Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781526614964.
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. Themes: Family, Love, Betrayal, Loss,
Revenge. This is a subtle, highly original story of loss and
betrayal told through the eyes of two children, Danny and his older
sister Maeve, whose lives have always centred around the exoticly
beautiful Dutch house and what it has meant to their family. Their
father, an astute real estate businessman, proudly brought his young
family to install them in its luxuriousness, not comprehending the
impact it would have on the young wife he coaxed away from the
devotion and servitude of a convent. The rift it causes in the
family leads to desertion by the person they love most.
Then along comes Andrea, a woman who has a way of getting what she
wants - and she wants the Dutch house. Danny reflects that 'I'll
always believe that Andrea's face fell for an instant when she
looked at Maeve and me' for the two children were not part of her
picture of the future. What follows is a story of betrayal,
obsession and vengeance; but also a story of devotion, the devotion
of a sister to a brother who cannot remember the love of his mother.
The thing I find most interesting about The Dutch house is
the depiction of the way that children, despite being alienated from
a parent, often develop exactly those same characteristics that
cause the distance between them, thus Danny becomes as aloof and
unaffectionate as his father, a lack of attachment that sees him
also separating from his wife in the end.
The stepmother figure is also not the stereotypical evil stepmother,
her evil is not of cruelty but of not caring, a lack of empathy. As
Danny is aware, the faults are not all one-sided.
One might wonder how this sad story of entangled lives might end -
and surprisingly the ending is a delight, a revelation of warmth and
compassion that suggests that with the turn of generations, people
might come to better understanding and love. This is a richly
rewarding story providing insight into family relationships, love
and loss. I highly recommend it to readers who like stories to
provide psychological depth and development of character, and lots
to think about afterwards.
Helen Eddy
Liarbird by Laura Bunting
Illus. by Philip Bunting. Scholastic Australia, 2019. ISBN:
9781743831571.
(Age: 5-10 years) Recommended. Themes: Australian Bush Animals,
Telling Lies, Lessons to be learned. Laura and Philip Bunting have
combined once again to produce an entertaining and thoughtful tale
of what could happen if you continuously tell lies or fabricate the
truth.
The lyrebird is very clever and spends its time mimicking other
creatures, concocting and playing tricks on the other bush animals
and telling outright lies. He is not a very likeable character as
the reader will identify with and will possibly know someone who is
like this in real life. Unfortunately for the lyrebird your lies can
catch up with you and when he needs his bush friends the most, they
have seemingly abandoned him. After extracting itself from danger,
the lyrebird then decides that honesty is now going to be the best
policy but this proves to be quite hurtful to the other creatures.
The lyrebird still has lessons to be learned.
The simple yet beautiful illustrations capture the text perfectly
and you are drawn to the gorgeous use of pinks, greens, creams and
browns.
Kathryn Beilby
The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver
Colter Shaw, book 1. HarperCollins, 2019. ISBN:
9780008341909.
(Age: 15+) Recommended for thriller lovers. Themes: Murder, Gaming.
Fans of Jeffery Deaver will be happy to start a new series starring
Colter Shaw, a reward seeker who has been brought up in a
survivalist family. Shaw is smart and an expert woodsman and is used
by distraught relatives to find missing persons for a reward. When
he is called to Silicon Valley to investigate the disappearance of a
young woman, he finds himself embroiled in the world of gamers, and
it seems as if a video game, The Whispering Man, is being
used to give clues to the whereabouts of the victims of a clever
manipulator.
Deaver is a master at writing the action plot and each chapter often
has a hook that compels the reader to quickly move to the next
exciting strand of the search for the people who have been
kidnapped. Colter finds himself in danger as well, and Deaver
cleverly gains the reader's sympathy for Colter and curiosity about
his survivalist family as he tracks down subtle clues and learns
about the video game industry in Silicon Valley.
The setting of Silicon Valley makes for interesting reading. The
problems that workers have in finding affordable housing, the big
tech companies and gaming exhibitions are all described vividly and
in detail and provide the reader with an in-depth insight into the
competitive gaming industry and the gamers who are consumed by the
games.
With some totally unexpected twists and turns and an exciting plot,
The never game is certain to appeal to fans of mystery and
suspense stories, who will want to read the next in the series to
learn more about Colter Shaw and the unsolved mystery in his
background.
Pat Pledger
Little monster : Ten minutes to bed by Rhiannon Fielding and Chris Chatterton
Ladybird Books, 2018. ISBN: 9780241348918.
(Age: 3-6) Recommended. Little monster : Ten minutes to bed
is a beautiful series by Rhiannon Fielding and Chris Chatterton,
aimed at young children at bedtime. Each book follows a similar
progression where the main characters parent/family member counts
down the minutes to bedtime while the main character flits around
doing lots of fun things before bed. The books are all based on
mythical type characters and are whimsical in nature.
Each book has a map at the beginning (daytime) and end (night-time)
of the book showing 'The land of Nod' which young children can
engage with, finding the home of the books character and also the
homes of the other two in the series (Little Mermaid and Little
Unicorn).
This book tells us of the antics of Belch, a cheeky little monster
who does not want to go to bed. She eats jelly, plays with toys and
then is joined by her monster friends for a quick play before she
has had enough and wants to go to bed. I like that this book helps
to make monsters seem funny, cheeky, a little cranky but also not
very scary!
This book would be good for children who may find the concept of
monsters scary, or a bit unnerving.
We loved the illustrations of Belch; she is a cheeky looking monster
with big eyes and rosy cheeks. The other monsters are a rather
amusing, helping to make them more funny than scary!
I give Ten minutes to bed : Little Monster 4/5, suitable for
young children up to age 6. It is one of a 3 book series, all of
which are equally as great!
Lauren Fountain
Whisper by Lynette Noni
Whisper book 1, Pantera Press, 2018. ISBN: 9781925700992.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. 2019
Gold Inky Award Winner. Themes: Dystopian fiction, Psychic
ability. Winning Australia's only YA award completely selected by
teenagers, gives a good idea of the appeal of Whisper not
just to teens but to anyone who enjoys a fast paced dystopian story
with a great heroine at its heart. 'For two years, six months,
fourteen days, eleven hours and sixteen minutes, Subject
Six-Eight-Four - 'Jane Doe' - has been locked away and experimented
on, without uttering a single word.' (Publisher). Then she is given
to Landon Ward, a young compassionate man, for evaluation and things
begin to change as she gradually meets more people in Lengard and
begins to understand what is happening in this cold forbidding
underground fortress.
The reader's attention is immediately grabbed right from the first
page as the plight of 'Jane Doe' is described in a first person
narrative and this raises questions of why she has been silent for
so long and why she believes she is a monster. The fact that she is
in a cramped cell and has been tortured also leaves the reader
wondering just what she has done to deserve this fate. However as
the story develops the reader begins to empathise with her and hope
that her relationship with Ward will be a fruitful one and that she
can break her silence.
The setting of Lengard under Centre Point Tower in Sydney and the
descriptions of catacombs under Taronga Park Zoo and the streets of
Sydney make for an atmospheric background to the story. A scary evil
genius, a group of Resistance fighters who have amazing powers,
wonderful moments of female friendship as well as some unexpected
plot twists and action make for a very exciting read which I had to
finish in one sitting.
The cliff-hanger at its conclusion will ensure that readers pick up
the next in this thrilling read and they may want to visit the Medoran
chronicles, with the first in the series, Arkarnae,
reviewed on ReadPlus.
Pat Pledger
Goldilocks and the three bears by Sue DeGennaro
Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781743815878.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Goldilocks (retelling), Bears,
Fairy tale. Using watercolour and pencil, DeGennaro creates a
charming series of images of Goldilocks as she takes over the Bears'
house while they are away. The quizzical looks on the faces of the
three bears remind us that Goldilocks is an interloper, taking
liberties in someone else's house. The Goldilocks story has
always held my interest, neither a cautionary tale or fairy tale, it
was collected by Robert Southey an English poet in the early
nineteenth century, adapted from an oral tale. Initially the story
was more cautionary in its nature, having an old, dirty, ugly and
foul mouthed crone as the interloper, who runs away and is never
seen again after being disturbed by the bears.
But in this more well known version, Goldilocks enters the house
while the bears are away waiting for their porridge to cool. The
number three figures prominently as the girl tries the three bowls
of porridge, the three chairs and finally the three beds. When the
three bears return she is surprised by them and runs away, never to
return to their house.
An interesting time could be spent using DeGennaro's version of Goldilocks,
comparing it with other versions in your school library (and there
are quite a few), and then using the Internet to find some original
versions.
Children could be shown the idea of a cautionary tale, using the Goldilocks
story as well as many other tales, particularly from the Grimm
brothers, which warn children of the perils of their behaviour.
This is a strongly bound and inviting production crying out to be
included in the library collection.
Fran Knight
Boo! by Margaret Wild
Illus. by Andrew Joyner. Penguin Books Australia, 2019. ISBN:
9780670078073. 24 pg.
(Age: 1-4) Highly recommended. Themes: Games, Babies. What a joyous
read aloud that carer and children are sure to enjoy. Six different
little babies, each with a delightful grin, say boo to a toy animal
while hiding away from them. Then the tables are turned on the words
'Ready, steady, count - one, two, three' and the animals are the
ones who are saying Boo! to the six little babies.
This is a perfect picture book to buy for a young child or
pre-schooler. While not a traditional board book, the pages are
thick and sturdy and should allow for much use, as this is sure to
become a family and pre-school favourite. The narrative, written in
large black print, flows along smoothly, making it wonderful to read
aloud, and children will have lots of fun joining in the chorus of
Boo! with the children and animals.
The pictures are vivid and each little baby has a distinctive
personality and appearance and the toys are wonderfully humorous as
they scare the little children. I loved the face of the wombat,
splashing in the rain, and kicking up a large puddle at the little
baby, and the tiger reading in the tram is charming. And the end
papers featuring all the babies and toys makes for a last chance to
say Boo!
This is definitely a keeper and is sure to become a favourite
classic for people to buy for young children.
Pat Pledger
The gift by Michael Speechley
Puffin, 2019. ISBN: 9780143788980.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Love, Loneliness, Gifts. When Rosie
looks at the derelict house across the road, she feels that someone
must live there. She sometimes sees a hand come out from behind the
door to take in whatever is delivered on the front doorstep. She
sometimes sees a shadow across a window, but the house is overgrown
and unloved.
Rosie decides that she will leave a gift for the old woman in the
house. Her mother, now dead, used to tell her to give a gift that
was different, unusual and surprising. Rosie thinks about what to
leave on the front door step. She thinks about a variety of things,
rejecting them all, until she finally thinks of the perfect thing.
Her weed, carefully placed on the door step with a ribbon attached
is taken in and when Rosie looks at the house in the morning, the
weed is in a beautiful vase in the window. Rosie keeps leaving a
weed on the doorstep, until one day she decides to knock on the
door.
When she goes into the house, she is surprised that the woman is
much younger than she thought, and her story will melt the hearts of
the readers.
A bond is made, a connection secured which sees Rosie use her
mother's plants to rebuild the woman's garden.
From a simple gift a friendship blooms, from a simple act of
kindness two lives are enhanced, and the woman, a recluse, is helped
back into the world, while Rosie is able to use her mother's plants
for something her mother would have been very pleased to see.
Without being overly sentimental, this story will tug at the heart,
its simplicity a lesson for us all, our eyes opened to the needs of
those around us, offering an act of kindness which will engage the
readers and encourage interaction.
Fran Knight
Ella and Olivia: Fun friendship tales by Yvette Poshoglian
Illus. by Danielle McDonald. Scholastic Australia, 2019. ISBN:
9781760660833.
(Age: 5-8 years). Themes: Friendship, Sisters. Yvette Poshoglian
offers six brand new fun tales in this edition. Ella and Olivia are
sisters and best friends. They do everything together. Each of the
six stories provides a scenario that younger readers will relate to
and the ending is always both positive and happy.
In the first story the girls are invited to a pizza making party.
Given how popular cooking shows are at the moment this is an
entertaining story to begin with. Of course things do not go quite
as planned but it all works out in the end. In the second story,
both Ella and Olivia's teams make the netball finals but disaster
strikes and Nana comes to the rescue. A lost bunny, a treasure hunt,
being trampoline champs plus a bush dance complete the selection.
Younger readers find the stories engaging and popular. The large
font, simple text and colourful illustrations allow those students
moving onto chapter books the opportunity to read both independently
and successfully.
Kathryn Beilby
How powerful we are by Sally Rugg
Hachette, Australia, 2019. ISBN: 9780733642227.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: Non-fiction, LGBTIQ+, Gay
marriage, Activism. No doubt history will see the Liberal Party
recorded as delivering equal marriage rights to the LGBTIQ+
community in 2017. Sally Rugg's book is an attempt to counter the
re-writing of history on how Australia achieved one of the most
significant changes in a generation. It did not just hinge on the
Yes vote of a postal survey, it was the result of decades of work by
a grassroots campaign that would not give up. It was the Liberal
government, under Howard, that specifically amended the Marriage Act
in 2004 to state that marriage was a union between one man and one
woman, and that any alternative union solemnised overseas would not
be recognised in Australia. Various attempts by state governments to
allow gay marriage were ruled unconstitutional. That ruling
clarified for activists that the only way forward was legislative
change to the federal law. Thus the campaign began.
Rugg's book recounts all the steps along the path to achieving
recognition of gay marriage, basically the recognition of rights to
not be discriminated against. Not only is it a step-by-step
historical view of the campaign, the book also provides insight into
the strategising process essential to activism. The equal rights
campaigners knew at the time of the postal vote that the majority of
Australians supported gay marriage, so the task was not to be drawn
into argument with people who were not likely to change their minds,
the strategy was to ensure that Yes voters actually went to the
effort of filling in and lodging a non-compulsory postal vote. That
meant not being drawn into futile arguments with nay campaigners
maligning the Safe Schools program, not being drawn into the fear
mongering, but just staying focussed on encouraging the majority
supporters to make their vote count. And ultimately that strategy
was successful.
Rugg's book is an incredibly valuable historical record for students
of civil rights history, as well as being a wonderful insight into
the collaboration and focussed strategy required to achieve change
at the community level - giving hope that people can unite together
to influence government policy. On top of that, it is Rugg's
personal story, a heart-warming story, with funny anecdotes, of
sometimes making mistakes along the way but managing to work
together with friends to achieve something they and all Australians
can be proud of.
Highly recommended for school libraries.
Helen Eddy
The bookworm by Debi Gliori
Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781408893036.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Imagination, Dragons, Books,
Reading, Families, Cautionary tale. Max thinks he might like a pet.
Mum barely pauses from reading the newspaper to give a reason a pup
will not be welcome. Over the next few pages, Max thinks about a
different pet. Dad rejects a kitten, but Max persists, thinking of
reasons for having a penguin, shark or dragon. Dragons of course, do
not exist says his family, so that is out of the question. He thinks
about a goldfish but rejects them thinking they are boring, and the
same with flies, or wasps and birds. But when he finds a worm in the
garden, he is thrilled. It fits well in the aquarium, and Max
discovers that it likes reading. So each night the worm sits with
Max and reads alongside the boy. Things are working out well until
the worm begins to grow and do some mischievous things: chewing the
pillow and making some awful smells. Spikes appear along its back
and smoke pours out of the worm's head. The dragon flies off into
the night but comes back to read before bedtime, even though Dad
insists there is no such ting.
A very cute, enticing story will have many fans as Max trawls the
usual list of things he wants as a pet. Excuses are given, reasons
deduced, but still no pet appears. Only when Max finds a worm does
he have a pet that he likes.
But has he got the pet he wished for and what will happen when a
dragon appears in his bedroom? All good fun, underlying the family
tradition of reading before going to bed, and promoting reading as
an activity, this book will please the readers. Bright, bold
illustrations cover each page, with lots of detail to keep sharp
eyes amused.
I particularly like the endpapers showing the suburb in which Max
lives, with its street lights and neat gardens, with a few pets
appearing in other people's homes. And lots of dragon books for Max
to read, reiterating the idea of a bookworm, an idiom which will
tickle the funny bones of all readers.
Fran Knight
The Lords of Melody by Phillip Gwynne
Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780143796459.
(Age: 10-14) Recommended. Themes: Music; Rock and Roll; Bands;
Ghosts; Family. Suzi Lord, from Melody Street is the youngest of the
Lord family, and it appears that she is the only one who has no
musical talent. Her parents were once famous Rock and Roll stars . .
. until an undisclosed but unable-to-be-forgotten 'incident' upset
their career. Her sister Janis seems to have inherited considerable
musical talent, but her aspirations are to live a life out of the
shadow of her parents' slide into mediocrity and poor pecuniary
circumstances. There is also the shadow of the Uncle, the drummer
from her parents' band, who died some time ago but is not really
missed. Suzi, however, has found a new pathway in her life away from
hard rock - on the soccer field - until an accident changes her
direction and gives her opportunity to follow a new drumbeat. The
spectral visit of her uncle, the unusual lengths to which Janis will
go in order to raise money and the rather strange relationships that
the 'old' rockers have with the neighbours in Melody Street all
combine to create a fun and entertaining story with a musical
thread, and with genuine family connections. The chance to compete
in a music contest is fraught with difficulty.
Phillip Gwynne has created an amusing tale with characters that have
unique qualities and weird solutions to their problems. The
quirkiness of the setting in the run-down home of the 'retired'
Rockers, amidst the rebuilt mega-homes that line their street, is
just a delight. You can almost smell the decline in the Lord home!
This is a fun tale, with unlikely characters connecting and belting
out tunes - sometimes melodious! The comparison between the
'wealthy' Private School attendees and the other kids in the book
makes a statement, but with much humour. And there is a ghostly
influence to push Suzi in a direction that she might otherwise have
avoided. Suzi's voice is cynical and lightly sarcastic, and it is
wonderful to see her family through her eyes. The book has a
humorous lilt, but it is also lightly addressing the influence of
money and fame. The cover of this book could perhaps deter some
older readers, but this could be enjoyed by teen readers as well as
pre-teens.
Carolyn Hull
Come find me by Megan Miranda
Pisces Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780525578321.
(Age: 15+) Recommended for mystery lovers. Themes: Supernatural,
Missing persons, Murder, Grief. A compelling mix of mystery and what
appears to be the supernatural will keep readers engrossed as they
follow two teens who have suffered tragedy in their lives. Kennedy,
after a devastating family tragedy, keeps looking after a radio
telescope belonging to her brother Elliot and Nolan is determined to
find out what happened to his brother Liam who went missing from a
family function two year previously. When they both receive the same
strange signal, they make contact and begin to search for its
origin, both hoping that it will lead them to a resolution of the
catastrophes in their lives.
The reader is tantalised by the question of what has happened in
Kennedy's life to see her living with a very young uncle. Where is
the missing brother Elliot and her mother? Nolan's belief that his
brother Liam would not have just left a family picnic and
disappeared without trace also leaves questions about where he went
and what happened to him.
The story is told in alternative chapters by Kennedy and Nolan, each
believing in different reasons for the eerie signal. Kennedy thinks
that it may have come from outer space, as her brother Elliot was
obsessed with finding alien life, while Nolan believes it could be
the ghost of his brother Liam trying to tell him where he is. The
reader learns about the depth of their grief as Kennedy and her
young uncle Joe try to learn to live together, and Nolan navigates a
family home taken over by his parents' non-profit group that tries
to find missing children.
Miranda keeps the reader involved in the two mysteries as clues to
what happened are gradually revealed and the threads that link the
mysteries are drawn together in the final riveting conclusion.
Pat Pledger
Little unicorn: Ten minutes to bed by Rhiannon Fielding and Chris Chatterton
Ladybird Books, 2018. ISBN: 9780241348925.
(Age: 3-6) Little unicorn: Ten minutes to bed is a beautiful
series by Rhiannon Fielding and Chris Chatterton aimed at young
children at bedtime. Each book follows a similar progression where
the main characters parent/family member counts down the minutes to
bedtime while the main character flits around doing lots of fun
things before bed. The books are all based on mythical type
characters and are whimsical in nature.
Each book has a map at the beginning (daytime) and end (night-time)
of the book showing 'The land of Nod' which young children can
engage with, finding the home of the books character and also the
homes of the other two in the series (Little Mermaid and Little
Monster). Ten minutes to bed Little Unicorn follows a gorgeous little
naughty unicorn who isn't tired! She is a bit cheeky, and much
prefers to make trouble than go to bed. She dances, chases pixies,
and follows dragons until she suddenly becomes lost. Poor little
unicorn uses her magic to find a colourful rainbow and get herself
home to her mother.
The text follows an easy rhyme, where the young listener can guess
the last word and feel part of the reading experience, rather than
just being a listener.
The illustrations in this book are gorgeous! They are whimsical and
encompass some sparkles on the front cover! I would suggest that
this title in the series is aimed at little girls, due to the large
amount of pinks, purples and fairy tale creatures. My 5 year old
daughter is totally taken by this book, enjoying the count down of
minutes and following the naughty antics of Little Unicorn. It is
certainly a lovely little series for children aged 3-6 years.
Lauren Fountain
Inventor Lab : brilliant builds for super makers by Jack Challoner
Foreword by Dr Lucy Rogers. DK, 2019. ISBN: 9780241343517.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Electronics; Inventions; Science -
Physics.Inventor Lab is a step-by-step instruction book detailing
how to connect electronic components to make some unsophisticated
electronic projects. There are introduction chapters that detail
safety information and descriptions of individual components. The
rest of the book uses clear pictorial descriptions with simple
instructions to create an array of projects, from the simple Coin
battery to some quite complex wired and powered constructions
including radios and an automatic night light. The skills required
are not particularly difficult, but would require perseverance and
interest to pursue (as well as appropriate equipment). So, this book
is for those who are keen tinkerers and willing to try to stretch
their skills in creating electronic items. The next generation of
electronics experts will enjoy this book. Invention implies novelty
rather than following prescribed instructions, but this may be the
book that leads to personal exploration and invention after learning
the basic skills.
The presentation of the book is in Dorling Kindersley's clear and
impressive style that will appeal for its simplicity. It is written
in a way that could be read or used by young readers aged 10+; the
projects seem to suit somewhat older readers.
Carolyn Hull
