Reviews

Ask Hercules Quick by Ursula Dubosarsky

This is how we change the ending by Vikki Wakefield

Text, 2019. ISBN: 9781922268136.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: Survival, Persistence, Coming of age. Wow! This has to be my favourite YA book of 2019, thanks to Wakefield's wonderful talent of bringing alive a vulnerable character in 16 year old Nate McKee who is doing his best to stay a good person in terrible circumstances. His only refuge from a violent father is hanging out at the local youth centre, and when its closure is threatened, doesn't know what he will do without this one safe place outside of school. He fills a note book with things he can't say aloud and when his words are put up as graffiti by Tash, he realises that he may be able to fight back and make a difference, and that he does have allies and friends.
Wakefield's descriptions of Nate's home life are vivid and compelling. He has to look after his very difficult twin half-brothers and watch while Dec, his abusive father, puts down Nance his young partner. His mother had left many years before and even though she has reached out to see him again she doesn't seem to be a person who he can rely on and his best friend Merrick has left school and is becoming reckless. At school there is one bright patch, a teacher who has left an elite private school, in the hope of making a difference.
It's not often that you finish a book with tears in your eyes because of the heart-wrenching effect of great writing, but even on a second read, I still had tears in my eyes, grateful for the chance to have read about such a gutsy character as Nate, and the few outstanding adults who helped him on the way to breaking a vicious cycle.
This is a must have for every high school library and public library and would be a perfect class novel to study or literature circle book to discuss. Teacher's notes are available.
Pat Pledger

Surface tension by Meg McKinlay

Walker Books, 2011, 2019. ISBN: 9781760650483.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. This is a very welcome reprint of the award winning book first published in 2011 and still relevant today and a must have for any library. Here is the review of the original: 'The day that I was born, they drowned my town' and so begins Cassie's story of life in her town and the mystery that she uncovers in the lake. Cassie has to swim six laps every day because she was born prematurely and has to build up her lung function. One day after finding another disgusting band-aid in the town's pool she goes to the lake to swim instead. There she meets up with Liam, a boy who has a tragic past, and as the water recedes in the lake because of the drought, they discover that it hides a sinister secret.
I was fascinated by this story and in particular, its setting of a drowned lake during a drought. I once taught near a reservoir whose waters had covered a valley similar to the one in Cassie's story and found the idea of preserving old headstones and the history of the place excited students. It is intriguing to imagine just what tragedies and mysteries have been submerged in the murky depths. What is the secret that Cass and Liam uncover? Has someone been murdered? How will they prove what has happened if the lake is flooded once more?
McKinlay has written a wonderful mystery that kept me guessing to the end. She has scattered clues throughout the book for the more astute reader, but I was still unsure of what exactly had happened right to the stunning conclusion - a wonderful thing for a mystery writer to achieve.
In addition to the suspense, McKinlay has grouped together a range of characters and family situations that also give depth to the story. Readers will identify with Cass, who has to work so hard physically to have a normal life, and with Liam, where a family tragedy has left his father mentally ill and difficult to deal with. The author's writing is a winning combination of vivid descriptions of life in a country town during a drought, the thrill of swimming in dangerous water and the excitement of uncovering a puzzle.
This is an engrossing story that will be enjoyed by both boys and girls in upper primary school and also has enough substance for young teens. After reading this excellent introduction to the mystery genre, I can imagine readers going on to seek out other books by this author and to devour other mysteries. Teacher's notes are available.
Pat Pledger

Cleo and Rob by Helen Brown

Illus. by Phoebe Morris. Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781988547350
(Age: 5-12 years) Highly recommended. Themes: Families, Pets, Death, Grief. Helen Brown has written a very poignant story about the death of Sam and how his younger brother Rob deals with the loss. Helen Brown's family experienced this terrible tragedy and her picture book deals sensitively and carefully with bereavement and grief. The illustrations by Phoebe Morris show both detail and feeling and complement the story beautifully.
Sam is wanting a kitten for his birthday and finally convinces his mother to let him have one. The kitten is not ready to leave his own mother yet and the boys will need to wait until the end of the holidays. While they are waiting Sam dies tragically and Rob is left bereft and unable to cope with the loss. The kitten is brought to the house at the end of the holidays as planned and Rob finds the solace he has been searching for.
On researching Helen Brown further, I discovered her adult book version simply titled Cleo, is a best-seller and is currently being made into a motion picture. She was asked numerous times for a similar book to help support grieving families and younger children and decided to write Cleo and Rob through the eyes of her six year old son.
I believe this picture book is a worthwhile addition to any school and public library. It offers support for those struggling with grief and provides hope after a terrible tragedy.
Kathryn Beilby

Scruffle-Nut by Corinne Fenton

Illus. by Owen Swan. New Frontier, 2019. ISBN: 9781925594768. 32pg.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Themes: Bullying, Difference, Winter, Squirrels, Loneliness. This is a picture book with ideas and images that have kept drifting back to me since I first picked it up! Pictures of the snow swirling through the air as a little girl with glasses, Olivia, watches a squirrel with a stumpy tail in a quiet park and thoughts about bullying in both the human and the animal world have popped up again and again. The book opens with a scene of an old woman sitting in a park remembering when Nanny Clementine took her to the big park in the middle of the city. She recalls watching the squirrels, who bullied the scruffy little squirrel with the stumpy tail, chasing him away from food and leaving him behind. This mirrors the actions of three little girls from her school, who whisper behind their hands about her. She names the little squirrel Scruffle-Nut 'because he's wise and brave and strong', and the other squirrels the Bully-Bunch, and Swan's illustrations show the little girl becoming braver with the human Bully-Bunch that she faces at school.
The themes of bullying and difference are handled gently, with Swan's drawings perfectly complementing the text and adding to the narrative. It is a book that could easily be overlooked because of its muted colours, but is one that a parent or teacher could well use to highlight the importance of being kind and one for children to read quietly to themselves and think about difference and how to avoid bullies.
Corinne Fenton writes about how the book came into being on her blog.
Pat Pledger

Dressing your family by Beci Orpin

Lothian, 2019. ISBN: 9780734419408.
(Ages: 0-3) Recommended. Board Book. Themes: Clothing, Family members. From the creator of Moving your body comes this similar board book introducing little ones to different items of clothing and family members: 'My sister wears underpants', 'My uncle and cousin wear overalls'. There is a pleasing diversity of people, including an uncle in a wheelchair, a step-brother and various skin and hair colours.
The illustrations are fun and stylish, depicting a safe, happy and comforting family environment. Young children will be able to identify with the representations of daily life, including playing inside and waving goodbye to grandma.
This is a great early concept book for very young children who are just learning about the world around them.
Nicole Nelson

Under the ocean by Nancy Bevington

Can you find? series. New Frontier Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 9781925594379.
(Age: 0-3) Board Book. Themes: Oceans. This is one in a new series for babies called Can you find? (others are At the beach, In the forest, On the farm). Nancy's previous titles have included the ZenTails and Mad Dog the chef series. In this book, each page says 'Under the Ocean there is . . . ' and then shows and names three things found under the ocean (angelfish, seahorses, sharks, stingrays, lobsters, oysters, coral etc.) The illustrations are large, happy and fun but quite realistically drawn. Each page has a contrasting background colour. The last page says 'Can you find all the things under the ocean?' and shows all of the illustrations included within the previous pages. These are simple but impressive early vocabulary books that encourage parent-child interaction and positive book experiences for babies.
Nicole Nelson<

Africa, amazing Africa: Country by country by Atinuke

Illus. by Mouni Feddag. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781406376586.
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Themes: Africa, Geography, Climate, Animals. Every page is full of colour and fascinating information in this highly readable account of the 55 or so states in the continent of Africa. Divided into four sections, following the points of the compass, each section deals with the countries within its area. So, Southern Africa for example lists the states of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. A page is devoted to each country and an introductory paragraph outlines the main features of the place which might include geography, climate, main cities, features, history, customs and industry. This is accompanied by vibrant illustrations and several facts at the bottom of the page. Each page is enticing in what it reveals about that country, the information given is absorbing, capturing the imagination of the reader.
I read it from cover to cover, it is so well written it lends itself to that use, while in a classroom, its usefulness is enhanced by a sound index and references to websites for further information. I was struck with the positive thrust of the book. The information about Africa is future focussed, each country is presented as a vibrant community working together to overcome problems of the past. The illustrations present a colourful, intoxicatingly positive aura, full of life, colour and movement to encourage every reader to see this extraordinary continent with fresh eyes.
The book's introduction outlines some of the things about Africa which make Africa amazing and unique: the first humans walked there, there are 55 states, but this is variable, there is a huge range of temperatures, climates and landscapes as well as animals and religions, languages and governments. Impossible to put into one book, the facts given will whet the appetites of the students with a desire to know more about the world they live in.
Fran Knight

A first time for everything by Tiffiny Hall and Ed Kavalee

Illus. by Anil Tortop. Albert Street Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781760525002.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure, Exploration, Parenting, Babies, Families. This book had me laughing out loud recognising the trials and tribulations of that first year with a new baby.
Everything seems to go well before he comes along, but the experience of a first child is daunting and it is shown with love and humour as the parents grow into their new job. The look on mum's face as the child is left with her, a mixture of panic and happiness, of fear and joy, comes across beautifully in the cartoon like illustrations. Each page reveals another trial, as the parents tell the reader what has happened, and the illustrations belie the calmness of the text.
As the pages turn the progress of the child's first year is revealed, from its first wee across the room, the first poo, the first time Dad introduces pumpkin, the first outing and so on. Readers will see the development of the child from a baby to a toddler, reinforcing the progressive development of skills and abilities as the child grows.
But humour abounds as the frazzled parents take their new roles seriously. I love the image of the child in its bassinet in the car, the first time they take the baby home. And of Mum struggling with the array of things she must take with her as she wheels the pusher down the street whistling to herself at a job well done while the baby has been left behind. Readers will get a thrill out of the contrast between the illustrations and text, and pore over the detail of family life shown.
Delicious first moments appear on every page: the first word, the first outing, the first sleep through and the first birthday, for the parents a long time coming. Classes will have a lot of fun with this book, recognising the trauma that occurs in a house with a new baby, empathising with the new parents, seeing a child's development, and seeing the first year from three (or four, with the long suffering dog) different perspectives.
Fran Knight

Akin by Emma Donoghue

Picador, 2019. ISBN: 9781529019971.
(Age: Adolescent - Adult) Recommended. This beautifully written narrative takes us into the world of Noah Selvagio, an older man faced with a challenge that is unexpected. His decision to agree to guardianship of his young great-nephew, Michael, a boy who has no other living relatives, brings him a joy that we see him realise only in the last lines of the narrative. Noah had lost his wife and Michael's parents had struggled with drug use, poverty, and lost their battle to live. Vibrant, entertaining and beautifully written, this novel plunges us into the lives of two people, of vastly different ages and experience, forced together at a difficult time for both of them.
Yet while this young boy is tough, he resents being handed over to an old man whom he doesn't know. Noah's struggle to adapt to such a radical change in his own lifestyle evokes our empathy, given that he is about to turn 80, and booked to return to the country of his birth for the first time. He has only a photograph and a few ideas about his mother's life, and is eager to find a sense of how she managed, as a young Jewish woman, to escape from France during the Second World War.
In the quirky inclusion of his late wife's words of wisdom, we read of Noah imagining her commenting on his actions or telling him what to do whenever he has a decision to make. When Noah realises, with her 'help', that it is not sensible to admit to 'aches and pains' to young people as they would 'write you off', she tells him, he is convinced that he must be acknowledged as a capable and competent carer for this street-smart but needy child.
This wonderfully uplifting, rewarding novel is appropriate for both adolescent and adult readers. Emma Donoghue focuses on both the challenges and the humorous aspects of aging, the tough outer persona of youth, and the capacity for human beings to build resilience, even to developing a loving friendship, even in the most unlikely and unexpected ways. It is suitable for adult and older adolescent reading and is a delightfully wry comment on the chance of an unexpected event radically altering our lives.
Elizabeth Bondar

In the forest by Nancy Bevington

(Age: 0-3) Board Book. Themes: Forests. This is one in a new series for babies called Can you find? (others are Under the ocean, At the beach, On the farm). Nancy's previous titles have included the ZenTails and Mad Dog the chef series. In this book, each page says 'In the forest there are . . .' and then shows and names three things found in the forest (trees, leaves, rabbits, toadstools, butterflies, foxes, waterfalls, badgers, etc.) New Frontier publishes in the UK as well, hence the English references. The illustrations are large and the animals are happy and fun but quite realistically drawn. Each page has a contrasting background colour. The last page says 'Can you find all the things in the forest?' and shows all of the illustrations included within the previous pages. These are simple but impressive early vocabulary books that encourage parent-child interaction and positive book experiences for babies.
Nicole Nelson

On the farm by Nancy Bevington

Can you find? series. New Frontier Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 9781925594362.
(Age: 0-3) Board Book. Themes: Farms. This is one in a new series for babies called Can you find? (others are Under the ocean, In the forest, At the beach). Nancy's previous titles have included the ZenTails and Mad Dog the chef series. In this book, each page says 'On the farm there is . . . ' and then shows and names three things found on the farm (cows, a pitchfork, hay, a farmhouse, a scarecrow, a wheelbarrow, a mower etc. The illustrations are large, happy and fun but quite realistically drawn. Each page has a contrasting background colour. The last page says 'Can you find all the things on the farm?' and shows all of the illustrations included within the previous pages. These are simple but impressive early vocabulary books that encourage parent-child interaction and positive book experiences for babies.
Nicole Nelson

Dad's wishing the rain would come by Martine Miller

Illus. by Fiona Levings. Little Steps Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 9781925545845.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Australia, Outback, Drought, Family, Survival. The harshness that surrounds the farm house, the cracked earth, the almost empty dam tell the readers that they are in drought country, an Australian landscape that is parched and seriously dry. But it's not only Dad wishing for rain again: it's all the animals they see in their journey around the farm. The cattle, eating their hay dropped off over the fence, the chooks scrapping at the red dirt next to Mum's sparse vegetable garden, the birds hanging from the trees with outstretched wings, the boy wanting rain, Mum wanting the sheets to dry without being covered in dust.
Everyone on the farm wants rain, and by the end of the story when rain does fall, all the readers will be parched, feeling like one of the farmers, wishing for rain. The story so often heard on our continent, tells a familiar tale but told with a background of one family's anguish and wishing. The whole family is together in wanting rain, and all for quite different reasons, as all facets of their lives are impacted by the lack of rain. The illustrations parallel the concerns of the family, the red dust permeating everything, the parched looks on all the animals telling the story of need, the vast horizons showing us the lack of grass, feed and water. But rain changes the landscape immeasurably, bringing smiles back onto the faces of the family and the animals, Dad able to hep Mum plant the next lot of vegetables, all the animals lolling about in the new green grass which follows the rain.
A timely picture book which will underline the plight of those who live in the country, may encourage students to think about water and its lack, a looming problem for the world and its people.
Fran Knight

Invisible boys by Holden Sheppard

Fremantle Press; 2019. ISBN: 9781925815566. 344p; p/b.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Charlie, Zeke and Hammer each struggle to come to grips with their homosexuality in a small, conservative town. Invisible boys is a highly character-driven story, so it's only natural that the characters in the novel are well crafted. Characters are strongly introduced with relatable or familiar elements but ascend beyond stereotypes as the plot progresses into their hidden depths. As the synopsis likely suggests, the novel has a direct, central theme about the struggles of homosexuality in intolerant circumstances. It's not pleasant to read about, but it's an important perspective on privilege. The plot progresses in chunks as each character faces their own different struggles, but they're carefully woven together to keep the pace flowing. The novel is set in the modern day, in the real town of Geraldton, characterised strongly as small, highly religious, and as a result, intolerant. It's a familiar feeling for anyone who's lived in small towns before where everyone knows everyone and everything. The book follows the perspective of each major character, interspersed with grave letters to keep things compelling and tense. The pacing of which characters take focus when, is impeccable, and a continuous tone of dread permeates the entire novel, causing the reader to sympathise with the characters' awful plights. Teacher's notes are available.
Vincent Hermann

Hapless hero Henrie by Petra James

Illus. by A. Vi. House of heroes series. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781760650834.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Adventure, Gender, Humour. Twelve-year-old Henrie was totally unexpected, no girl had been born for over two hundred years into the Melchior family, only boys. After all the House of Melchior is about heroes and everyone knows that heroes are boys not girls. Octavia Melchior, head of the House of Melchior (HoMe) is appalled, how can their family business proceed with a girl?
This is the premise of the first in this exciting new adventure series for younger readers. Its 240 pages are sprinkled with asides, jokes, tips, diagrams, quizzes and illustrations, while the tale itself is exciting, has a wonderful self deprecating main character in Henrie and an adventurous side kick, and a cast of not so nice villains to avoid.
The hapless hero herself, Henrie, tells the reader how she was taken from her family at birth by her aunt Ellie who feared for her future. The Melchiors stick to the old style tradition and their successful investigative business revolves around the basic tenet that only boys can be heroes and inherit the business.Henrie has been kept in the dark about her background but at twelve, she decides it is time she knew the truth. The arrival of a postcard sees Henrie taking action to solve her problem, facing off her boy cousins n the process.
The first in a laugh out loud series for middle school readers.
Fran Knight