of
friendship, the lies we tell ourselves and others, the events which
can so easily unravel friendship, but equally put it on a stronger
footing.
The three women are forced to face their futures, forced to reassess
their friendship, and the part Sylvie played in their lives. It is
told with humour that will make the reader laugh out loud,
recognising basic truths about relationships, told with a sharpness
that comes from critical observation.
Fran Knight
Guinness World Records 2020
Guinness World Records Ltd., 2019. ISBN: 9781912286812.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Records. Once again the
Guinness World Records team has brought together a fabulous
collection of fascinating, weird and wonderful records with
something for everyone. In 11 chapters, including Sports, arts and
Media, Planet Earth, Animals, Robots, Tech and engineering, the book
explores different records in many locations.
Dipping in (as one does) I was immediately taken by a photo of the
youngest player, male or female, to score a double century in
international cricket - 17 year old NZ player, Amelia Kerr. Then
after a quick glance at the back cover which had lots of subjects
listed, thought I would have a look at Fortnite, which my grandson
loves. A perusal of the index, brought me to two pages of
information that is sure to engage any aficionados of the game.
Leaving that, I skipped back to the Table of Contents and decided to
have a look at Planet Earth which was divided into geographical
regions and perusing Oceania discovered a gorgeous photo of The
Great Barrier Reef (longest reef) and one of the Daintree Rainforest
(oldest tropical rainforest). Then flicking through, a photo of the
farthest arrow shot using the feet caught my attention (Brittany
Walsh, 12,31m).
As always, the Guinness World Records 2020 is beautifully presented,
with outstanding photography and interesting and well-presented
information about a huge range of records. It is a book that has a
contents page and index to easily find information, but also begs
the reader just to flick through and enjoy the experience of
discovering new and interesting things that have made it into the
records.
It is a must have for a school library and would make a great gift
for any family to share.
Pat Pledger
Weirdomania by Anh Do
Weirdo 13. Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781742997933.
(Age: 7-10) Recommended. Themes: Humour, Wrestling, Careers. Anh Do
has done it again with this fabulous, fun 13th adventure featuring
the Do family. Great illustrations and a catchy theme are sure to
engage any reader who want to relax and have a laugh. In this
episode of the family's life, Weir Do is determined to win tickets
to see The Block, the coolest wrestler in the business. His family
can't afford the tickets but he has a chance of winning some by
designing the funniest costume for Funny Friday at school. Can he
succeed?
As always, both the narrative and the illustrations are hilarious
and kids who are fans of this series will be thrilled to see another
one available. Children new to the fun drawings and characters will
have no difficulty picking up the story and will be keen to find
others about the Do family. Some different careers are explored as
parents come to school to explain where they work, and much fun
surrounds wrestling, The Block the champion, and the identity of The
Human Torna-Do.
This is a very humorous addition to the series, one that all
children (and adults, like me) will enjoy.
Pat Pledger
